The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
In my house, cabbage rolls used to take a whole Sunday. Rice to par-cook, a pot of tomato sauce, and the oven running for an hour and a half. These creamed cabbage rolls are a lot quicker. I came up with them on a Tuesday when I had half a head of green cabbage left over from a slaw, one chicken breast, and an avocado with maybe a day left in it.
I poached the chicken, blended the avocado with a tomato and a spoonful of sour cream, and wrapped cabbage around all of it. Forty-five minutes, four rolls. There’s no rice, and that’s why the whole pan comes in at about 9 grams of net carbs.
I’ve made them maybe a dozen times since. Below is what I’ve learned, including the mistake that turned my first sauce khaki.
Why These Creamed Cabbage Rolls Work
The poaching water becomes part of the sauce. The chicken simmers with onion and salt, so two tablespoons of that broth loosen the sauce and season it. Once I used plain water instead. The sauce tasted like avocado and nothing else. Flat.
The low heat at the end really matters. Avocado doesn’t like being cooked. The first time I made these, I let the sauce bubble while I went to answer the door. When I came back it had gone from bright green to dull olive, with a bitter edge. The sour cream had started to split into tiny curds too. Now the pan gets 3 to 4 minutes on low, just until it steams, and the sauce stays green and smooth.
Shaving the stem keeps the rolls in one piece. The thick rib down the middle of a cabbage leaf won’t bend. It snaps. Shave it flush with the rest of the leaf and the roll closes neatly without a toothpick.
Shred the chicken while it’s warm. Warm breast meat pulls apart into long, soft strands. Cold, it clumps, and the filling packs into a dense log instead of staying loose inside the leaf.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 150 g (about 5 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ¼ white onion
- About 4 cups (1 liter) water, enough to cover
- A pinch of salt
For the rolls
- 4 large cabbage leaves (green or savoy)
For the creamy avocado sauce
- ½ ripe Hass avocado
- 1 medium tomato, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cream (sour cream or Mexican crema)
- 2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
How to Make Creamed Cabbage Rolls
- Poach the chicken. Put the chicken breast and onion in a small pot, cover with water, and add a pinch of salt. Bring it up to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, until the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C). Keep it at a lazy bubble, not a rolling boil, because a hard boil tightens the meat. Lift the chicken out, let it rest 5 minutes, then shred it with two forks while it’s still warm. Save about a cup of the broth.
- Soften the cabbage. Bring a second pot of water to a boil. Dip the cabbage leaves in for 2 to 3 minutes, until they bend without cracking. Drain and pat them dry. Lay each leaf flat and use a paring knife to shave down the thick center rib until it’s level with the leaf.
- Blend the sauce. Add the avocado, tomato, cream, 2 tablespoons of reserved broth, salt, and pepper to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Taste it. It should be a little saltier than you’d expect, because the cabbage brings no seasoning of its own.
- Fill and roll. Toss the shredded chicken with 1 tablespoon of the sauce and a small pinch of salt. Divide it between the four leaves, placing it near the stem end. Fold the sides in toward the center, then roll each leaf up firmly. Set the rolls seam side down in a large skillet.
- Sauce and warm. Pour the rest of the sauce over the rolls. Warm them over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is hot and steaming. Don’t let it bubble. Take the pan off the heat and serve right away, with the rolls covered in sauce.
Prep Time, Cook Time & Servings
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 45 minutes
- Makes: 4 rolls. Two make a light lunch. All four make dinner for one hungry person.
- Whole batch, approximately: 380 calories, 9 g net carbs, 36 g protein
Dinner • Mexican-Inspired
Creamed Cabbage Rolls
Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around poached shredded chicken and warmed in a silky avocado-tomato cream sauce, about 9g net carbs for the whole batch. Makes 4 rolls.
Ingredients 10 items
- Chicken
- Rolls
- Creamy Avocado Sauce
Instructions 5 steps
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1
Poach the chicken
Cover the chicken and onion with water in a small pot, add a pinch of salt, and gently simmer over medium heat for 18 to 20 minutes, until it reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest 5 minutes, shred with two forks while warm, and save about a cup of broth.
-
2
Soften the cabbage
Dip the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes until flexible. Drain, pat dry, and shave the thick center rib flush with the leaf using a paring knife.
-
3
Blend the sauce
Blend the avocado, tomato, cream, 2 tablespoons of reserved broth, salt, and pepper until completely smooth. Season it slightly salty, since the cabbage is plain.
