Barbecued Chicken Lettuce Wraps

All right, here's a quick one for ya. And, as promised, it's a bit on the lighter side (as opposed to the ribs and chicken wings this week). Barbecued chicken lettuce wraps (enough for 2 people - multiply as needed). That's right, lettuce wraps don't have to be Asian. Let's go.

I start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are great grilled. I put a little oil on them, season with the spices listed (salt, pepper, ancho powder, garlic powder, dried oregano) and cook them in a grill pan. You can cook it on a regular grill, or in a regular pan. Grill flavor will be best, but the important thing is to just get it cooked through.

Once the chicken is cooked, chop it up, put it in a bowl, add some of the barbecue sauce, and toss to coat. Now, lay out all your ingredients and start assembling.

Order of assembly doesn't matter so much. I do suggest putting the chicken on bottom and cilantro on top so it doesn't wilt from the heat of the chicken, but other than that, go nuts. Finished product:

You may be thinking, "Chris, how is that different from a barbecue chicken salad?" Answer- it's not. At least not once it all reaches your stomach. But you eat your meal with your eyes before eating with your mouth, so do something different and put in a little more effort. You'll love the novelty of it and it tastes delicious.

So this Memorial Day weekend, give these bad boys a try. Again, if you don't have my barbecue sauce, use your own. Either way this is a great way to get a dude to eat a salad, without him thinking he's eating a salad. Cheers, folks. Have a great weekend.

Barbecued Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Recipe by Chris Marcum

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Dinner

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• light olive oil (not extra virgin)

• ancho chili powder

• garlic powder

• dried oregano

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, (made into cups)

• 4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

• 2 green onions, chopped

• 1 tomato, sliced

• 1/2 cup purple cabbage, shredded (or sub green, but purple is more colorful)

• blue cheese or cheddar

• 1/3 red bell pepper, diced

• cilantro

• barbecue sauce

Notes

• Quick gluten-free note about blue cheese. Traditionally, blue cheese has been made using bread mold, and therefore is historically a no-no for gluten-free eaters. Fortunately, many blue cheeses today are made with cultures other than bread mold and are gluten-free. But, you make the call. If it makes you sick, don't risk it. Moving on.