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.
2 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Light Olive Oil (not extra virgin)
Salt, Pepper, Ancho Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Dried Oregano
1 Head iceberg lettuce (made into cups)
4 Strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 Green onions, chopped
1 Tomato, sliced
1/2 Cup purple cabbage, shredded (can use green, but purple looks better)
Blue Cheese – subjective. Use however much you want. Or use cheddar if you’re not a blue cheese fan
1/3 Red bell pepper, small dice
Cilantro
This barbecue sauce
Quick gluten-free note about blue cheese. Traditionally, blue cheese has been made using bread mold, and therefore is historically a no-no for gluten-free eaters. Fortunately, many blue cheeses today are made with cultures other than bread mold and are gluten-free. But, you make the call. If it makes you sick, don’t risk it. Moving on.
For the chicken, I put a little oil on it, season with the spices listed (salt, pepper, ancho powder, garlic powder, dried oregano) and cook it 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.
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.
16 COMMENTS
Chris @chrislovesjulia
8 years ago
I’m so glad you liked it!
Cams
8 years ago
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!!
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication
8 years ago
Oh my gosh! Those look absolutely amazing! Totally trying this recipe!
Lindsey
8 years ago
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.
Chris @chrislovesjulia
8 years ago
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. :)
Kaitlyn Bombardieri
8 years ago
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. :)
Chris @chrislovesjulia
8 years ago
We love hearing that! Thanks Kaitlyn. :)
Hevel House
8 years ago
I’m so glad you convinced Chris to share his recipes! Every time there’s a food post my stomach starts growling and I start salivating.
Courtney
8 years ago
Made this for dinner last night….so good! Thanks, if you keep this up, my husband will think I’m the best cook ever!!!
Chris @chrislovesjulia
8 years ago
Awesome! I only have one rule when you cook one of my recipes – YOU take the credit. It’ll be our secret. ;)
Patty
8 years ago
Would some Ranch dressing just un-class this whole thing?
Chris @chrislovesjulia
8 years ago
Haha, no way. You could even skip the blue cheese and just add a good-quality blue cheese dressing. That would be really good.
Meagan@Meagan Tells All
8 years ago
This looks amazing, and a perfectly fun dish for summer too! I can’t wait to try this one! I don’t know how easy/hard it is to do, but I’ve seen on other food blogs a link to a print page so you can print easily right from the blog. Just because copying and pasting into a Word doc is so hard for me to do. WOW–I’m lazy.
Chris @chrislovesjulia
8 years ago
Haha. We’re working on something to enable your laziness.
Emily
8 years ago
Mouth Watering!
Elaine - Visual Meringue
8 years ago
Yum! Looks great!