Chicken Lettuce Wrap Step-By-Step Recipe

Chicken lettuce wraps are delicious, visually appealing and travel well. If you stay organized and cook everything at the same time, all the ingredients will be ready to combine at the same time. During the hour that the chicken marinates, all the other ingredients can be prepared. In under two hours, a full meal for four can be prepared and it is well worth the effort.

Shall we begin with the step-by-step instructions and all the tempting photos?

 

Chicken Lettuce Wrap Step-By-Step Recipe

Rough chop the cilantro and garlic and add to a glass container.

Add the juice of three lemons. Mmmmm…the smell of a lemon is so fresh.

Zest one lemon. If you don’t have an official “zester,” peeling thin slices of the skin and then chopping it up is just as good.

Add the zest to the other ingredients in the bowl.

Now add the salt and…

Add cayenne pepper.

Stir all the ingredients together with the olive oil. Set aside.

Cube the chicken.

Add the chicken to the bowl to marinate and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Since the marinade is so acidic, I don’t suggest that you leave it for more than an hour.

While the meat is marinating, let’s get all the other ingredients ready. I cooked everything from scratch, so I had the pinto beans soaking overnight. Rinse the beans, add fresh water and boil rapidly for the hour that the meat is marinating. When the beans have been cooked until soft, drain them and set aside.

Next ingredient! Put the rice in the pot with water and a clove of garlic that is sliced many times, but only partially way through the clove. Bring to a boil according to the package directions and then let it sit covered to absorb the water.

Clean and cook the corn on the cob. Then cut the kernels off the cob. Set aside.

Using tongs, blanch the lettuce leaves by dipping them one at a time into boiling water for 15 seconds.

Remove the leaves, dip into ice water and then lay flat on paper towels to dry. Be sure to put paper towels between each layer of leaves.

When the chicken has marinated for 1 hour, remove and put into a frying pan. No need to add olive oil to the pan because the chicken is coated in it! Turn on the heat and add cumin to the chicken.

Also add more cilantro and…

Add some finely ground black pepper.

When the chicken has completely browned, remove it from the pan and set aside. Do not discard the olive oil that is in the pan.

Slice the grape tomatoes in half long way.

Rough chop the scallions or onions.

Add the tomatoes and onions to the pan and cook until tomatoes are soft.

Turn off the heat. Add corn, beans, rice and chicken to the tomatoes/scallion mixture. Mix well.

Lay one or two lettuce leaves flat and overlapping slightly. Add a 1/4 cup of chicken mixture in the middle of the leaves. Fold the bottom up over the chicken mixture. .

Then fold the left side and the right side over the chicken mixture.

Fold the top over and tuck under. Because the lettuce leaves are soft, they will retain the shape that you’ve created.

It is a tidy meal in a bright green package!

So not only is it rather cute, but it isn’t loaded with fat or calories!

If you use long grain brown rice instead of white rice, it will be very healthy.

Taking the time to blanch the lettuce leaves and roll them may be more than you want to do. So if that is true, the mixture also fits great within the curve of single Romaine leaf.

Obviously, it is the same wonderful mixture.

And it is equally as healthy.

Maybe it isn’t as visually exciting, but it still is lovely and an appealing presentation.

Yum.

It is so juicy and delicious. You should really take a bite.

 

 

Chicken Lettuce Wrap Step-By-Step Recipe

Ingredients:

Marinade:
2 tablespoons cilantro, rough chopped
7 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
Juice of 3 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup olive oil
3 large chicken breasts, cubed

Filling:
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn on the cob, cooked
15 ounces pinto beans, cooked
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup chopped scallions/onions
3 cups rice, cooked
3 large chicken breasts, cubed and marinated

Directions:

Marinade:
Rough chop the cilantro and garlic and add to a glass container. Add the juice of three lemons. Zest one lemon. If you don’t have an official “zester,” peeling thin slices of the skin and then chopping it up is just as good. Add the zest to the other ingredients in the bowl. Now add the salt and cayenne pepper. Stir all the ingredients together with the olive oil. Set aside.

Cube the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl to marinate and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Since the marinade is so acidic, I don’t suggest that you leave it for more than an hour.

Cooking:

While the meat is marinating, prepare the other ingredients. I cooked everything from scratch, so I had the pinto beans soaking overnight. Rinse the beans, add fresh water and boil rapidly for the hour that the meat is marinating. When the beans have been cooked until soft, drain them and set aside. If you decide to use a can of beans instead, rinse the juice off the beans before using in the recipe.

Put the rice in the pot with water and a clove of garlic that is sliced many times, but only partially way through the clove. Bring to a boil according to the package directions and then let it sit covered to absorb the water.

Clean and cook the corn on the cob. Then cut the kernels off the cob. Set aside. If you decide to use a can of corn instead, rinse the juice off the corn before using in the recipe.

Using tongs, blanch the lettuce leaves by dipping them one at a time into boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove the leaves, dip into ice water and then lay flat on paper towels to dry. Be sure to put paper towels between each layer of leaves. Set aside.

When the chicken has marinated for 1 hour, remove and put into a frying pan. No need to add olive oil to the pan because the chicken is coated in it! The cilantro, spice and garlic will be stuck to the chicken, but don’t scrape it off! Turn on the heat and add cumin to the chicken. Also add more cilantro and some finely ground black pepper. When the chicken has completely browned, remove it from the pan and set aside. Do not discard the olive oil drippings that are in the pan.

Slice the grape tomatoes in half long way. Rough chop the scallions or onions. Add the tomatoes and onions to the pan and cook until tomatoes are soft. Turn off the heat. Add corn, beans, rice and chicken to the tomatoes/scallion mixture. Mix well.

Lay one or two lettuce leaves flat and overlapping slightly. Add a 1/4 cup of chicken mixture in the middle of the leaves. Fold the bottom up over the chicken mixture. Then fold the left side and the right side over the chicken mixture. Fold the top over and tuck under. Because the lettuce leaves are soft, they will retain the shape that you’ve created.

If you use long grain brown rice instead of white rice, it will be very healthy.

Taking the time to blanch the lettuce leaves and roll them may be more than you want to do. So if that is true, the mixture also fits great within the curve of single Romaine leaf.