BBQ Chicken and Black Bean Lettuce Wraps are a surprisingly simple weeknight meal that is light, fresh and flavorful.  A sweet and tangy homemade BBQ sauce coats pieces of shredded chicken and black beans for all the flavors of a summer BBQ with very little work.  The whole family can choose their own toppings to make this meal fun and adaptable for all!

The long days of summer invite us to the pool when daddy gets home, working in the yard and evening nature walks when the heat has begun to subside.  But this often delays dinner time. Sometimes I find myself scurrying around the kitchen trying to piecemeal dinner because mommy lost track of time and everyone is hangry.  Meal prepping on the weekends is my saving grace.

Meal prepping looks different for everyone, but for me, it includes preparing ingredients (not entire meals) so that each night dinner comes together quickly or quick-er.  One thing we do almost every weekend is cook some extra chicken like skinless breasts or thighs. I write about my weekend easy meal prep here.

If you are not in the habit of doing some meal prep each week, don’t get overwhelmed.  It can be as easy as putting some extra chicken on the grill OR baking some sweet potatoes while you are cleaning the kitchen on Saturday morning OR stirring up a big batch of overnight oats before you go to bed Sunday night.  

Remember, meal prep is about reducing stress, NOT adding it!

These BBQ Chicken Lettuce Wraps use cooked, shredded chicken breasts, a can of black beans and a few easy prep toppings, depending on what you have in your fridge and your family enjoys.  If you get some resistance about ‘lettuce wraps’, you can always offer corn or whole grain tortillas as an alternate option. The best part is that this is an entire meal that includes lean protein, fiber and nutrient rich veggies and it can be put together in under 20 minutes and even under 15 minutes if you prepped your toppings in advance!

Take a gander at the BBQ sauce label in your fridge or at the grocery store and you might be surprised at how much sugar is added.  It might be the first ingredient listed.  Most popular brands have 1 tablespoon of sugar (12 grams) or MORE per 2 tablespoon serving. Yes, 50% of it is sugar. And, many of these brands use high fructose corn syrup, a sugar most of us wouldn’t include in our diet if we had another option.  

If you have never made your own homemade BBQ sauce, this one is so very easy and delicious.  It has a perfect balance of sweet and tang. Molasses and maple syrup add a bit of sweet and smokiness, yet mustard and apple cider vinegar add a nice bit of tang. This keeps the added sugar to about 1 tsp, about ⅓ of the amount added to many common brands.

There are only a few ingredients in this BBQ sauce and smoked paprika is a necessary one.  This flavorful spice is what makes the chicken taste like it just came off the grill. Trader Joe’s has this spice as well as McCormick brand that is at most grocery stores.

If you are looking for some quick and simple weeknight meals for hot summer nights, this is one to try!  Serve these flavorful BBQ Chicken and Black Bean Lettuce Wraps with a fruit salad for a no-fuss, light and satisfying dinner.

BBQ Chicken and Black Bean Lettuce Wraps- a perfectly light and fresh summer dinner that takes only minutes to make!  Which toppings will you choose?