sandi-in-hawaii
Well-known member
A friend made these lettuce wraps for a Christmas party, and I just had to make them for one of our New Year's appetizers!
I used a different mushroom than was called for, added fresh Thai basil and mint for refreshing taste, and added an easy peanut sauce. Everyone loved it! I think I'll have to make this again soon smileys/smile.gif
Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals
2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms*
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders**
2 tablespoons oil
Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger root, finely chopped
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 red bell pepper, diced to about 1/4"
1 small can (6 to 8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and chopped
3 scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (or more, to taste)
10-12 Thai basil leaves, chiffonaded
10 mint leaves, chiffonaded
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered
Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish
* I used 2 big Japanese mushrooms, chopped. I don’t know the name of the mushroom, but it’s very big and meaty. I ended up with about 1 cup, when chopped. (I think Portobellos would work too, but I’d scrape off all the gills, so it doesn’t turn the mixture black.)
** I used 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and pulsed it in the food processor
Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean. Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken into small pieces. ( I chopped the chicken in the food processor, and left a few chunky bits, for texture.)
Preheat a large skillet or wok to high.
Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture.
(If the mixture appears watery from the mushrooms, drain most of the liquid off.)
Add hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. (Taste the mixture, and add more hoisin, if needed.)
Take the pan off the heat, and fold in the chiffonaded basil and mint.
Transfer the chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish.
To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over.
(I skipped the orange wedges. Put a dab of peanut sauce over the chicken before wrapping it up in the lettuce.)
I tried to duplicate California Pizza Kitchen's Lettuce Wrap sauce, and liked what I came up with:
1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
Blend all ingredients together.
I used a different mushroom than was called for, added fresh Thai basil and mint for refreshing taste, and added an easy peanut sauce. Everyone loved it! I think I'll have to make this again soon smileys/smile.gif
Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals
2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms*
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders**
2 tablespoons oil
Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger root, finely chopped
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 red bell pepper, diced to about 1/4"
1 small can (6 to 8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and chopped
3 scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (or more, to taste)
10-12 Thai basil leaves, chiffonaded
10 mint leaves, chiffonaded
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered
Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish
* I used 2 big Japanese mushrooms, chopped. I don’t know the name of the mushroom, but it’s very big and meaty. I ended up with about 1 cup, when chopped. (I think Portobellos would work too, but I’d scrape off all the gills, so it doesn’t turn the mixture black.)
** I used 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and pulsed it in the food processor
Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean. Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken into small pieces. ( I chopped the chicken in the food processor, and left a few chunky bits, for texture.)
Preheat a large skillet or wok to high.
Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture.
(If the mixture appears watery from the mushrooms, drain most of the liquid off.)
Add hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. (Taste the mixture, and add more hoisin, if needed.)
Take the pan off the heat, and fold in the chiffonaded basil and mint.
Transfer the chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish.
To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over.
(I skipped the orange wedges. Put a dab of peanut sauce over the chicken before wrapping it up in the lettuce.)
I tried to duplicate California Pizza Kitchen's Lettuce Wrap sauce, and liked what I came up with:
1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
Blend all ingredients together.
