Blog

If you’ve ever been to PF Chang’s, you know that the Cashew  Chicken Lettuce Wraps are one of the most popular items on the menu.  Well here is a way to enjoy It’s low carb and you use the lettuce leaves instead of rice paper to create a taco.  I know it  may seem like lots of ingredients, but the flavor is wonderful and you will use it up

Like most stir fry recipes, this requires a bit of chopping before you get started, but the actual cooking goes very quickly.  Trust me  – this recipe is worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 2 heads of romaine lettuce hearts
• 1/4 c low sodium chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 Tbsp grape seed  oil
• 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breats cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 medium green bell pepper seeded and diced to 1/2 inch size
• 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and diced to 1/2 inch size
• 1 jalepeno chile, thinly sliced (deseed if you want less heat)
• 1/2 cup  coarsely chopped raw cashews
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or more) to taste

Separate the lettuce leaves from the lettuce heads, tearing out any tough ribs and discarding any blemished or discolored leaved.  Rinse and place on a plate and blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch.  Set aside.

In a wok or large non-stick frying pan, heat the grape see oil over medium high heat until almost smoking.  Add the chicken and stir-fry until browned 1- 2 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chick to a bowl.  Add the garlic, bell peppers, green onion, and jalapeno and stir-fry until tender-crisp – about 2 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan and add the cashews.  Whisk the soy sauce mixture to recombine, add to the pan, and stir-fry until the chicken is opaque throughout and the sauce is nicely thickened 2 -3  minutes longer.

Scape the contents of the pan back into the bowl where the cooked chicken was.   We have had everyone serve themselves, placing the chicken onto the lettuce leaves, add cilantro and a squirt of lime .  (I have to ‘fess up – I used red leaf lettuce here and I would highly recommend using the stiffer romaine lettuce leaves).  Fold up the leaves and take a bite.  If that’s too messy, pull out forks and knives and enjoy these Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps.