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!