asian chicken lettuce wraps
an original recipe by rachelle
3 frozen chicken breasts
1 large carrot
8 whole mushrooms
3 green onions
1 red bell pepper
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 can water chestnuts, drained
2 Tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 head iceberg or butter lettuce, leaves washed and separated in wholes
rice noodles, fried quickly in hot oil (optional)
sauce: *(double for dipping sauce, set aside half, see notes below)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sriracha (asian chile sauce***)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger
bring chicken breasts to a boil in water to cover with a pinch of salt and a clove of garlic. boil for ten minutes. remove from water and chop finely, about the size of a kernel of corn.
meanwhile, finely grate carrot. finely dice onion , water chestnuts, mushrooms and bell pepper to the same size as the chicken pieces, about the size of a kernel of corn.
*mix together sauce ingredients. whisk to combine. if you want a dip for your wraps (yes you will want a dip,) make another batch (or double) sauce, and to the dipping sauce add: a bit more sriracha, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger.
heat 2 Tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil in a large pan. add onions, mushrooms and red bell pepper. cook 2 minutes to soften. add chicken, water chestnuts, and garlic. saute for 2 minutes. add sauce to pan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes until liquid is reduced and there is almost no liquid left in pan. stir in grated carrot. serve on bed of rice noodles with a plate of whole lettuce leaves. yummy with veggie peanut noodles or hot rice!
** in the interest of simplicity, if you have no rice vinegar, substitute regular. if you have no water chestnuts or sriracha sauce, omit them. you can substitute powdered ginger with 1/2 the measure for fresh. you can use whatever veggies you have on hand: zucchini, green pepper, whatev. the only ingredient i really insist on is the sesame oil for authentic flavor. so sorry i promised no store for you, but if you don't have any, i really insist that you must use sesame oil!
***sriracha is asian chile sauce and can be found at walmart or any other grocery store in the US- located by the soy and teriyaki sauces, or at los arcos in MX.
it is in a clear bottle that looks red from the bright red sauce. it has a green twist lid.
we love it on salads, on sushi, and anyplace else that needs a kick!
***