Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps {30-Minute Meal}
Light, healthy and packed with flavor, these cashew chicken lettuce wraps are so delicious and super easy to make (one skillet!).
Had this dish actually been posted in 2015 (it was made, photographed, and devoured last year, just preempted in favor of, you know, cookies and stuff), it would probably have made my favorites list.
No offense, shrimp and mango lettuce wraps but these cashew chicken lettuce wraps have you (just slightly) beat.
One of those meals I could seriously eat day in and day out, and maybe I just will, these flavorful wraps are healthy (I know, I know, such the tag word this month) and so super easy to prepare.
Every time I post a new lettuce wrap recipe, I gush.
Maybe it’s just me and lettuce wraps. We have a thing for each other.
All I know is that I’d pretty much be happy living on a deserted island with these cashew chicken lettuce wraps for the rest of forever (ok, ok, I’d bring my family and deodorant, too).
Oh, and just because I forgot to photograph these babies topped with the chopped cucumbers and tomatoes doesn’t mean you should forget to add them.
The hint of fresh and crunchy with the flavors and textures of the cashew + chicken is almost too much.
What to Serve With This
- Fresh fruit
- 5-Minute Skillet Broccoli
- Pao de Queijo or Cilantro Lime Rice (or both!)
One Year Ago: Korean Beef and Rice {Or Quinoa}: Simple 20-Minute Meal
Two Years Ago: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Perfected
Three Years Ago: Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Quick and Delish}
Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced yellow or white onion
- 1 cup finely diced, or shredded carrots
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ½ cup chopped raw cashews, lightly toasted, if desired
- Bibb or green leaf lettuce leaves for wrapping
- Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes for serving
Instructions
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and carrots. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Season the chicken pieces lightly with salt and pepper and add to the skillet with the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken pieces are cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce and maple syrup and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, letting the soy sauce and maple syrup bubble and simmer.
- Stir in the cashews, cooking until they are just heated through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve in lettuce leaves topped with tomatoes and cucumbers (the freshness adds a delicious element to the flavors!).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Tiffany S. (a MKC reader who sent it to me)
This one is a keeper! I’ve made it several times and love it every time. Simple, so tasty and love serving it with the fresh veggies on top. Thanks for all the amazing recipes that keep our meal times full of goodness!
We love this recipe! Over time I’ve made these into rice bowls more and more – easier to eat for kiddos (esp frustrated toddlers when the contents fall out of the wrap ha). I love how light and nutrient dense this recipe is.
So delicious and full of flavor! I made rice pilaf to go with it (for a house full of teenagers), everyone loved it! This will be on our regular menu rotation.
Really good and love that is is nutrient dense.
I decided to finally comment on the website because I get so many meals here! This one is now a regular on my family meal plans! Super easy and healthy! Overall my kids like it and I love it!
Loved this recipe! I made one change because my maple syrup had expired, so I replaced it with 1/3 cup of apricot preserves. This was a big hit in our house.
This recipe (and many other of Mel’s recipes) are on my weekly or bi-weekly meal plan. This recipe is not only delicious, it’s SUPER easy to make and so FAST. I almost always have the ingredients on hand (just need to remember to thaw some chicken) and I just can’t recommend it enough. In fact, we rarely, if ever, get Chinese take out anymore because Mel has a copycat for all of our favorites and they are delicious and don’t give us that heavy feeling after eating restaurant food.
I do love the cucumbers on top of this and garden tomatoes, but I also added some finely diced red bell pepper in the chicken and that was amazing too. Otherwise, no changes here.
These were amazing!!! I added some cooked brown rice because I was nervous we wouldn’t be able to fill up on them- wrong! The cashews added the perfect texture. I didn’t expect to love the cucumber on top but it was a great addition! Definitely adding to our rotation!
This was a family hit! I made a plant based dish version for my vegetarian son and a regular version for the rest of the family. A big thumbs up all around the table. Thank you for yet another great recipe.
Made this tonight for my family. So good! Thank you Mel.
I can’t believe I haven’t made these before tonight! So, so good! I had some water chestnuts and added them which added some extra crunch. Next time I need to double the recipe because my son ate so much. Thanks for another home run!
These were delicious! I made them mostly because we needed a dinner that didn’t include sour cream and cheese as we like a lot of those meals. I doubled for our family of 5 and we nearly finished it. Next time I’ll triple it. I thought it would be a meal my kids would tolerate, but they loved it and asked to have it make a more regular appearance.
We just tried these and everyone loved them, even our self-proclaimed chicken hating 3 year old! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks, Janay!
These are our favorite! We do triple the recipe for a family of 6. And have rice with them for a main dish. The sauce is the best!!
These are part of my normal rotation. So good and so easy! I double it otherwise I can eat the whole thing in one sitting.
This was so simple and quick to prepare and absolutely delicious!! We had an unexpected dinner guest and I was nervous, since I had not made this before. I shouldn’t have been nervous at all, your recipes never fail me! Everyone, even my three picky eater kids loved this meal! I had rice and lettuce so they could choose what to eat it with. It was great on both. Sadly, there wasn’t any leftover! This recipe is going in the rotation! Thanks for making me look like a rockstar!
We all loved these!
So good! We top with the sweet chili sauce as well. Fast and amazing. Kid approved!
Mel! Since getting married last summer my husband and I have made a goal of always eating dinner together every night. If it weren’t for all your amazing recipes, I don’t know how successful we would be! Your meals are always easy and delicious and I always look forward to your new recipes! We probably try 3 of your recipes each week and many make it into our rotation of faves. Tonight we are trying these! Thanks again for all you do
This totally made me smile, Giuliana! Thank you so, so much! What a great goal…you’ll never regret that time spent together!
Mel, I can’t tell you how many times you’ve saved dinner in my house over the last decade! All these years and I’ve never had a fail recipe from your blog! Made these last night for my boyfriend and I, and our 3 pickyish kids that all have very different tastes (ages 12, 9, and 7). They all loved it. Earlier this week my own girls and I destroyed your Hawaiian chicken thighs as well. 2 winners in 1 week! Thanks!!!
Thank you so much! So, so happy these two meals (and sounds like others) have been winners!
This is in our monthly rotation. Healthy and delicious!
These were a great 20 minute meal. Full of flavor. I will try over rice next time.
Sooooo Good. Also good with honey substituted for maple and a little siracha added in. Mel, you’ve done it again.
Hi! I need to make this for an event so I need a large quantity. Do you think it would freeze well? I am thinking I should add the cashews after thawing and reheating?? What are your thoughts?
That’s a good question, Christine – I’ve never frozen it so I don’t know how it would fare, but I definitely think it’s worth a try, especially if you add the cashews right before serving.
We make this at least monthly. So easy to throw together and very easy to substitute or add different veggies to depending on what I have on hand. My kids love it on rice and sometimes try the lettuce too (win!). Hubby and I love the lettuce wraps.. Thanks Mel!
Chicken was delicious but I just couldn’t get on board with the lettuce wraps LOL. Next time I’ll add a little ginger to the chicken and serve over rice or noodles. Thanks Mel! I’m still giving these 5 stars despite the lettuce not working for me, because the chicken was on point!