Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps

Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps
www.savoryseasonings.blogspot.com

3 TBSP soy sauce

3 TBSP honey

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts- cut into ¾ inch pieces

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced*

1 TBSP fresh grated ginger*

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 (8 oz. can) sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed

½ cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped

1 head Boston or romaine lettuce, wash and separate lettuce leaves

White rice

Combine soy sauce and honey in a small bowl; set aside.  Heat a medium size sauté pan over medium heat.  Once the pan is very hot, drizzle a small amount of olive oil into the pan.  Wait a few seconds for the oil to get hot.  Sauté the chicken over medium heat, then season with salt and pepper.  Once chicken is almost cooked through, add the garlic, green onions and ginger.  Then add the water chestnuts and most of the soy sauce mixture.  Continue cooking until chicken is fully cooked.  Divide lettuce leaves among individual plates.  Spoon prepared rice into lettuce leaves, spoon the chicken over the top, then top with cashews and remaining soy sauce mixture. 

*A microplane is perfect for tool for quickly grating garlic and ginger.  It’s a great investment for the kitchen.  While you are grating the ginger, go ahead and grate the entire thing.  Freeze TBSP proportions of the grated ginger in an ice cube tray.  Once fully frozen, transfer the ginger cubes into a ziplock bag and return to the freezer.  Next time you make this dish, simply thaw one of the ginger cubes.   

*****

This is one of our new all time favorite dishes.  It’s super simple, doesn’t have any dairy or gluten and we all love it.  It was easy to throw together, makes fantastic leftovers and is fun for kids to assemble their own “lettuce boats.”   Thanks to my friend Reed for introducing me to this dish and for his mom Carol Taylor for the recipe.  It’s a winner.