Healthy Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps, ready to eat!

We love Asian foods and many of the "fusion" styles that have come out lately melding different styles of cooking.

We also happen to love a chain called P.F. Chang's.  One of their "signature" appetizers is something called a lettuce wrap.  If you've been to P.F. Chang's, you likely know exactly what I'm talking about.  The taste is fantastic. They are somehow both light (because of the lettuce) and filling at the same time.

We wanted to try these at home and this is what I have come up with.  It's not an exact duplicate, but it is very close.  It also satisfies those cravings we sometimes have without having to spend a lot of money.

I have made it with both ground chicken and turkey and can't really tell the difference between the two, so either will work.

If you love these like we do, or if you just want to give it a try you will be surprised at how simple this is.  It's one of the simpler recipes I've ever written up and just takes a few minutes to make.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp sriracha (Optional.  We don't care for hot foods in our house so we don't use this.  If you love hot foods you may want to use more than one tsp.)
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced (Optional. I use shiitake when I can find them.)
• 8 oz carrots, diced fine (optional)
• 1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 head butter lettuce (Boston or Bibb lettuce are basically the same thing so are interchangeable

Instructions 

1. Add one tsp of olive oil and ground chicken or turkey to a large non-stick skillet.  Cook the meat until it's just done while making sure to break it up, then drain any fat that you may have left and set aside.
   
   

   

   Ground chicken/turkey after being browned and drained of fat

2. Add second tsp of olive oil and sesame oil to the pan, then add the onions (along with the mushrooms and carrots if using them).  Let sauté until the onions are translucent, about two minutes.
   
   

   

   Before cooking, after vegetables added to pan

   
                        

   

   After cooking vegetables for a few minutes

3. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Be careful not to burn the garlic or it can get bitter.
   
   

   

   Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds

4. Add the meat back to the pan (along with the vegetables).
   
   

   

   Meat and vegetables before adding hoisin, soy sauce, etc.

5. Stir in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and sriracha (if using).
6. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients (water chestnuts and scallions) along with salt and pepper to taste and cook for an additional two minutes.
   
   

   

   Ready to be put onto lettuce

7. Spoon several tbsp of the mixture (how much is entirely dependent on the size of the lettuce leaves you have and your own taste) onto the center of a lettuce leaf and enjoy!



Ready to eat!

Easy Southwestern Chicken Bake

Lately I've been trying to come up with new ways to use our rubs. My wife and son loved the one I tried tonight and wanted me to write it up.

(For a vegetarian version scroll down.)

Even though this dish is chicken, I actually used the Beef Rub.  Why?  Because of the spices in it vs. the spices in the Pork and Poultry Rub. When barbecuing, the chili powder and cumin in the beef rub really complement the beef itself - but it also works well on chicken if you're looking for a southwestern flavor.

This is actually one of the simpler recipes that I've posted and it's pretty versatile. Like mushrooms? Put 'em in. Don't like them? Leave 'em out. Onions? Same thing.

I use white wine because I like the flavor it gives.  If you don't like it, don't have any around or just want to try something different, use a different kind of wine or leave the wine out altogether and throw some chicken (or vegetable) stock in instead.

There's also a vegetarian version (scroll down) that I made for my wife as well.  You basically make it the same way. I made a pan of each at the same time this evening.

If you try this, please let me know what you think in the comments!

Ingredients CHICKEN VERSION

• 2 large boneless chicken breasts cut in half (or the leg and thigh equivalent - about 6 to 8 pieces depending upon size)
• 1 tbsp Mac Brother Beef Rub (or Really Frickin' Hot Beef Rub, depending upon taste) Use more or less to taste
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I use the ones with garlic and basil but any will do - and if you don't have diced, then stewed, etc. will work just as well)
• 1/2 onion, diced (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• 8 oz package sliced mushrooms (optional)

Directions CHICKEN VERSION

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Sprinkle the chicken with the beef rub

   

   Sprinkle chicken with the beef rub

3. Put the butter and olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and turn on medium heat
4. Brown the chicken on all sides in the butter/olive oil mixture

   

   Brown chicken on both sides

5. Put the browned chicken in a casserole dish

   

   Place browned chicken in an oven-safe dish

6. If you're using onions, mushrooms or garlic, place them in the pan and sauté until just done

   

   Sauté the onions, garlic and mushrooms in the remaining oil and butter

7. Pour the wine into the pan where you cooked the chicken; add the lime juice and mix
8. Turn up the heat and let the wine come to a boil, scraping the pan to get off all of the "bits" stuck to the bottom
9. Let the wine mixture boil until it's reduced by about half

   

   Reduce the wine mixture by half

10. Pour the wine mixture (with or without the onions/mushrooms/garlic) over the chicken
11. Spoon the diced tomatoes over the chicken pouring any liquid from the can into the pan

    

    Spoon the diced tomatoes over the chicken and cover and bake

12. Cover and bake. The amount of time necessary will depend on the amount and types of chicken you're using (white vs dark meat). I typically give it about 20 minutes then start checking the temperature. You want it to be a minimum of 165 degrees to be sure it's cooked thoroughly.
13. Remove the cover and serve!!  We like to serve it over white rice but it would be great over egg noodles as well.

