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).