Inspired in part by a Chrissy Teigen’s recipe for chicken lettuce wraps, I thought this recipe would be even better with the addition of my Cauliflower fried “rice” – and not to mention – make it go a little further! This is one of my absolute favourite meals for a weeknight dinner and is oh so fresh & satisfying!
Making Cauliflower fried rice can be a little tedious but I really do think its worth the effort because you end up with an incredibly flavourful and light dish that’s exceptionally versatile too. This recipe is also excellent for “meal prepping” ahead of time; simply pack the lettuce leaves & filling separate and you have lettuce wraps to-go!
Recipe
Ingredients:
- For the Cauliflower Fried “Rice” and Chicken filling:
- 1 head of cauliflower, “riced” using a food processor or blender
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 2 tsp sesame oil, divided
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup green onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
- For the Sauce:
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 3 tbsp ponzu sauce
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 2 heads of butter leaf lettuce, leaves separated
- 1/4 tsp sesame seeds (for topping)
- 1 tsp Sriracha (for topping)
Preparation:
- For the sauce: in a bowl, combine the soy sauce, ponzu, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, lime juice and chili flakes and set aside.
- For the Cauliflower “Fried Rice”: roughly chop cauliflower and rice using a food processor or blender.
- Place the riced cauliflower into a microwaveable bowl and warm it up for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and place in a cheesecloth or dish towel and ring out as much water as possible.
- Meanwhile, preheat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with vegetable oil followed by the drained cauliflower. Cook on high heat for roughly 15 minutes, allowing all the moisture to evaporate and cauliflower to slightly brown.
- Reduce heat to medium and make a hole in the centre of the cauliflower and add 1 tsp sesame oil followed by minced garlic and ginger. Cook in the centre for roughly 3 minutes and then mix well into cauliflower.
- Make another hole in the centre of the cauliflower and add 1 tsp sesame oil followed by the beaten egg. Scramble the egg in the centre until cooked through and then mix into the cauliflower.
- Pour roughly half of the sauce mix onto the cauliflower, mix well and remove from heat to set aside.
- For the Chicken: in a bowl, combine the ground chicken with the other half of the sauce mix and green onions.
- Preheat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with 1 tsp vegetable oil followed by minced mushrooms. Cook on med-high heat for about 3 minutes or until completely cooked through.
- To the same pan, add ground chicken mixture and cook for another 5 minutes until brown and cooked through. Once cooked through, add cauliflower mixture to that pan and mix everything together over medium heat for a few minutes to allow flavours to combine.
- Fill lettuce cups with about 1/2 cup of chicken cauliflower rice mix and top with sesame seeds and sriracha!
CHEZ CHANELLE 