Ingredients  VEGETARIAN VERSION

• 2 pieces Quorn naked cutlets
• 1 tbsp Mac Brother Beef Rub (or Really Frickin' Hot Beef Rub, depending upon taste) Use more or less to taste
• 3/4 cups white wine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (I use the ones with garlic and basil but any will do - and if you don't have diced, then stewed, etc. will work just as well)
• 1/4 onion, diced (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• 4 oz sliced mushrooms (optional)

Directions VEGETARIAN VERSION

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Moisten the cutlets with water or milk
3. Sprinkle the cutlets with the beef rub

   

   Sprinkle the cutlets with the beef rub

4. Put the butter and olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and turn on medium heat
5. Brown the cutlets on both sides in the butter/olive oil mixture
6. Put the browned cutlets in a casserole dish

   

   Put the browned cutlets in an oven-safe dish

7. If you're using onions, mushrooms or garlic, place them in the pan and sauté until just done
8. Pour the wine into the pan where you cooked the cutlets; add the lime juice and mix
9. Turn up the heat and let the wine come to a boil, scraping the pan to get off all of the "bits" stuck to the bottom
10. Let the wine mixture boil until it's reduced by about half
    

    

    Reduce the wine mixture by half

11. Pour the wine mixture (with or without the onions/mushrooms/garlic) over the cutlets
12. Spoon the diced tomatoes over the cutlets pouring any liquid from the can into the pan

    

    Spoon the tomatoes over the cutlets and bake

13. Cover and bake. I typically cook it this way for about 20 minutes, but since this isn't really meat, you're just heating it up and giving the other flavors a chance to meld. I usually cook it at the same time as chicken in a separate pan and just pull it out when the chicken is done and it's fine.
14. Remove the cover and serve!!  We like to serve it over white rice but it would be great over egg noodles as well.
    

Easy BBQ Chicken

It seems like everyone has their own way to make BBQ chicken - but I've had a LOT of people ask me about the best way to do it.  I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that we make and sell our own sauces and rubs but this is actually a question I've been getting for far longer than we've been doing that.

From what most people tell me, the most common problem seems to be that they burn the outside of their chicken while the inside is still not done. And there aren't many things less appetizing than biting into what looks like a delicious piece of chicken and then finding that it's still pink (or red!) in the middle.

I'm going to tell you how to avoid that - or at least how I avoid it. I remember both my grandfather and my mother doing this as far back as I CAN remember. Of course, they didn't use our rub, since we just developed that particular product. What we used instead of rub was a mixture of sugar and chili powder sprinkled on the chicken (if you want to try this, it IS good - simply not as good as the rub) mixed until it resembled the traditional cinnamon/sugar mixture most people are familiar with.

The other nice part about this is that you can still have "grilled" chicken without the grill if it's too hot, rainy, snowy, or cold outside or if you simply don't have a grill. Instead of cooking for the last few minutes on your grill, just use a preheated cast iron grill pan. You'll get the same grill marks and for the most part, the same flavor (some people debate whether or not the open fire on a grill actually adds any flavor - I tend to think it does but wouldn't argue with those that feel the opposite).

Brining is NOT difficult - quite the contrary. I'm sure you can find some very complicated brines in that search that you just did, but it's really not necessary. The one I use is called "Not Just For Turkey".  The directions are on the package, but essentially, you use 1 tbsp of the brine mix with 1 cup of liquid (water, apple cider, wine, etc.). 

A common misconception about brining is that it makes things salty: WRONG!! Yes, there is salt in the brine, but it doesn't make it taste salty - at all.

So, without further ado, here it is:

Ingredients

• 1 whole fryer chicken, cut up (alternatively, feel free to use "pre-cut" chicken parts if you prefer)
• Grandpa's Best Butter My Butt & Call Me a Biscuit Pork and Poultry Rub *
• Grandpa's Best Not Just For Turkey Brine *
• Grandpa's Best BBQ Sauce (any variety)

*NOTE:  I don't list the amount of rub here simply because you're going to sprinkle the rub liberally on the chicken and it's going to depend on the size and number of the pieces of chicken you're using.  Similarly, the amount of brine mix you will use will depend on the size of the container you're using.  You need to make enough to cover the chicken.