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4
Fill and roll
Toss the shredded chicken with 1 tablespoon of the sauce and a pinch of salt, then divide it between the leaves. Fold in the sides, roll firmly, and place the rolls seam side down in a large skillet.
-
5
Sauce and warm
Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls and warm over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until steaming, without letting it bubble. Serve right away.
Tips & Substitutions
Core the cabbage and drop the whole head into boiling water for a minute so the outer leaves slide off without tearing.
Pat the blanched leaves dry, or they water down the sauce in the pan.
Use a ripe avocado that gives when pressed. A firm one blends grainy.
Warm the sauce on low only and never let it bubble. Boiling turns the avocado bitter and splits the cream.
Make the sauce right before rolling. It browns within an hour or two.
Don't freeze. Leftovers keep 1 day in the fridge.
Nutrition Facts
95 kcal / serving
Protein9g
Carbs4.5g
Fat5g
Fiber2.3g
Tips for the Best Low-Carb Cabbage Rolls
- Getting whole leaves off the head: cut out the core first, then drop the whole head into the boiling water for about a minute. The outer leaves loosen and slide right off. When I peel them raw, I tear about half of them.
- Savoy cabbage is easier to work with. Its crinkly leaves bend after 2 minutes, while green cabbage needs the full 3.
- Pat the leaves dry. Really. One time I skipped it and found a watery puddle in the skillet, with a thinner, paler sauce around the rolls.
- The avocado has to be ripe, so it gives when you press it. A firm one blends grainy no matter how long you run the blender.
- Low heat at the end. I know, I already said it.
Variations
Cumin and lime. This is my favorite. Add a pinch of ground cumin and a squeeze of lime to the blender. The sauce ends up somewhere between guacamole and sour cream dip, and that’s exactly where I want it.
A little heat. Blend in half a jalapeño with the seeds removed. If you like it hotter, leave the seeds in.
Different protein. Shredded turkey or leftover pulled pork both work fine. Poach the turkey the same way. Pork just needs warming through.
One I’d skip: melted cheese on top. I tried mozzarella under the broiler once, figuring it would turn into something like a casserole. The broiler cooked the avocado sauce and it went bitter, the same thing that happens when you boil it. If you want cheese, crumble some cotija over the top after the pan comes off the heat.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The chicken can be poached and shredded up to 2 days ahead. Keep it in the fridge with a splash of broth so it doesn’t dry out. You can blanch the leaves a day ahead too. Stack them between paper towels in a container.
The sauce can’t be made ahead. Make it right before you roll. Even with a little lime, it starts browning on the surface within an hour or two.
Leftover rolls keep for a day, two at most, and the sauce will darken. Reheat them gently, in the microwave at half power or in a covered pan on low. Don’t freeze them. The cabbage and the avocado both come back watery and sad.
Creamed Cabbage Rolls FAQ
Are creamed cabbage rolls keto-friendly?
Yes. The full batch of four comes to roughly 9 g net carbs, and two rolls are around 4 to 5 g. Most of those carbs come from the cabbage and tomato. The avocado adds some too, but most of its carbs are fiber.
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of poaching my own?
You can, and on a busy night I do. You’ll need about 1 cup of shredded meat, lightly packed. The only thing you lose is the homemade broth, so use 2 tablespoons of low-sodium chicken broth from a carton, or water plus an extra pinch of salt.
Why did my avocado sauce turn brown or bitter?
Too much heat, almost every time. Avocado turns bitter when it gets properly hot, and the cream can split at the same point. Keep the pan on low and pull it off the heat the moment it steams. If the sauce is browning before it reaches the pan, that’s air, not heat. Blend it last, right before you roll.
What is “natural cream”? Can I use heavy cream?
Natural cream here means an unsweetened cultured cream: sour cream, or Mexican crema if your store has it. Heavy cream technically works, but I don’t like it in this. The sauce comes out looser, and without the tang of a cultured cream it tastes kind of flat next to the avocado. Use crema if you can find it. Sour cream is a close second.
Do I have to blanch the cabbage leaves?
Yes. Raw leaves crack when you roll them, and they stay crunchy and bitter even after warming in the sauce.
Can you freeze cabbage rolls?
Not this kind.
Closing Thoughts
These are good with something sharp on the side. A spoonful of quick-pickled red onion works, or cucumber sliced thin and tossed with lime and salt. If someone at your table isn’t eating low-carb, put warm corn tortillas out for them so they can scoop up the extra sauce. And if you end up with leftover sauce, it makes a good dip for cucumber spears the next afternoon, as long as you eat it before it browns.
What would you fill them with? I’m thinking shredded beef with a little chipotle next.
