Lettuce Wraps

Last night I was looking to throw together a quick supper after swim lessons.  You know how it is....swim lessons run from 5:00-6:00 (right during my usual dinner prep time), so when we get home close to 6:30, I have just a little bit of time to fix dinner before everyone gets "hangry."  That's our new family term for when hunger produces anger.  I am hangry often if I do not eat on time. 

So, in trying to utilize a few ingredients I had on hand, namely my Romaine lettuce from the CSA, I remembered a post from the Pioneer Woman a friend had used recently for lettuce wraps.  It sounded delicious, except that I don't do tofu, but I thought I would substitute chicken in place of the tofu.

Here's what I did:

Lettuce Wraps
adapted from the Pioneer Woman's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
pepper, to taste
chili powder, to taste
corn, cut fresh from the cob or from a can (I used two fresh corn cobs)
1/8-1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and separated
 ****water chesnuts, sunflower seeds, onion are additional things you could add to this to make it even tastier


Directions:

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over high heat.  Cut chicken breasts into small pieces, dabbing with paper towels to remove any excess moisture from meat.  If you want to get a nice, brown color while cooking your chicken (which you do, trust me, it's tasty), the paper towel will absorb extra moisture to help that process along).  Cook chicken for several minutes until lightly browned and cooked all the way through. 

Once chicken is cooked, add corn and saute together for a minute or so.  (If I had thought it through, an onion would have been a nice addition at this point.  Next time!).  Sprinkle some chili powder over chicken/corn mixture for flavor.  It's a very subtle heat, so if you like the flavor and tender heat, add more; if not, just a bit will give the meal the boost it needs.  I sprinkled the chili powder once over the entire skillet. Add a bit of black pepper to taste, if desired.

Allow the chili powder to heat, then slowly add in soy sauce.  The recipe I referenced called for 1/4 cup of soy sauce, but that was too much for the amount of chicken and corn I had.  So depending on how much your chicken and corn ends up being, use your judgment.  Allow to cook for a minute or so, then remove from heat.

Place lettuce pieces on a plate, and spoon the chicken/corn mixture over each.  Serve immediately!

This was really yummy and super simple.  I ate the leftovers for lunch today and will definitely be making it again.  As I mentioned above, I will be sure to add water chestnuts and sunflower seeds for some added crunch next time.