Healthy Living / Recipes / Guam & Pacific-inspired
Chicken Kelaguen-Inspired Lettuce Cups
Citrus, onion, and coconut over cooked chicken, served in lettuce cups with cucumber.
A balanced-plate meal idea from Run 4 Awareness, built on the Diabetes Plate Method.
Carbohydrates in this meal
about 17 g total carbohydrate · about 3 g fiber, per serving (estimated)
Main sources: brown rice, with a little from the vegetables and coconut.
Carbohydrates raise blood glucose, and the response is different for each person. This meal pairs a measured carbohydrate portion with protein, fiber, and non-starchy vegetables. Use the amount and timing in your personal diabetes plan. If you use insulin or medicine that can cause low blood glucose, do not change your medicine or skip carbohydrate because of a recipe. Ask your care team when you are unsure. Figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central.
Ingredients
US cup and spoon measures. Weigh ingredients where you can for a more consistent plate.
- 12 oz cooked skinless chicken breast, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/3 cup sliced scallions
- 1/4 cup lemon or calamansi juice
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 small hot pepper, optional
- black pepper
- 12 large lettuce leaves
- 2 cups sliced cucumber
- 1 cup cooked brown rice, divided
Directions
- Mix the chicken, onion, scallion, citrus, coconut, hot pepper, and black pepper.
- Chill for 15 minutes.
- Spoon into lettuce leaves. Serve with cucumber and 1/4 cup brown rice per person.
Build the plate
Lettuce and cucumber fill half the plate, chicken one quarter, rice one quarter.
Why this plate works: non-starchy vegetables for volume and fiber, a lean or plant protein, and one measured quality carbohydrate, with water or an unsweetened drink. This follows the Diabetes Plate Method taught by the American Diabetes Association and the CDC.
Substitutions
Cabbage cups in place of lettuce if lettuce is costly.
Allergens
Contains: coconut. Always check the labels on packaged ingredients for cross-contact.
Food safety
Use fully cooked chicken at 165F. Keep cold below 40F and discard after 2 hours at room temperature. Safe internal temperatures: poultry 165F, fish 145F, ground meat 160F, whole pork 145F with a 3-minute rest, egg dishes 160F, leftovers reheated to 165F. Use a food thermometer.
General information, not medical or nutrition advice. These are everyday meal ideas built on the Diabetes Plate Method from the American Diabetes Association and the USDA Dietary Guidelines. They are not a treatment plan and are not tailored to any one person. Your carbohydrate targets, portion sizes, medicine, and meal timing should come from your own doctor, diabetes educator, or care team. If you take insulin or medicine that can cause low blood glucose, or you have kidney disease, are pregnant, or have food allergies, talk with your care team before changing how you eat. If anything here conflicts with what your care team told you, follow your care team.
Every recipe is portioned to the Diabetes Plate Method: half the plate non-starchy vegetables, a quarter lean or plant protein, a quarter quality carbohydrate, with water or an unsweetened drink. The Run 4 Awareness team kitchen-tests each recipe and checks it with CHamoru home cooks for local fit. Nutrition figures are estimates from the USDA FoodData Central database for the listed ingredients and amounts, not lab-tested. Cook to safe internal temperatures and check packaged ingredients for added sugar, sodium, gluten, and allergens. Read how these meals are built on the Diabetes Plate page, and see the Site & Health Disclaimer.