When I first heard of chicken lettuce wraps, I have to admit, I was a teeny bit skeptical. Lettuce wraps were for those “healthy” people. You know the ones.
I’m more of a “let’s wrap that in cake” kind of gal.
But after a few trips to PF Chang’s, I was hooked. I’ll probably experiment with more variations, but I wanted to share this particular recipe with you because it’s spicy – and we love spicy, right? It’s also more filling than PF Chang’s wraps. Filling = good.
I’ve slightly adapted this recipe from Lindsay at Pinch of Yum. Hers are delicious. But this time I made them with a bit more sauce. I also added more zing to turn them into spicy chicken lettuce wraps. I can never get enough spicy. Zing = spicy + sauce = disappearing lettuce wraps. That’s foodgebra. It’s the new math.
For the lettuce you could choose from several varieties:
- Butter Lettuce
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Boston Lettuce (also known as Bibb)
- Green Leaf Lettuce
The lettuce used for these Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps is Green Leaf Lettuce.
Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1/4 sweet red pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 – 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (optional)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Fresh basil (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup torn up leaves – must be fresh!)
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white/brown rice (I used Nishiki brand)
- Large pliable lettuce leaves, washed (Boston Bibb, Green Leaf, Iceberg, Butter)
Instructions
- Cook your rice according to package directions.
- In small bowl, combine soy sauce, olive oil, sugar, and water. Stir and set aside.
- In large nonstick skillet, brown together the chicken, jalapeno, red pepper, garlic, and ginger over medium heat. After 1 or 2 minutes, add your soy sauce mixture to the meat mixture and stir.
- When chicken is cooked through, take pan off heat. Add rice to chicken and stir until combined. (The original recipe calls for 2 cups cooked rice, but you can add more if you have more than that in your pot). Stir in basil.
- Roll up into lettuce leaves and top with additional basil, if desired.
Notes
More great recipes at www.thekitchensnob.com
Spice Up Your Relationship, Literally
I made chicken lettuce wraps a while back, but this recipe looks WAY yummier and easier, too! I’m glad there is no fish juice in this one … I will give it a whirl this week 🙂
Oh and PS – if you want to cut down on time you can always buy the frozen rice ~ Trader Joe’s has the BEST Jasmine Rice (which I think would taste great with this.)
Let me know if you try the recipe! I’ve been buying that frozen rice you told me about and I like it for those times I’m in a pinch. Although, it’s not as sticky as I prefer for Asian recipes. So for this recipe, I still prefer the Nishiki brand. I am a snob, after all! 🙂
I have never had lettuce wraps and PFChangs is
one of my favorite places! These sound great
and I am going to try them very soon! The NEW
MATH, indeed!
You need to copyright foodgebra. It’s my favorite new word!!! Adding a little kick to lettuce wraps – even more brilliance. Can’t wait to try them.
Please let me know if you make them! Love to hear from my readers if recipes work for them or not.