Chicken in the brine solution

Directions

1. Make the brine.  Mix together enough brine mix to cover the chicken at a ratio of 1 tbsp brine mix plus 1 cup of your choice of liquid
2. Add the cut up chicken to the brine
3. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight
4. Preheat oven to 350
5. Remove the pieces from the brine and pat dry, then place in a large pan

   

   Rub on one side of the chicken - one piece
   not touched so you can see the difference.
   Remember to flip it and cover both sides!

6. Sprinkle rub liberally over the surface of the chicken (see picture for an idea of how it should look); make certain you cover all surfaces of the chicken with the rub
7. Be certain the pan is large enough that the pieces of chicken aren't too crowded - if they are, it will greatly extend the cooking time)

   

   Chicken with rub on both sides, ready to go in the oven

8. Cover and bake until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches a minimum of 150 degrees (that's not quite a safe temperature to eat yet, but it will continue to cook for a few minutes after removing and you will be finishing it off on the grill)

   

   Straight out of the oven and ready for the grill

9. Remove from the oven - at this point, you can set it to the side until you're ready to put it on the grill

   

   On the grill, ready to add sauce

10. Place all of the chicken on a preheated grill.  I heat mine to about 400 degrees
11. Using a grill brush, spread BBQ sauce on the top of the chicken
12. Close grill and cook for about five minutes

    

    After flipping once on the grill and adding sauce

13. Turn chicken over and again spread sauce on top of the chicken
14. Close grill and cook for about five minutes

    

    This has been on the grill for about ten minutes and is ready to be removed

15. Remove from grill - I typically put a bit more sauce on the last side that was cooked right after removing from the grill (keep in mind, the USDA minimum safe temperature for chicken is 165 degrees)
16. Enjoy!

The nice thing about employing this method is that your chicken is going to be some of the moistest, juiciest BBQ chicken you've ever had! Some people like to parboil their chicken, but that makes the meat have a rubbery texture and loses the flavor - parBAKING with a rub is the best way!

Let me know what you think in the comments if you try this!!

Tropical Chicken

"Tropical chicken. What is that? Really? You're stuffing chicken with bananas?"

I'm paraphrasing, but that's basically how the conversation started out when my son asked what I was making for dinner. I'm certain he isn't the only person that has those same feelings when hearing what this recipe entails.

When he tried it he had an insight that I thought was brilliant because I hadn't thought of it earlier: it's very similar to chicken cordon bleu - except that instead of being stuffed with ham and cheese, it's stuffed with prosciutto (a type of ham) and bananas. He REALLY liked it - and I think you will, too.

The first time I ever heard of this dish was when I was in Cancun. We went to a wonderful restaurant (La Habichuela) and sat in the beautiful open courtyard with flowers growing everywhere and opened a very eclectic menu.

One of the things that caught my eye was called

Chicken Breast Verónica at La Habichuela in Cancún 

"Chicken Breast Verónica".  This is the description from their menu: "Stuffed with banana and prosciutto in a sweet hawaiian sauce".  I decided to try it and was VERY glad I did.  Though I really didn't know what to expect, it tasted incredible. The bananas had such a creamy, sweet taste that it really complemented the savory taste and crispy texture on the outside of the chicken. Likewise, the "sweet hawaiian sauce" over the chicken and rice also complemented the chicken well.

Try as I might, I wasn't able to find this recipe (or one similar) anywhere so I decided to try it myself. I've basically made the chicken the same way every time but I've experimented quite a bit with the sauce.  I've made one that had more of a maraschino cherry base (too sweet) and one that was ONLY fruit based (also too sweet).  The one I finally settled on uses wine, chicken broth and fruit and, in my opinion, is sweet enough without being TOO sweet like the other versions.

