#848: Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This recipe has been sitting on one of my pinterest boards for quite some time now.  I don't know why I kept skipping over it when looking for ideas for lunch. 

It was ridiculously easy to make.  I bought pre-ground chicken (I was not going to waste time doing it myself and I think that's quite gross!) and just put the mushrooms and water chestnuts in the food processor to ground up.  Then I mixed everything else together and let it marinate for about 15 minutes before cooking it.  How simple is that?! 

I was a little nervous about this recipe because I like mushrooms but I don't love mushrooms.  As this was cooking it was all I could smell...and not in a good way unfortunately.  I'm happy to report though that this is actually pretty good.  I didn't love it in a lettuce wrap and wouldn't eat it that way again though.  So I tried it inside a corn tortilla instead and enjoyed it that way a lot more!

8 oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, ground (I used ground chicken)
1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped fine
1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms (I used fresh baby portobellos)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp oyster sauce (I omitted)
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
1⁄2 tsp sugar
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 iceberg lettuce leaves, rinsed
2 tbsp diced scallions

Place mushrooms in hot water to soften a few minutes. Remove stems and chop fine.
Combine soy sauces, oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, rice wine, sugar, and pepper in a bowl.

Combine ground chicken (I put the chicken in the food processor), softened mushrooms and water chestnuts into a bowl. Pour over chicken; toss. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat remaining sesame oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add garlic; cook until golden, about 10 seconds. Add chicken mixture; stir fry until browned, breaking the chicken up as it cooks, about 4-5 minutes.

To serve, spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken into each lettuce leaf. Garnish with scallions.

According to the original website, this recipe makes 6 lettuce wraps at 3 ww+ pts each.