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).