I'd rather have you be the judge though.  Try it and see what you think.  I think you'll be glad you did.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

Start with a whole boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 2 boneless skinless whole chicken breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 small bananas, peeled and sliced
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup flour for dredging chicken
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk (beat with the egg)
• 1/2 cup panko (or other bread crumbs) for dredging chicken

For the sauce:

• 8 oz can crushed pineapple 
• 8 oz can pineapple chunks
• 2 mangos, peeled and diced
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth

• 2 cups cooked rice (white, long grained or brown, whichever you prefer)
• maraschino cherries for garnish

Preheat oven to 350

Directions

1. Cut one of the chicken breasts almost in half and open it up like a book so you form a butterfly shape

   

   
   

2. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and using a heavy skillet or mallet, pound to even out their thickness and make them thin

   

   
   

3. Cut in half to make two pieces

   

   Before cutting in half to make two pieces

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the second breast. You should end up with four pieces of thinly pounded chicken
5. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast (feel free to use other spices/herb if you like. I used some freshly ground rosemary and garlic powder in addition to salt and pepper)
   

   

   
   

6. Take a slice of prosciutto and stack banana slices inside and carefully roll up

   

   
   

7. Place the prosciutto/banana on the pounded piece of chicken and carefully roll up, enclosing the prosciutto/banana

   

   
   

8. Wrap each stuffed chicken piece in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or more

   

   
   

9. Put the mango, orange juice and the crushed pineapple in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes

   

   
   

10. Puree the mango, pineapple and orange juice mixture using a food processor, blender or immersion blender and set aside 
11. Set up three pans; one with flour, one with the beaten egg and milk mixture and one with the panko or bread crumbs

    

    
    

12. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and dredge each piece through the flour, then the egg/milk mixture and finally in the panko/bread crumbs

    

    
    

13. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat
14. Brown the chicken on all sides being careful while turning it not to let the bananas come out of the ends

    

    
    

15. Place the chicken in an oven safe dish and place in the preheated oven (at 350)

    

    
    

16. Bake for twenty minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through
17. While the chicken is baking, put the onions in the skillet where you cooked the chicken
18. Sauté the onions until they are getting soft
19. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for two minutes
20. Add the wine and reduce by half

    

    
    

21. Add the chicken broth and the mango/pineapple/juice mixture to the pan along with the can of pineapple chunks and bring to a boil

    

    
    

22. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for ten minutes
23. Remove the chicken from the oven
24. Mound some cooked rice in the middle of each plate and top each with a piece of chicken
25. Spoon the sauce generously over the chicken and rice
26. Top with a maraschino cherry for a garnish!
    
    

    

    
    

If you prefer your sauce a bit sweeter, feel free to add honey or brown sugar during the cooking stage (step 21)

Panini!!! (chicken or vegetarian). The sun-dried tomato pesto is the secret

Panini.  Flash back about fifteen years and if you mentioned panini to me I'd think you might be talking about a street name in Rome, but I wouldn't have thought of a sandwich.

When I first learned what it was I made them quite a bit, experimenting with all different types of meats, breads, toppings and spreads (see how I did that? nice little rhyme, huh?).

I liked all of them, but only one stuck with the entire family. It uses ciabatta (and really, how can ciabatta be bad in most anything?), chicken breast, baby spinach, fontina cheese, grilled onions and the key to the whole thing: sun-dried tomato pesto. I've come to believe you could put this particular pesto on just about anything and it will make it better.

My middle daughter just turned 22 this week and the tradition in our house is that for your birthday dinner you can name anything you want (well, within reason) and Dad will make it for you. This particular panini is one of her favorites and it's what she wanted for her birthday dinner. Actually, it was about time since I've been wanting to post it anyway but wanted to wait until I had pictures before I did.

VEGETARIAN VERSION!
This is also one of my wife's favorite dishes as well (and she's a vegetarian). Instead of chicken, I simply substitute a Quorn "chicken" patty or TVP (or equivalent). You could do the same or even make it vegan by using a portobello and leaving out the cheese (or making a vegan substitution) and doing the same with the cheese in the pesto.

Pan and weight that I use to make panini if I'm not using my press

I have an actual panini press though I don't usually break it out unless I'm making them for a larger crowd than I did this time. If you have a grill pan (available here), it works every bit as well - you simply need some weight to press down on top of the sandwich. I have one that was made specifically to fit my grill pan but you can easily use a bacon press or, as I've seen some TV chefs do, a brick wrapped in tin foil.  No, it's not fancy, but it works and that's all you really need.

Ingredients*

• Chicken breast, sliced (or pounded) thin
• Ciabatta rolls or loaf of ciabatta bread cut into sections
• Sun-dried tomato pesto (recipe here or buy here)
• Havarti cheese, sliced thin, available at most delis (by all means use a different cheese if you don't like havarti, but I'd suggest a cheese that melts well)
• Baby spinach leaves, just enough to cover the sandwich
• 2 tbsp olive oil (enough for sautéing chicken)
• 2 tbsp butter (enough for sautéing chicken)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (enough to cover top and bottom of ciabatta rolls)

* I'm not many giving measurements here simply because it all depends on how many you're making. You want a piece of chicken large enough to cover the ciabatta roll you're using, a slice (or two) of cheese for each sandwich, and enough baby spinach leaves to cover the sandwich. I find that a pound of chicken cut thin will easily make three or four (or more!) sandwiches depending upon how large your rolls are.

