Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

It's time for cashew chicken lettuce wraps.

These easy wraps are made with a sesame cashew (or peanut) sauce topped with toasted cashews and cilantro.

They're fast, easy and are perfect for meal prep. I promise you'll love them!

Why we love cashew chicken lettuce wraps

What a great day for sharing a new, delicious recipe with my friends (that's you!).

It's absolutely gorgeous outside and that puts me in the mood for something light, fresh and super satisfying.

Cue: cashew chicken lettuce wraps. They're light in the sense and refreshing, and some days we're just in the mood for that.

You can essentially put anything in these little lettuce cups (remember the Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups?) to create a light meal, and one of my favorite fillings is cashew chicken.

And this isn't just any cashew chicken.  It's made with my favorite sauce of life: a rendition of my peanut sauce, but instead of peanut butter, we're using cashew butter (but honestly, you can use PB or almond butter and will still absolutely love them).

It's seriously dynamite, and I'm pretty confident that you won't want or need any other sauce for the rest of eternity.

It's nutty, slightly sweet, spicy and umami - all in one. What else is there?

How to make these wraps

Featured Ingredients

For the cashew sauce:

• Nut butter: To make this truly a "cashew" sauce, use cashew butter! However, any nut butter works.
• Brown sugar: A little sweetness helps balance the sauce.
• Soy sauce: Provides that trademark umami flavor.
• Sesame oil: Use toasted sesame oil, as it has that robust sesame flavor we're looking for.
• Sriracha: For a bit of garlicky heat!
• Lime: For a bit of acidity and freshness.
• Ginger: That tangy, zesty goodness cannot be beat!
• Hot water: To thin out the sauce if it's too thick.

For the lettuce wraps:

• Ground chicken: Grab a pound of ground chicken or dice up chicken breasts.
• Coleslaw mix: One thing I love about this recipe is the shear volume of nutrient-dense vegetables!
  • You'll cook down an entire bag of coleslaw mix as part of the filling.
• Bibb lettuce: Boston, Bibb, butter, romaine or even iceberg works to make lettuce cups.
  • I like the first 3 options the best, but if you can't find them at the supermarket, romaine or iceberg will work.
• Cilantro and cashews: These toppings add flavor and crunch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together cashew sauce ingredients until well incorporated. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil to medium-high heat in a large skillet.
3. Add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in coleslaw mix and cook 5-6 minutes, until cabbage is wilted and chicken is fully cooked and browned.
4. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the cashew sauce and simmer 2-3 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat.
6. Place lettuce cups on a plate.
7. Spoon chicken mixture into each cup and garnish with cilantro, cashews and Sriracha.

Recipe Substitutions and Alterations

• Instead of cashew butter: Try it with peanut or almond butter (or any nut or seed butter).
• For the brown sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar or substitute with honey or granulated sugar. For a lower sugar version, use a sugar substitute like Swerve.
• Instead of soy sauce: Try tamari or coconut aminos.
• For the ground chicken: Try with ground turkey or pork or a mixture. Or, try with diced extra firm tofu.
• For the coleslaw mix: Shred or chop your own green cabbage with or without carrots.
• For the cilantro: If you don't like it, skip it, or garnish with sliced green onion instead.
• For the cashews: Try with chopped roasted peanuts or almonds.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make these gluten free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce. Be sure all packaged ingredients are gluten free (especially ingredients like Sriracha that have multiple ingredients).
• To make these dairy free: These lettuce wraps are naturally dairy free!
• To make these vegetarian or vegan: Use diced extra firm tofu instead of ground chicken.
• To make these nut free: Use sunflower seed butter instead of cashew or another nut butter. Skip the cashews as a topping. Be sure all packaged ingredients are nut free.
• To make these lower sugar: Swap the brown sugar for Swerve (they have a brown sugar version!) or your favorite sugar substitute.

Other quick & easy weeknight meals I know you'll love:

• Taco Lettuce Cups
• Pepita-Crusted Tuna Cakes
• Berry Chicken Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Pistachio-Crusted Scallops
• Simple Spaghetti with Garlic, Peas & Parmesan
• Maple Mustard Salmon with Roasted Broccoli

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