THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: CASHEW CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

Posted in Appetizers, Poultry, Secret Recipe Club by

Drum roll please…..     This is my first anniversary as a member of The Secret Recipe Club!   One year!  Obviously, I was counting the days for this Reveal Day, and jumped on my assigned blog the very minute I got the email notification.  This month I am cooking from Loving Life, a fun blog hosted by Kirstin, the super busy Mom of two teenage daughters, who also home schools them.  I get tired just thinking about it.  The mystery is how does she find the time to cook and blog?   Superpowers?  Probably. I chose a recipe from her blog quite quickly, because it is one of the favorite dishes we used to order at a place called BJ’s in Oklahoma.  Light, refreshing, flavorful,  Phil and I would share that as an appetizer almost every single time, but I had never made it at home.  Great opportunity, which I grabbed right away!  😉

CASHEW CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS
(adapted from Loving Life)

for teriyaki sauce:
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Sesame oil

for chicken:
3/4 lb. chicken breast or tenders, diced in small pieces
6 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup diced baby-bella mushrooms
3/4 cup chopped cashews
1 tsp. soy sauce
canola oil
6-8 butter lettuce leaves

for topping:
2 carrots, peeled & julienned
1/2 Tbs. Sesame Seeds

Mix all sauce ingredients, making sure the brown sugar dissolves.

Place some canola oil in a non-stick pan and cook chicken till cooked through and lightly browned. Add green onions, mushrooms, cashews and 1 tsp. soy sauce. Cook until mushrooms soften. Add teriyaki sauce. Cook stirring often on medim-high heat until sauce began to caramelize a bit on the chicken. Lower heat to “low” and continue to cook a bit longer or until your desired consistency is reached.
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Serve on lettuce cups, adding julienned carrots and sesame seeds on top.
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ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

We absolutely loved this recipe!  Next time I might just up the amount of sauce a little bit, but other than that, no changes…    This post gives me the opportunity to share with you a very special gift we received from our friend Cindy.  She probably got tired of me complaining about the electric stove in our new home, and one day I got this box delivered with an induction-type single burner cooktop!  Not only it works great, but it is a life-saver for me, due to another small problem in our kitchen: no ventilation. I had pretty much given up on frying or sauteing fish or meat.   With this cooktop, I was able to install a cooking area on our patio, and voila’: no more offensive odors!  Plus, it’s is such a nice setting, don’t you agree?

Cindy, thanks so much for such a thoughtful gift!

For the full round-up on the Secret Recipe Club, click on the cute blue frog. To see which recipe was chosen from my blog this month click here to visit Lindsay’s blog…

Kirstin, nice to “meet” your blog!  Have fun with today’s reveal day!

ONE YEAR AGO: Clay-pot Pork Roast

TWO YEARS AGO: Panmarino

THREE YEARS AGO: A Classic Roast Chicken



45 thoughts on “THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: CASHEW CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS”

  1. So glad you liked this. I love it too and sometimes just want to make it to eat myself. I knew which recipe was mine the moment I saw the name…I love looking at the titles and pictures and trying to figure out which recipe is mine. Have a great week.

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    • You are so right! Many of the restaurant concoctions end up very heavy and I just don’t feel that great after indulging… making them at home is the key… of course, having a great recipe is important, and this one delivered!

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  4. Happy anniversary Sally! It’s been a pleasure having you in the club, and I hope to see you celebrate another anniversary with us next year. 🙂 I’ve never tried lettuce wraps yet, but your recipe sure looks like a good one to try.

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  5. Nice setting indeed…! Congratulations on your anniversary with the Secret Recipe Club Sally. I very much like this kind of meal – satisfying without being heavy and it’s also full of goodness too. I’m especially smitten with the sounds of that teriyaki sauce… I could use some of that deliciousness right about now… Running very late for lunch but so glad I stopped by! :).

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    • Running very late for lunch…. story of my life since March this year… runnning very late for this… running very late for that…. but isn’t that part of an exciting life? 🙂

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    • It’s true, the cashew gives the exact amount of crunch for this dish. Another thing I should have mentioned in the post: for this dish, cutting the chicken by hand is very important. Ground chicken just won’t be the same… a little more work, but totally worth it!

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  11. Yum!! I love ordering the chicken lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang’s, they make me at least *feel* healthy 😉 These look awesome, I have to give this recipe a try! Happy one year anniversary 🙂

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  15. I’m a little embarrassed by all the kind words. Sally is a thoughtful and generous friend and it was my pleasure to buy her a housewarming gift she would find useful.

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  16. I too have ordered this out but never tried at home! I’ve got to add this to my soon to make list! Love your patio, you are right in nature and with the trees turning, you have a beautiful show!

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  19. I love your view Sally! It reminds me of the sun porch at our last house. It was my favorite place to relax and how cool that you get to cook out there now! What a great friend. 🙂 And this recipe looks great. I’m sure Mr. N would enjoy it too. He loves cashews and chicken! Now if I could just get him to eat the lettuce. 😉

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    • If his objection is the texture of the lettuce, it might be a tricky recipe for him, but if it’s the taste, it definitely gets hidden in all the other flavors… hey, he can always just have the filling, right? 😉

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