Optional ingredients

• *Seasoning salt (to taste)
• *Pepper (to taste)
• *Garlic powder (to taste)
• *Freshly ground dried rosemary (to taste)
• *Dried oregano (to taste)
• Grilled onions
• 1 cup red or white wine to make wine reduction sauce (which kind is really a matter of preference - for me, it all depends on what we have sitting around that I can use up since I like both!)

*I lightly season the chicken with all of these prior to sautéing - use whatever spices you'd like or none

Directions

1. Heat butter and olive oil in heavy bottomed skillet (I like to use stainless steel for this) on medium heat
2. Season chicken (if using seasonings in optional ingredients)
   
   

   

   Sautéing seasoned chicken in butter/olive oil

3. Sauté chicken in oil/butter mixture until golden brown (3-4 minutes per side, depending upon thickness)
4. Remove chicken from pan and set aside - repeat as necessary until all chicken is done, not crowding the pan (you may need to add more butter/olive oil to the pan depending upon how many pieces you are cooking)
   
   

   

   Making a wine reduction sauce

5. If you'd like to make a wine reduction sauce, pour off the excess oil, then pour the cup of wine in the pan. It will sizzle and you can scrape all of the "bits" off the bottom of the pan. Turn up the heat until the wine is boiling and cook until reduced by half
   
   

   

   Ciabatta rolls split in half, ready to go

6. Split the rolls/loaf in half if not already cut
   
   

   

   My panini "station" with everything I'll need

7. This is easier if you set up a "station" with all of the ingredients you'll be using close at hand. Start by spreading the sun-dried tomato pesto on both both halves of the ciabatta. I use approximately a tablespoon per side, but that depends on how large your rolls are and how much you want per sandwich
   
   

   

   Both sides spread with pesto

8. Next, place a slice of cheese on the bottom half of the bread, on top of the spread (you may need to cut/tear the slice of cheese to adjust it to fit the shape of your bread)
   
   

   

   Add the cheese...

9. Cover the cheese with a layer of baby spinach leaves
   
   

   

   ...and the spinach leaves

10. Place a piece of chicken on top of the cheese (again, you may have to cut the chicken in order to make it fit the shape of the bread)
    
    

    

    The chicken is next

11. If using grilled onions (and it makes it taste SO much better if you do!), spread them out and place on top of the chicken
    
    

    

    Then the grilled onions

12. If you made the wine reduction sauce, pour a tablespoon on the cut side of the top of the roll (over the spread you put on earlier)
13. Place the top piece of bread on the rest of the sandwich

    
    

    Sandwich oiled and ready to go in the pan

14. If you have a mister, spray the top and bottom of the sandwich with olive oil. If you don't have a mister, simply pour a bit on each side and spread it on with your hand. You don't want to skip this step - the oil is what will help give the panini the nice firm crunch that makes it so good
15. Preheat your pan (or press). You want to do this for at least five minutes to give it time to get good and hot. If you're going to be cooking them immediately upon making them, you may want to move this step up just a bit so it's preheated when you've finished the sandwich making step
16. Place the sandwich(s) in the preheated pan and put the weight on top. I typically press it down for at least a few seconds just to help flatten it a bit

    
    

    After being flipped once. The one in the front needs to be cooked a bit more.

17. Cook until the bread is starting to brown on the bottom. I like to have dark grill marks (closer to black), so if you do as well, adjust the cooking time accordingly. It's important not to have the heat too high; if you do, the bread will burn before the interior of the sandwich is hot enough to melt the cheese. I find that a medium heat seems to work well. It's better to err on the side of not quite hot enough - once the interior is hot you can always crank the heat up to brown the bottom of the panini
18. When the bottom is cooked the way you like it, remove your weight and flip the panini. Cook until the other side is once again turning brown. Done properly, the panini should be hard on top and bottom but soft just under the outer crust
    
    

    

    
    

19. Remove from the pan. If you are cooking several you may want to put them in the oven on warm while you cook the next batch.
    
    

    

    
    

20. Cut on a diagonal, serve and enjoy!

COOKS NOTE: You can do some of these steps ahead of time. I typically make a large batch of the sun-dried tomato pesto ahead of time so I have it whenever I need it. Likewise, you can sauté the chicken early as well so when you're ready to make your panini you simply have to assemble them using your premade pesto and chicken.