Asian Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps make a delicious dinner treat. Light, crisp lettuce cups filled with a mixture of chicken, cashews, and other Asian flavours make a great appetizer or main dish.
1poundground chicken (minced chicken) - I recommend ground chicken thigh
2mediumred pepper (red capsicum) - diced
1cupwater chestnuts - roughly chopped, 1 8-oz net weight can
1inchginger - fresh, peeled and minced
2clovesgarlic - minced
¼cupsoy sauce - reduced-sodium, or tamari for gluten-free
3tablespoonsrice wine vinegar
1tablespoonred curry paste - I like Thai Kitchen’s red curry paste
1teaspoonhoney - or sugar
½teaspooncornstarch - if needed to thicken the sauce
¾cupcashews - roughly chopped
3stalksgreen onions (scallions or green shallots) - sliced for topping (optional but recommended)
Instructions
Carefully peel apart the lettuce leaves and thoroughly rinse them. Set the leaves aside to dry while the filling is prepared.
In a large skillet, cook the ground chicken over medium heat. If you use ground chicken breast, I recommend adding a little olive oil or coconut oil to the pan. As the chicken cooks, break up any large pieces. Cook the chicken for about 7 minutes or until it is no longer pink.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the diced bell pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the pepper has softened a little.
Next, add the water chestnuts, ginger and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the water chestnuts are heated through, and the ginger and garlic are fragrant.
Whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, red curry paste, and honey in a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies, then stir to coat the whole mixture with the sauce—Cook for one more minute. If the sauce seems a bit runny, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch and cook for an additional minute.
Stir in the chopped cashews. Taste the filling and if needed, add a pinch of sea salt. Serve the filling warm over the lettuce leaves and sprinkle with sliced green onion—store leftover filling in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Store the lettuce leaves separately in a large Ziploc bag with a paper towel.