Cast Iron

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

by:
March  8, 2014
0
0 Ratings
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This dish has a fantastic umami flavor that pairs well with crispy lettuce, crunchy rice sticks, and sinus clearing hot mustard! Totally addictive, totally delicious, and dare I say,…even better than you can find at the well-known Asian restaurants. —Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Dipping Sauce
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • Lettuce Wraps
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese hot mustard, plus more for sautéing
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • canola oil for frying, plus more for sautéing
  • 2 ounces Maifun rice sticks (the thin kind), pulled apart
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large clove minced
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup water chestnuts, diced
  • 8 Shiitake mushroom caps, diced
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
Directions
  1. Combine the liquids and sugar in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves (do not let it boil). Stir in the crushed pepper flakes and remove from heat. Let the contents rest for 10 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients.
  2. To prepare the stir fry sauce, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, mustard and the sugar in a medium bowl. Stir until the ingredients are incorporated and set aside.
  3. In a cast iron or heavy-bottom pan, add approximately an 1/2 inch of oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Test the temperature by dropping a few rice sticks into the oil – if they puff up right away, the oil is ready. Gently drop a handful of the rice sticks into the oil, quickly flip them once they have puffed – it will only take seconds for them to cook. Remove the rice sticks and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Continue cooking the remaining rice sticks in this fashion.
  4. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of canola oil. Add the ground chicken and sauté until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  5. Reheat the pan you used to cooked the chicken, adding more oil if needed. Add the garlic, scallions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan and the stir fry sauce - quickly toss to coat. Remove from heat.
  6. Gently pull off the leaves of the lettuce and serve with the chicken, crispy rice sticks, dipping sauce, and extra Chinese hot mustard.
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  • LeBec Fin
    LeBec Fin
  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom
    Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom
  • Kathryn
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5 Reviews

Kathryn
Kathryn June 7, 2016
What oils for the dipping sauce?
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. March 15, 2014
I think this is a terrific idea and I def will make this soon. There is one thing that i find odd. I don't know why you cook your chicken twice. I would cube the raw chicken and stir fry it with the garlic, green onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms
and proceed per the recipe. I might also add some julienned carrots, toasted cashews, mint and cilantro! Thank you for the inspiration; it will be so refreshing this summer.
 
Kathleen |.
Kathleen |. March 17, 2014
I think the addition of ingredients you mentioned is a great idea! That's what I love about this dish, you can really tailor it to your liking. Personally, I like the look and texture of minced chicken in this particular dish - so I like to cook the breast whole and then shred or finely chop the chicken. Then I just warm it back up (rather than really 'cook' it again) when sautéing the protein with the garlic, green onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. However, if you prefer to have larger pieces of chicken, I think cubing it while raw and then cooking the ingredients together would be fine too! I hope you enjoy and thanks for the comment!
 
aargersi
aargersi March 8, 2014
These look delicious - I see mustard in the directions but not on your ingredient list - you can edit though and add it in!
 
Kathleen |.
Kathleen |. March 9, 2014
Oh my goodness! I went line by line checking double checking my recipe! It must be performance anxiety given the important ingredient. Thank you so much for saying something!