Orange Almond Chicken Lettuce Wraps are all at once sweet, salty, juicy, spicy… and sugar free, gluten free, and paleo! This weeknight recipe can be on the table in 20 minutes. Share with your family or make it for yourself because it’s also easy to pack for lunch the next day and it’s even good cold. Trust me… I tried it!
Okay… so not lettuce wraps. Whoops. But they started out as lettuce wraps and then the cabbage was so beautiful and purple and glossy and then I didn’t want the lettuce anymore, but what am I supposed to call these then? Chicken Cabbage Wraps? That’s weird. And so I kept the name Orange Almond Chicken Lettuce Wraps and I’m not sure that I should even be mentioning it because I bet no one would notice. But leave it to me to point out the elephant in the room. Let’s just get the awkward stuff outta the way, mmkay?
Now, as you all know, I’m super into international food like Easy Thai Coconut Curry Noodles and Healthier Chicken Tikka Masala. And by “super,” I just mean that I make it every so often and order take out every so oftener. I usually try to Americanize or simplify. I’m just not into purchasing special ingredients and having a million things in my pantry. (However, you will call me a liar if you open my pantry door and see the million things in there.) I just want to make delicious food and I want to make it accessible for all the people — that’s YOU, friends!
So I’m giving you the recipe below. It includes two international ingredients that I would say you gotta use and that’s the sesame oil and soy sauce. Sesame oil has such a distinct, tangy aroma. There’s no mistaking that ingredient when you open the bottle. And do we really need to discuss soy sauce? If you don’t have a bottle of the stuff in your fridge already, I’m guessing it’s because you don’t like Asian cuisine and you’re not gonna make this anyway… right? (If that’s YOU, I want to tell you — Just try it! The almond butter is YUMMM. And you can swap in peanut butter if you want — makes no difference to me. All I want is for this to be easy for you. And tasty, of course.)
Bottom line here — don’t be daunted by the long ingredient list. I didn’t have to purchase anything special. You might have to purchase one ingredient, tops! Those first 10 simply get whisked together in a bowl and the “hard” part is over with. It takes just 10 more minutes to finish off the recipe and dinner is on the table!
Orange Almond Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Orange Almond Chicken Lettuce Wraps are all at once sweet, salty, juicy, spicy... and sugar free, gluten free, and paleo! This weeknight recipe can be on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce substitute coconut aminos for gluten free or paleo diet
- 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil divided
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins cut in half lengthwise
- 6 large leaves red cabbage
- 1/2 cup diced scallion
Instructions
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In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, vinegar, honey, almond butter, garlic, ginger, chili powder, and cayenne pepper until well-combined. Set aside.
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Heat remaining tablespoon of sesame oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips and cook until no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium low and add sauce. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes until sauce has thickened and chicken has cooked through. Remove from heat.
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Lay out cabbage leaves and divide chicken and sauce among the leaves. Sprinkle with scallions before serving.
