The other night my kids went to bed early so my husband and I were faced with a very special—and unexpected— treat… a luxury night of eating dinner adult style! In case you’re like how we were and have forgotten what that’s like, it involves enjoying meal prep, eating PAST 5:30pm and drinking wine throughout the process. It’s delightful.
Having been faced with an eve of uninterrupted cooking we decided to make chicken lettuce wraps. Which we both agreed were one of the better meals to come out of our kitchen; and we cook a lot.
The recipe that we went for was originally adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, “It’s all good” and I highly recommend it. Though we enjoyed this dish minus children, this meal is suitable for kids and is incredibly easy to prepare and fun to eat. Enjoy!
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4 (Or 2 very hungry adults 😉 )
Ingredients:
Coconut oil
1 pound ground chicken (preferable organic – I found frozen organic ground chicken at Budget foods in Ladner)
sea salt
1 yellow onion minced
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh ginger
2 small carrots or 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
1-2 cups diced shiitake or brown cremini mushroom diced
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 head of Boston bibb lettuce
a handful of cilantro leaves
1 few scallions, white and light green parts only, diced
hot sauce for serving
1 recipe of Lee’s hoisin for serving – see below
Directions:
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- Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy skillet, over medium heat and add the chicken, along with a healthy pinch of salt.
- Cook, stirring now and then to break the chicken up, until its liquid has been released and has evaporated and the meat is nicely browned, a good 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat another couple of spoonfuls of oil in a separate skillet over medium high heat and add the onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Cook, stirring now and then, until the mixture is just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrot & mushrooms, a pinch of salt and cook until it softens, about another 10 minutes.
- Combine the chicken and vegetables in one pan and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce and cook for 1 -2 more minutes to bring everything together.
- Place spoonfuls of the mixture on the lettuce leaves until you’ve used it all up (this recipe makes about a dozen wraps, but it depends how big your lettuce leaves are!).
- Sprinkle the cilantro and scallions over top.
- Serve with Lee’s hoisin and your favourite hot sauce. Enjoy!
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Lee’s Hoisin Sauce
Makes about 1 cup
I never liked hoisin until I tried this one so definitely give this a whirl if you are the same. This sauce is excellent added to any stirfry or any asian noodle dish.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chinese five-spice powder
1/2 cup red miso paste
1/2 cup good quality maple syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Directions:
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- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and five-spice powder and cook for about 30 seconds, or until wonderfully fragrant.
- Whisk in the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and cook, whisking or stirring constantly, 3-4 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Let the sauce cool before using. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days.
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