I’ve been wanting to make chicken lettuce wraps for-ev-er!  When I finally found an easy recipe and the time to make them I realized the Whole Foods I was shopping at didn’t have whole heads of lettuce….strange, right?  So these deconstructed chicken lettuce wraps were created from romaine heart leaves, and I actually think this is a fabulous idea for future dinners and weekday lunches!  No love lost on Whole Foods lack of whole heads of lettuce…

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps – serves 3

Ingredients:

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
6 oz white mushrooms, chopped
1 lb lean ground chicken
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup green onions, sliced
4 oz. sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
9 romaine heart leaves

For the Sauce:

3 tbsp sesame oil
1.5 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2.5 tbsp lower-sodium soy sauce
1.5 tsp honey
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat EVOO in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Place mushrooms in a bowl and set aside.
2. Add chicken and garlic to skillet and cook for 6-7 minutes or until chicken is brown, breaking the meat up as it cooks.
3. Add mushrooms, green onions and water chestnuts to skillet; toss together.  Remove from heat.
4. In a new small bowl, combine sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lower-sodium soy sauce, honey and crushed red pepper flakes; whisk to mix well.
5. Lay (3) romaine heart leaves on each plate, then slice each leaf several times horizontally:
6. Top with chicken mixture then sesame oil mixture:

Serve with a fork and enjoy!