Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Two Dipping Sauces

Trying to eat healthy at our house is always a challenge. Everyone has a different palette. The Wonderful guy has to have meat at all meals and all of us girls are trying to eat healthy. The boy is just plain picky.  But last night we made this Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap recipe and we all went nuts over it.  Served with two dipping sauces, these are going to be a once a week recipe for us in the hot days of summer and to use up all the wonderful veggies of spring!

I also think this would be a wonderful thing to put out for a girl’s luncheon or shower as it is not only delicious, but it’s healthy as well AND you could make the sauces, cut your veggies, and grill the chicken the day before and then simply layer   it out on trays for your guests to pick and choose what they like and roll up little bites of heaven!

Start out by making your sauces.  The first sauce, I posted yesterday and is a wonderful Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce that you can use for other dishes, like my Sweet Chili Glazed Chicken with Peanut Dipping Sauce.

The second sauce is going to double as a sauce AND a stir fry sauce for our chicken.  I would recommend doubling up on the amounts for each sauce as my family drained every last drop of each and we still have some chicken and vegetables left over. The sauces are delicious!

First off, however, while you’re busy making the sauces and chopping veggies, have your Wonderful husband or friend grill up some boneless, skinless chicken breast (4) that you’ve seasoned with salt and pepper.

You’ll only need four, but we always grill extra chicken to have throughout the week for salads, etc. so that picture shows more!

When the chicken comes in from the grill, slice it thinly into strips and keep it ready. We’ll be using this in just another minute or two!

To make the stir fry/Sesame Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce, you’ll need to add the following ingredients all into a small sauce pan over medium heat

1/4 c. water
1 t. cornstarch
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. vinegar
1 T. sesame oil
1/4 t. (or more to taste) red chili flakes
1 t.chili oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 t. minced or grated ginger
1 T. green onion or scallions

Bring this to a boil in the small saucepan and then turn the heat down and let it gently simmer (barely bubble) for about 3 minutes and it will thicken up a bit from the cornstarch.

Remove 1/2 cup of this sauce to stir fry the chicken in and set the other aside as it will be one of our yummy dipping sauces for the lettuce wraps.

Take that 1/2 cup of sauce and pour it into a large skillet.

Add in your sliced chicken and green onions and stir fry it around for about a minute or two, or just until all the meat is coated in the sauce and warmed up.

Now you’ll need to take your heads of lettuce, wash them and separate as many large leaves off of them as you want for your lettuce wraps.  We used one large gorgeous head of butter lettuce for ours.

It comes in my grocery store like this in a clear box in the lettuce section.

I love how it looks like a giant lettuce flower when you let it unfurl out of its package.

I am going to try to find seeds for this and plant it because I am in love with its buttery tender leaves.

If you can’t find butter lettuce you can use iceberg or even romaine leaves to make your wraps.

Chop up some veggies like red pepper strips, green onions, cilantro and carrots (I usually use the already julienned ones from the market).  Also, if you can find them, the already pre-shelled (hulled?) edamame beans are fun as well. Layer the lettuce leaves first onto a platter or large plate with a bowl for the chicken on one end (or in the middle) and then place a handful of each chopped veggie, herb and nut around as well.

Here I used an oval platter…

And here I used a round one.

I forgot to add to also add a handful of shaved almonds. You could also use slivered almonds or cashews or even pine nuts if you prefer.

Spoon your stir fried chicken into the bowl(s).  Put out your sauces…

And you’re ready to go!

I just love all the bright colors! Don’t you?

I love that this recipe incorporates a lot of vegetables. Would you add any other vegetables? What else sounds good in these?

I love the smell that wafts through your house like an Asian diner while the chicken is stir frying. I love rolling up these little packets that zing with flavor and a mild crunch when you eat them!

Mr. Wonderful, ever the skeptic about healthy food, made the comment that he didn’t think these would satisfy him.  He was surprised and loved them. Try them on your family tonight!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Katie of Dishin & Dishes

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

FOR THE STIR FRY SAUCE

• ¼ cup water
• 1 t. cornstarch
• ⅓ c. soy sauce
• ⅓ c. brown sugar
• ¼ c. vinegar
• 1 T. sesame oil
• ¼ t. (or more to taste) red pepper flakes
• ½ t. minced or grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 T. green onion or scallions

FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE

• ½ cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon minced or grated ginger
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or ½ teaspoon chili oil
• ¼ c. brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
• ½-1 t. sesame oil
• 1 c. water to thin to taste

OTHER FIXINGS:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 t. salt
• ½ t. pepper
• ½ large red pepper, sliced thinly
• ½ c. roughly chopped cilantro
• 1 c. julianned carrots
• ⅔ c. shaved almonds
• 1 c. edamame, shelled and microwaved 1 minute
• ½ c. chopped green onion plus 1 T. (divided)
• 1 head butter lettuce or one head iceberg lettuce, large leaves separated

Instructions

1. Salt and pepper chicken and grill outside or on a grill pan or frying pan until done, for about 5-7 minutes per side or until heat comes to 165º on meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of chicken halfway in.Slice chicken into thin strips across the grain.
2. Add cornstarch in small bowl with water and whisk until dissolved.
3. Add cornstarch mixture and next 8 ingredients into small sauce pan over medium heat and bring to boil.
4. Reduce and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it thickens up. Remove ½ c. of sauce to add to chicken. Reserve remaining sauce for dipping.
5. Add reserved stir fry sauce to non-stick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add in chicken and green onions, stir frying just until chicken is coated and warmed about 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove to a cutting board and slice it into thing strips.
7. Spoon into serving bowl on platter line with lettuce, red pepper strips, edamame, shaved almonds, cilantro, green onion and carrots. Serve with remaining stir fry sauce for dipping and Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce (recipe follows).

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