This Chicken Salad Keto Lettuce Wraps Recipe Lets You Snack Fast When Hanger Strikes
Anyone who has been on the keto diet can attest to the ravenous, insatiable hunger that can strike at any given moment, especially in the first few weeks. Sometimes when your brain is screaming, "Eat something — anything!" it can be tough to center yourself and put a legitimate meal together. For those times when slow-cooked chicken isn't an option and you want to do better than eating five string cheeses (again), here's a blue cheese chicken salad lettuce wrap that you can have ready quicker than it would take to order a Keto Pink Drink at Starbucks. As a bonus, if you're headed to a summer potluck, these are easy to assemble and very crowd-pleasing. Even non-keto eaters will appreciate this handheld take on chicken salad.
Sturdy leaves of romaine act as the nest for a blue cheese chicken salad made with lemon juice and full-fat Greek yogurt instead of traditional mayo. We like the tart tang and creamy texture of the yogurt versus the oiliness mayo can sometimes have. To keep things as low-carb as possible, split the raspberries so you get a little fruity flavor and subtle sweetness in every bite. The toasted walnuts provide a crunchy contrast to the chicken, and the chives liven things up without being overwhelmingly onion-y.
Keto Lettuce Wraps
(Makes 8 wraps)
Recipe Note: If you have leftover chicken salad, it will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
If you want to up the ante and make these even more flavorful and filling, add avocado slices and sriracha to these wraps, as recommended by one of our editors Lindsay Graham-Jones, a diehard keto dieter.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/3-1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (feel free to use chicken thighs or rotisserie chicken instead)
- 8 large, sturdy romaine lettuce leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and crumbled
- 8 raspberries, split in half
- 2 teaspoon chives, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine yogurt and blue cheese. Season with lemon juice to taste. Stir in chicken until fully coated. Adjust with more yogurt, blue cheese, and/or lemon if needed.
Spoon shredded chicken onto center ribs of romaine lettuce leaves, dividing meat equally between them. Place on a cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Set them upright next to each other to prevent leaves from falling over.
Evenly sprinkle walnut pieces, raspberry halves, and chives between lettuce leaves. Serve immediately.
(Photos via Brittany Griffin / Brit + Co; recipe via Anna Monette Roberts / Brit + Co)
