I love when Foster Farms® reaches out to ask me to create a recipe with one of their chicken products. I like the challenge of trying to create something my husband will enjoy, and it’s easy with their fabulous products.

But this time, it’s been a little harder because of the record-setting temperatures we’ve been reaching. While much of the US and even the UK are living through similar heat waves, we’re not equipped for it here. That means I’ve been slogging around like a soggy sponge, waiting until after dark to leave the one room in our house that has air conditioning, to get my cleaning and meal planning done.   The last thing I want to do is cook, even at night when the house is still in the upper 70’s and outside is in the 80’s. About 4:30 a.m. our air conditioner turns itself off only to come back on less than three hours later. We’ll be paying most of our wages to the power company for the nearly 24/7 cooling that’s a first for us.

But my husband has to eat so I’ve been taking advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables and other ingredients that don’t require cooking. Unfortunately, my meat-eating hubby has started to revolt at the all-vegetarian fare I’ve been serving. So to appease my husband, I made him Avocado and Chicken Lettuce Wraps to satisfy his need for some animal protein and my need to stay far, far away from any heat source.

Chicken Avocado Lettuce Wraps - Avocado and Chicken Lettuce Wraps in 5 Minutes ReadySetChicken AD

Lettuce wraps are perfect for hot summer days, and since it was my birthday, I wanted something we could both enjoy. They’re fresh and crisp and a bit like a salad to go. In this wrap, the avocado and Pico de Gallo are mixed to create a fast and easy guacamole-like sauce that’s mixed with shredded or cubed cooked chicken to create the filling. There are also black olives in there because we love them and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds for a little bit of crunch. Of course, mine was sans the chicken.

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Avocado and Chicken Lettuce Wraps in 5 Minutes

Farms® Refrigerated Grilled Chicken Breast Strips are available in WA, CA, OR, AZ, and NV at Walmart.

I used easy cheats to make this meal in 5 minutes. I purchased prepared Pico de Gallo (though you can make homemade with this easy Pico de Gallo recipe), and I picked up Foster Farms® Refrigerated Grilled Chicken Strips. They’re pre-cooked and ready to eat so all I have to do is chop them up a bit so they’ll fold easily into the butter lettuce leaves and add them to the filling (unless it’s 90 degrees out and your butter lettuce wilts – no worries, just pick them up taco style and enjoy!)

Foster Farms® is my go-to chicken because of the quality. Whether fresh, frozen, or refrigerated, they offer chicken without added hormones or steroids. That’s important to me. If you live on the west coast, you’ll likely already know about this premium chicken. If not, look for it in the refrigerated section (I found it in the same area as the lunch meats) in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona Walmart stores and other grocery stores.

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There are several varieties of this ready-to-eat chicken available including a few flavored varieties. All of them are low-fat and high-protein and the perfect add-in in any salad, side dish, or as a main course.

Quick & Easy Chicken and Avocado Lettuce Wraps
Author:
Yield: 8-12
Ingredients
  • 1 head butter lettuce
  • 1 ripe medium avocado
  • 1-2 Tbls fresh lime juice
  • 1 cup prepared or homemade Pico de Gallo (onion, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice); divided
  • 1 pkg Foster Farms® Refrigerated Grilled Chicken Strips
  • ¼ cup sliced black olives; divided
  • 4 Tbls shelled sunflower seeds; divided
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Wash and dry your lettuce, cut off any hard stems, lay flat.
  2. Scoop the flesh into a medium-size bowl.
  3. Mash with a fork until nearly all of the lumps are gone.
  4. Add lime juice and stir to distribute evenly
  5. Add the Pico de Gallo (reserve a few Tablespoons for garnish if desired) plus half the black olives. Stir.
  6. Roughly chop the chicken.
  7. Add the chopped chicken to the filling and stir (I forgot I already added olives and added them again so I didn’t have any for garnish)
  8. Taste the filling then season with salt and pepper if necessary
  9. Divide the mixture between the lettuce leaves (how much you use on each is determined by the size of the leaf – you’ll roll these up burrito style so leave plenty of leaf for folding. These also make excellent passed appetizers when made with small leaves.
  10. Sprinkle reserved Pico de Gallo, olives, and sunflower seeds over top and fold up (or serve open-faced if desired).
  11. Enjoy immediately. If you want to store the filling, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent the avocado from browning. Add to lettuce just before serving.
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Of course, we enjoyed our Avocado and Chicken Lettuce Wraps with my favorite summer fruit, cherries! Plus we drank Sparkling Lime-r-Aid, and we ended with a 2-person cupcake with buttercream frosting.

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We had a fabulous picnic to celebrate my birthday, and since this recipe is so easy to make and requires ZERO cooking time, I got to enjoy myself too.

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Beat the Heat with a No-Cook Dinner in 5 Minutes

We had a fabulous time, but I’m ready for more moderate temperatures for a while. Remind me of that this winter when I’m complaining I’m cold! But I can’t complain about how easy it was to use Foster Farms ready-to-eat chicken. I’ll be using all of the varieties in my husband’s meals soon. It’s just too easy and takes all of the cooking hassles out of making dinner.

Birthday Lunch for Two - Avocado and Chicken Lettuce Wraps in 5 Minutes ReadySetChicken AD

Have you tried Foster Farms’ ready to eat chicken? Which is your favorite?

This recipe is sponsored by Foster Farms®; the opinion expressed is my own.