I try to make everything from scratch and to always use whole food ingredients, but I also live in the real world. I work full-time. I drive kids to and from different schools. I have to get those children up in the morning, and feed them, and clothe them, and get them out the door. Most days, by the time I make it home from picking them up, all I want to do is disappear into a deep, dark, and quiet hole where no one can find me so I can take a nap in peace. And I work from home. If I added a commute to and from work to my list of daily activities, I would still be in that hole right now and not typing up this blog post. So while I don’t want all of my meals to involve cans, sometimes they have to, and I feel no guilt over it. This meal has become a staple at our house. It’s a meal where my kids get a lot of raw vegetables in. So it’s not just a no-guilt meal for me; it’s one I’m proud to feed my family. This Asian/Mexican fusion tastes amazing, but it’s also so easy that I would make it even if it tasted horrible. Three ingredients. That’s all. You won’t even need a list for this at the grocery. Even with busy-mom-brain and distractions, you’ll be able to remember the three ingredients.
Ingredient one is chicken. Use whatever kind you like, or whatever kind is cheaper. Without bones is easier for this since you are going to chop it up in the end. I like to use breasts. I start by pounding them flat and thin so they cook faster and more evenly. Okay–you caught me–it’s also to get some aggression out.
Heat up your cast iron skillet with a little coconut oil (or other high heat oil). Spread out your flattened chicken in the hot skillet. Next pour in your other two ingredients: one small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, half a bottle of some sort of asian, lime, or ginger vinaigrette–whatever sounds good to you. I really like this Great Value brand one.
This is so easy I doubled the ingredients and put together a freezer meal while it was cooking. (I just put the three ingredients in a freezer bag. When I use it, I’ll thaw it and cook it just like the directions below.)
You can mix the sauce around a little bit so it’s more uniform. When the chicken looks done around the edges, flip. This looks like a lot of sauce, but you’ll let it simmer until it cooks down to almost nothing. There’s an optimal time that I always seem to miss. You want it cooked way down, but not all the way down. If it goes too far it makes a crusty mess in your skillet. If you cook it just until the chicken is done, you should be fine with the sauce too.
While the chicken is cooking you can prepare the lettuce. I find it works best to cut the bottom off first, then slice it in half.
you can put half away to eat with your freezer meal (if it will last that long) or chop it up and make a salad later in the week. My kids don’t always eat the lettuce, so if you have more than two people in your family who do, you may need the whole head.
Also while the chicken is cooking, you can prepare any sides you wish to make. We usually do rice (or quinoa if I can convince the kids it’s “special” rice), celery, carrot sticks, and ranch dip. The ranch dip is good with the chicken too. It can be a little spicy, so the ranch helps to neutralize it.
Once the chicken is done, chop it up. I chop the peppers up too, but I do them separately. They can be quite spicy. I lay it all out on the table and let everyone take what they want to make it interactive and fun. I’m always pleasantly surprised by how my kids fight over the celery.
Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs chicken breasts (or other type)
1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 bottle of Asian type vinaigrette
1 head lettuce
Directions:
Heat small amount of coconut oil in a cast iron skillet. Pound chicken to an even thickness using a meat tenderizer, and add to skillet. Pour in peppers and vinaigrette. Turn chicken when edges turn brown. Cook until sauce is reduced and chicken is done. Chop chicken and serve with lettuce.