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Pesto Chicken Lettuce Wraps Make A Quick, Protein & Vegetable Packed Lunch
My kids eat very well, but Benny, my firstborn, had the benefit of my exclusive attention when it came to his early meals—I made them as nutrient dense and clean as possible. As our family grew (and grew up), I realized my idealized meals weren’t always practical or popular across the household. Even if I had wanted to eat mostly simply prepared vegetables, sometimes my kids didn’t want that. Behold the power of a lettuce wrap! For children, there’s something exciting about being told to eat with your hands; and as a mom, I’m just thrilled that they enjoy lettuce leaves studded with shredded carrots and zucchini, lean chicken, and other good-for-them ingredients. Super-nutritious and kid-friendly, these are a win-win.
- 2 cups thinly sliced or shredded cooked chicken
- 3 tablespoons Pesto (recipe below) or store-bought pesto
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 large Bibb lettuce leaves (from about 2 heads)
- 1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded
- 1 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup microgreens (optional)
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and 2 tablespoons of the pesto, stirring to coat. In a small bowl, thin out the remaining tablespoon pesto with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil—just enough to be sauce-like.
- Divide the lettuce leaves into 6 piles of 2 leaves stacked on top of each other. Arrange little piles of the carrot and zucchini on top of each 2-leaf stack, then sprinkle each stack with a bit of vinegar and a couple small pinches of salt and pepper.
- Divide scoops of the dressed chicken over the vegetables, and then drizzle each stack with a bit of the pesto sauce. Garnish with a few microgreens, if using, then serve.
Pesto
Makes about 1/2 cup
Fresh, vibrant pesto is a summertime staple in our house; we use it on rice noodles for a quick dinner, drizzled on chicken wraps, and as a sauce for pizza. The cheese is optional, if you want to keep it vegan.
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or toasted walnuts
- 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- Fine sea salt
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storage
- Feel free to double the recipe to use for a couple of applications. In a blender or a food processor, combine the cheese (if using), nuts, garlic, and a pinch of salt, pulsing until the mixture is ground. Add the basil and process, pushing the mixture with the tamper or scraping down the sides a couple of times, until the basil is evenly chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil, processing until the pesto is as smooth as you like.
- Taste, adding additional salt, if needed. Store, covered, in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator, topped with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent it from turning brown, for up to 4 days.
Make it yours:
Hearty Pairing: Placing a few slices of avocado on each wrap adds delicious creaminess.
Simple Swap: Substitute Ginger-Cashew Sauce or Tahini Dressing for the pesto.
Excerpted with permission from “Nourish” Copyright © 2024 by Gisele Bündchen Co. Food photographs copyright © 2024 by Eva Kolenko. Lifestyle photographs copyright © 2024 by Kevin O’Brien. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.”
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