Hungry Man Lettuce Wraps

The Story:

I call these Hungry Man lettuce wraps because Jeff and I have always enjoyed eating at PF Chang's and one of the things they are known for is their appetizer Lettuce Wraps. Notice I said it was an appetizer. I needed to figure out how to make their recipe but with more chicken and in larger quantities. I searched all over the Internet and found a few but never could find one that we just absolutely loved. Through many experiments, I finally developed a recipe that is filling and tastes better than PF Chang's. In fact, we very rarely go there for dinner any more. It has somehow lost it's appeal with us.

Everyone in my family loves it when I make these for dinner. Of course most of the recipes I post will be here because my family loves it. But few will win over every one of my kids, plus the husband! This happens to be one of those recipes. Kai will come back for 3 and 4 helpings and he is the lightest eater in the bunch!

The Ingredients:

1 C. diced celery
1 small can water chestnuts (drained and diced)
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast strips
1 T. Minced Garlic
1 C. Soy Sauce
1 C. Packed Brown Sugar
1 medium white onion diced
¼ C. chopped pecans
1 C. Diced Fresh Mushrooms
3 T. Sesame Oil
1 head of leafy lettuce

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce*
Chinese Hot Mustard*
Dumpling Sauce*
Rice Wine Vinegar*
Garlic Powder*
Hot Chili Paste or Sauce*
Jasmine Rice*
Wasabi Sesame Seeds*

Sesame Seeds*

The Preparations:
In a skillet, over medium heat add 3 tablespoons of sesame oil and the chicken breast strips. Begin frying while dicing your vegetables. Once the chicken is golden on both sides, add in 1C. Soy sauce, water chestnuts, onions and mushrooms continue to cook on medium heat until most of the soy sauce has been absorbed.

Remove the chicken from the pan and dice and return to the skillet. This will allow the chicken to absorb more of the flavors and also cook well.

Continue to reduce. When the soy sauce has been mostly absorbed and your chicken is completely done add in the celery, pecans and brown sugar. Cook another 10-15 minutes until all of the juices are cooked down once again. Notice I add the celery in at the end because I do not want it to become mushy. It needs to stay somewhat firm and slightly crunchy.

It should look something like this when it is done. Notice the center, I have separated with a spoon and the juices do not run back to the middle. They are thick and staying together. This is serving time.

While that is cooking, remove the core from your leafy lettuce and wash and dry each leaf. Notice how much of the core I am removing. This allows the lettuce to break off in the right section. The leaves should fall apart and are easy to wash.

*The Accompaniments:
We enjoy steamed rice with our lettuce wraps. You do not have to do this step but it is a really great accompaniment. For my family, I steam 3 C. uncooked Jasmine Rice. I only use Jasmine rice because it is fragrant, light and fluffy. It is less likely to become sticky or mushy. I also use a rice cooker. We love rice and I cook quite a bit of it. The rice cooker is inexpensive ($20 at Walmart), easy to use and cooks the rice perfectly every time! Once my rice is done, I add 2-3 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 t. garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of Rice Vinegar.

Here are pictures of the ingredients that I use to season my rice and how my rice looks once it is ready to serve:

In addition to the rice accompaniment, I prepare 2 types of sauces one is sweet and spicy and the other is salty and spicy.

First, the kid’s favorite, sweet and spicy:
2 T. Dumpling Sauce
4 T. Sweet Thai Chili sauce
2 T. Soy Sauce
Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl and spoon over the lettuce wrap.

Salty and Spicy Sauce

2 t. Hot Mustard
2 t. Hot Chili paste or sauce
2 T. Soy Sauce
2 T. Dumpling Sauce
Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl and spoon over the lettuce wrap. If it isn't hot enough for you add in more hot mustard, but be careful....

Another accompaniment we use is wasabi sesame seeds. Jeff and I love these sprinkled over the top of our wraps. I buy plain toasted sesame seeds for the kids because these are too hot for them. Below is a picture of the brand I am able to buy at Market Street or Whole Foods.

The Serving Instructions:
Open a lettuce leaf and place a bit of rice and chicken mixture inside and then top with your favorite sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Or skip the lettuce and eat enjoy the chicken mix over the top of rice. Both ways are good.

This is our table at dinner time.

We had this for dinner last night. Jeff was out of town so Elli took the pleasure of filling in for Dad's Thumb's Up picture. The family rating on this meal is a perfect 10!