All right, here’s a quick one for ya. And, as promised, it’s a bit on the lighter side (as opposed to the ribs and chicken wings this week). Barbecued chicken lettuce wraps (enough for 2 people – multiply as needed). That’s right, lettuce wraps don’t have to be Asian. Let’s go.
I start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are great grilled. I put a little oil on them, season with the spices listed (salt, pepper, ancho powder, garlic powder, dried oregano) and cook them in a grill pan. You can cook it on a regular grill, or in a regular pan. Grill flavor will be best, but the important thing is to just get it cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked, chop it up, put it in a bowl, add some of the barbecue sauce, and toss to coat. Now, lay out all your ingredients and start assembling.
Order of assembly doesn’t matter so much. I do suggest putting the chicken on bottom and cilantro on top so it doesn’t wilt from the heat of the chicken, but other than that, go nuts. Finished product:
You may be thinking, “Chris, how is that different from a barbecue chicken salad?” Answer- it’s not. At least not once it all reaches your stomach. But you eat your meal with your eyes before eating with your mouth, so do something different and put in a little more effort. You’ll love the novelty of it and it tastes delicious.
So this Memorial Day weekend, give these bad boys a try. Again, if you don’t have my barbecue sauce, use your own. Either way this is a great way to get a dude to eat a salad, without him thinking he’s eating a salad. Cheers, folks. Have a great weekend.
Barbecued Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- light olive oil (not extra virgin)
- ancho chili powder
- garlic powder
- dried oregano
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, (made into cups)
- 4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1/2 cup purple cabbage, shredded (or sub green, but purple is more colorful)
- blue cheese or cheddar
- 1/3 red bell pepper, diced
- cilantro
- barbecue sauce
I’m so glad you liked it!
Made these tonight – amazing!!!!! Always looking for carb free recipes. My husband was totally diggin this recipe, and he can be hard to please so that’s huge! Thanks for sharing!!
Oh my gosh! Those look absolutely amazing! Totally trying this recipe!
I can’t wait to try this out. I’m a Gluten Free girl and love anything that comes wrapped in lettuce. Do you ever experiment with different types of lettuce for your wraps?
Thanks for the foot note on the blue cheese as well.
Hi Lindsey! Yes, I try all kinds of stuff for the lettuce part. Endive is one of my favorites, and I’ve used it to make what can only be described as chilled nachos. I’ll share a recipe for it sometimes – it’s really good. But you can also use more tender lettuces like butter lettuce or green leaf. Tender lettuces are really good for wrapping stuff up and making little rolls, almost like fresh spring rolls. If you use a more tender lettuce to wrap things up completely, I usually cut the stem part off, because it can make it hard to roll. :)
Made this tonight and it was so good! Even my 8 year said it was “da bomb” lol. Thank you for both the cooking and home inspiration. :)
We love hearing that! Thanks Kaitlyn. :)