Cashew Chicken Lettuce Tacos
This playful spin on tacos starts with a savory Asian-style chicken-and-vegetable stir-fry, then uses crisp, fresh romaine lettuce as a stand-in for tortillas. Chopped cashew nuts add healthy crunch and cilantro lends freshness.
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce hearts
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 Tbs. hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp. rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. Asian sesame oil
- 1 Tbs. cornstarch
- 2 Tbs. grapeseed or canola oil
- 3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 green onions, white and light green portions, sliced
- 1 jalapeño chili, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw cashews
- Roughly chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Directions
Using your fingers, separate the lettuce leaves from the lettuce heads, tearing out any tough ribs and discarding any blemished or discolored leaves. Place the leaves on a plate, cover with moist paper towels and refrigerate.
In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.
In a wok or a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the grapeseed oil until almost smoking. Add the chicken and stir-fry until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the garlic, green and red bell peppers, green onions and jalapeño to the wok and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the wok and add the cashews. Whisk the soy sauce mixture to recombine, add to the wok, and stir-fry until the chicken is opaque throughout and the sauce is nicely thickened, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Scrape the contents of the pan onto a warmed platter. Serve immediately with the lettuce leaves. Instruct diners to spoon the chicken-vegetable mixture into the lettuce leaves, add cilantro, fold them up like tacos and eat. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Good for You, by Dana Jacobi (Weldon Owen, 2013).