The Hungry Apple

If you’re a fan of the lettuce wraps at a little know chain that rhymes with B.Chef. Wang’s, then I think you are going to love these copy cat lettuce wraps. Now, I’m not exactly sure what is in their recipe, but I took a guess and came pretty close.  I enjoyed this variation and although they were hard to get a handle on, they’re hard to maneuver in the restaurants too so it was win in my book.

You begin with a finely diced onion and a pound of ground chicken breast. I have a grinder attachment for the Kitchen Aid Mixer and so I can buy chicken breast and then grind it at home. This is very helpful if you shop at a warehouse or buy in bulk and it is less expensive than buying pre-ground chicken.

In addition to the chicken and onion, we have diced mushrooms and water chestnuts (which this recipe “requires” and I am in favor of, but usually am not a fan).

I beefed mine up a little with the addition of toppings. Cashews, avocado, and cucumber joined the party.

CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

ingredients: 

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, diced

1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

1 tablespoon sriracha

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

simple drizzle

4 tablespoons low sodium soy

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon sriracha

lettuce cups (bib, iceberg etc)

garnish

diced cucumber

cilantro

lime

avocado

cashews

instructions and directions:

combine 1/4 cup soy, 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sriracha and 2 minced garlic cloves in a small bowl and set aside.

heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil over medium. cook chicken and onion together until juices run clear and water evaporates, approximately 10 minutes. add mushrooms and water chestnuts and cook over medium low for 10 minutes more. pour in soy/hoisin mixture and toss to coat. stir in green oinons.

in another small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons soy, 1 teaspoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon sriracha for dipping. stir well to dissolve sugar.

scoop chicken into lettuce cups and top with: cashews, avocado, lime, cilantro and cucumber if desired. drizzle with sauce.