#1,348: Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I was so afraid I wasn't going to love this recipe because there's no mayo in it.  I was afraid it would be bland and taste too much like unseasoned chicken.  I was very happily proved wrong, and loved this meal.  One day I ate it as lettuce wraps (photo above) and one day I brought it with me to a restaurant and threw it on top of a garden salad.  Both ways were wonderful.  This would even be great as a sandwich...if you eat bread.  ;)

I used a large can of chicken instead of cooking fresh chicken, so I cut down on the amount of veggies I used a little bit.  I didn't measure though, just threw in as much as I wanted.  I felt that it needed the same amount of sauce/seasoning though, so that stayed the same for me.

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (I used about 10-12 oz of canned chicken)
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided (I omitted)
3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup julienned green onions
12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I omitted)

Since I used canned chicken, I skipped this step:
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes; drain.

(I started here…minus the chicken part): Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and remaining oil (I also omitted the oil completely). Stir in the carrots, onions and chicken mixture.

Spoon onto lettuce leaves; sprinkle with almonds.