Cooked Lettuce (in Chicken Broth)

This Cooked Lettuce (in Chicken Broth) recipe transforms regular raw lettuce into a deeply flavorful side dish! The leaves soak up tons of flavor as they saute in garlic and broth, leaving you with an addictive, savory, and smoky meal.

Braised lettuce in chicken broth recipe

Lettuce isn’t just for salads anymore! This Cooked Lettuce (in Chicken Broth) recipe will forever change how you feel about lettuce. Braised in chicken broth and garlic, this easy dish is completely satisfying and ready to eat in 30 minutes.

If the thought of sauteed romaine lettuce worries you, think again. One bite of cooked lettuce and your opinion will change. Seriously! Simmering lettuce in chicken broth is so delicious and is even better than eating it raw.

Although this recipe is made with just 4 simple ingredients, it packs in huge hits of flavor. Braising consists of lightly frying the lettuce, then leaving it to simmer like a stew for full flavor. It’s the perfect dish to make when you have more lettuce than you know what to do with (kind of like my lettuce soup) or when you’re craving something delicious on the side of dinner.

Tip: Dealing with lots of lettuce? Here’s the best way to store your greens!

Cooked lettuce vs. raw lettuce

We’re all familiar with raw lettuce in green salads, right? Those crisp and juicy bites are always refreshing and, although the flavor is nothing special, raw lettuce is always nourishing!

When cooked, the flavors in lettuce go from nothing special to deliciously amazing. The leaves wilt as they simmer, as do most leafy greens, and become tender when they’re done cooking. They also soak up the flavors from the garlic cloves and broth, giving them heaps of savory and smoky flavors.

How to cook lettuce in chicken broth

Stir fried lettuce is easy to cook in one pan with a little garlic and chicken broth. Here’s how it’s done:

Wash and dry the lettuce leaves, then cut them into quarters.

Pour the olive oil into a skillet over medium heat. Brown garlic and then add the quartered lettuce.

Saute until the lettuce begins to brown.

Flip, then add the chicken broth.

When the broth begins to boil, turn the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes. 

Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve!

How to serve braised lettuce

Cooked lettuce is typically served as a side dish in the stewed sauce so you can indulge in the deep flavors. If you want to take it up a notch, serve the lettuce over pasta or rice, throw it in a sandwich, or serve it next to homemade dinner favorites!

Variations

• Instead of chicken broth – Make this recipe with vegetable broth, beef broth, or bone broth.
• What kind of lettuce is best? Any kind! For this recipe, I used buttercrunch lettuce because that’s what we grow. You can use Bibb variety, Romaine, iceberg, or any lettuce you love.
• Instead of lettuce – Try this recipe with cabbage, bok choy, endive, or another type of leafy green!
• For added flavor – Saute the cooked lettuce in a splash of soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, ginger, onions, dried chili flakes, or oyster sauce.

More tasty ways to use cooked lettuce

• Creamy Vegetable Ziti Pasta
• Chinese Fried Rice with Lettuce
• Egg Drop Soup
• Summer Pasta Salad

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