Lettuce Wraps and Snow Day

Happy Tuesday! Are you getting snow where you live? It is coming down this morning in Raleigh. While I do love a good snow day, we are ready for spring. Snow days aren't quite as fun when you are over the age of 12...there are no such things are snow days (aka work from home and it gets boring). On a different note today we are featuring an easy and delicious recipe found on Kitchn: Asian Lettuce Wraps. You can get the recipe here. Perfect for a busy week night. Clean up was easy, it took about 20 minutes to make and is relatively healthy. Enjoy! Stay warm and safe! xo

 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

How To Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 2 to 4 as a main course, or 6 to 8 as an appetizer or side dish

What You Need

Ingredients

3 to 5 tablespoons

hoisin sauce (gluten-free, if needed)

2 tablespoons

soy sauce (or 1 tablespoon tamari, if gluten-free or coconut aminos)

2 tablespoons

rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon

sesame oil

1 teaspoon

cornstarch, optional

 

1 pound

ground chicken, white meat  (or ground turkey)

2 teaspoons

vegetable oil, divided

8 ounces

mushrooms, chopped small

1

8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and chopped small

3 cloves

garlic, minced

1-inch piece ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1/2 cup

sliced green onions (from about 6 green onions), divided

2

small heads Bibb or butter lettuce

Red pepper flakes, to serve

 

Hot sauce, to serve

Optional extras: chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, chopped or grated carrots

 

Instructions

Mix together the sauce: Combine 3 tablespoons of the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk to combine with a fork and keep near the stove. If you'd like a more thickened, glossy sauce, whisk in 1

teaspoon of cornstarch.

 

Cook the ground chicken: Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken and cook until cooked through and no longer pink, 7 to 8 minutes. Break up the chicken into small crumbles as you cook. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean bowl.

 

Cook the vegetables and aromatics: Warm the other teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Add the mushrooms, along with any other optional extra vegetables you want, and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger, and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

 

Combine the vegetables and chicken: Transfer the cooked chicken back to the pan with the vegetables, along with half of

the green onions.

 

Stir in the sauce: Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken mixture and stir to coat. Cook just until you hear bubbling and the sauce is warmed through, 30 to 60 seconds. Taste a spoonful of the mixture and add more hoisin sauce if you'd like a stronger flavor.

 

Serve with the lettuce: Break off all the lettuce leaves and pile them on a plate in the center of the table, along with small dishes with hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and the remaining sliced green onions. Transfer the hot chicken mixture to a serving dish, or serve straight from the skillet. Give everyone a spoon and let them dig in — place a generous spoonful of chicken mixture in the middle of a lettuce leaf, top with green onions and hot sauce or red pepper flakes, and eat right away.

Recipe Notes

Make-Ahead Chicken Mix: The chicken filling keeps very well in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Reheat just what you need and add a splash of chicken broth if the mixture seems dry.