A popular menu item in many Asian restaurants is lettuce wraps. Lettuce wraps have grown ubiquitous largely due to both taste and their low carbohydrate content, making them a popular appetizer with low-carb dieters. A low-carb diet focuses on reducing carbohydrate sources in the diet, such as bread, rice or potatoes, and increasing the percentage of calories consumed from proteins and fats. Instead of spending money at a restaurant, consider bringing this restaurant classic into your home. You can make similar low-carb lettuce wraps in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Step 1
Select a lettuce that can act as a bun or tortilla. It should have large leaves and be crisp yet pliable to wrap around the filling inside. Popular lettuce types used for this purpose are iceberg lettuce, radicchio or red lettuce.
Step 2
Pull apart the lettuce leaves into individual sheets. Wash each leaf carefully with cold running water. Do not use warm water as it can wilt the lettuce, and do not wash in standing water. Place the lettuce leaves between two clean towels or paper towels to dry completely before serving.
Step 3
Slice the boneless skinless chicken breast small similar sized pieces. Use a different knife and cutting board to cut the mushroom into the same sized pieces. The mushroom will allow you to use less chicken and reduce the calorie count of the wrap as mushrooms have a meaty texture and tend to take on the flavor of whatever they are cooked with. Dice the peppers as well and set aside.
Step 4
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until there is no more pink, or about two minutes since the chicken pieces are small, increasing surface area and reducing cooking time.
Step 5
Add the garlic, ginger and mushrooms to the chicken and cook for another minute to allow the mushrooms to absorb the flavors of both the chicken and the garlic and ginger. Add the diced pepper and continue cooking for about two minutes, or until the pepper has softened.
Step 6
Add the sauce ingredients including the sesame oil, oyster sauce, hoisin, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Grate the orange zest over the top and stir in. Continue cooking just enough to heat the sauce through.
Step 7
Place the hot filling in a bowl and allow guests to scoop their own filling into the lettuce wraps, or place the filling directly on the lettuce leaves and serve.
Tips and Warnings
- Although traditional lettuce wraps include fried cellophane noodles, omitting them from this recipe drastically reduces the carbohydrates consumed per lettuce wrap. Chicken can easily be replaced with other proteins such as beef, pork or tofu for vegetarians or vegans.
Things You'll Need
- Paper towels
- 8 large lettuce leaves
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. finely grated ginger
- 1 1/2 cups fresh shitake mushrooms
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. hoisin
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
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