I hate eating the same meals on repeat week after week! Nothing bores me more than a simple chicken, rice and broccoli style dinner. I absolutely love cooking and trying new things but also like to keep my weekday meals simple and quick for busy nights after I come back from work and the gym. One go to for me is an easy stir fry dish were I can throw some protein and veggies in a pan and mix up a simple soy sauce based dressing and call it a day.
Rice is definitely a staple in my diet but there are only so many nights I can eat some variation of rice, protein and vegetables before I feel bloated and weighted down by the rice baby I am growing. Enter stage, my new favorite cooking staple, bib lettuce! Last weekend I took a trip to my local farmers market on Old South Pearl Street in the University neighborhood of Denver and found some gorgeous bib lettuce heads that I could not ignore.
Lettuce is a super tricky produce item for me to buy since it goes bad/rots super quickly in the fridge if I do not utilize it fast enough, but I was determined to make this lettuce last me for the week! My friend, Julie who is severely allergic to gluten and grains, inspired me to try making some lettuce wraps as an alternative to weekly chicken stir fry bowls or taco bowls.
Here is my recipe for an easy, Thai peanut style chicken sauté that makes for an amazing lettuce wrap or rice bowl dinner! Note, I also tried this recipe with frozen shrimp and I found that the shrimp flavor was too mild and got super lost in the toppings and sauce but really any protein option will work for this recipe, even tofu.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons of Thai Peanut Mildly Spicy Marinate and Dipping Sauce from San-J
- 1 Teaspoon of honey
- 1 Lime or 2 tablespoons of lime juice
- 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce
- 3-4 pieces of bib style lettuce head
- 6 Ounces of raw chicken breast **(Substitute protein of choice)
- 50 Grams of white mushrooms chopped
- 80 Grams of white onion chopped
- 50 Grams of sugar snap peas
- 30 Grams of shredded carrot
- 15 Grams of chopped green onion
- 13 Grams of roasted peanuts **(Substitute almonds or skip if allergic to nuts)
Instructions:
- First, chop and weigh out the onion, carrots, snap peas, mushrooms and chicken
- Portion out roughly 15 grams of carrot and 20 grams of snap peas for garnish and chop up the green onions and set them all aside for later.
- Grease or oil your pan with your fat of choice, I usually use avocado oil spray but any olive oil or coconut oil will work. Add the carrots, snap peas, mushrooms and onions to the pan and begin sautéing until the onions are a bit brown.
- Next, add your chicken to the pan with the veggies and start cooking and mixing it all together. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper and garlic seasoning to the pan and distribute around the mixture.
- Mix the soy sauce, honey and lime juice to create a sticky sauce and pour it over the chicken an veggie mixture letting to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Let the sauce bubble and thicken as it coats the chicken and veggies making a nice caramelization. Finish once the chicken or other protein is cooked to your desire. I personally like to get a nice crisp or burn on my chicken before I call it done!
- Weigh out your peanuts, put them in a ziplock bag then crush them up with a bottle or meat pounder for an added crispy topping for your wraps.
- Scoop the chicken mixture into your lettuce boats and top with the crushed nuts, raw carrot, snap peas and green onions that were set aside earlier.
- Pour the spicy peanut sauce in a small dish and either drizzle on top of your wraps or if you so dare, dip the wraps directly into the sauce.
- Enjoy!
This recipe is so versatile, weather you are a rice lover or a lettuce lover, this recipe is super tasty and will quickly become a crowd favorite. Simply swap the protein or opt for rice instead of lettuce wraps and you have a totally new meal. These also make for a great party appetizer! This recipe can easily be used to create a lettuce wrap bar and have guests mix and match veggies, sauces, toppings and proteins for endless options and even more customization.
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