By: Victoria Nguyen | July 21 2011
Posted in Recipes - SF Bay Area Recipes

Minced Chicken Lettuce Wraps - the perfect summer appetizer or light meal! Photo by: Victoria Nguyen.

Warm summer weather calls for light meals with subtle flavors and fresh ingredients. And the following recipe, minced chicken served in lettuce wraps, is just the perfect way to fill your empty tummy. This Asian-inspired dish, popularized to the masses through P.F. Chang’s chain restaurants, is a sophisticated looking dish that encourages a bit of play, too (who doesn’t like to eat with their hands?). Its delicate flavors make it a sure crowd pleaser and a great option for a party appetizer: minced chicken and vegetables are glazed with a bit of sweet Hoisin sauce, while chestnuts, toasted pine nuts, and iceberg lettuce give it a nice, crisp crunch.

Minced Chicken in Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
2 medium skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chilled
Half a small head of iceberg lettuce leaves, washed and separated
½ cup of canned water chestnuts, drained and chopped fine
1 ½ cups chopped cremini mushrooms
Half a medium white onion, chopped fine
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
4 tablespoons flour
½ cup toasted pine nuts
vegetable oil
salt, optional (to taste)

Directions
Pulse chicken in a food processor until finely chopped. In a small bowl, mix flour and Hoisin sauce with chicken mixture until everything is lightly coated. Set aside.

Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, making sure to shake them around so they do not burn. Pine nuts are ready when light browned. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large pan over moderately high heat, pour enough vegetable oil to coat the surface. Once oil is hot, but not steaming, all onion and celery. Cook until translucent, about four minutes. Stir in chicken and cook through until meat is no longer pink, about six minutes. Mix in chestnuts and mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms are soft, about three minutes. Add additional Hoisin sauce or salt to taste. Lastly, incorporate toasted pine nuts into mixture. Mix well.

To serve, place the minced chicken mixture in a bowl and arrange the lettuce leaves on a separate plate. Chicken mixture can be prepared ahead of time and heated up once guests arrive. Serves up to eight as appetizer.

Pro-tip: Ground turkey, chicken, pork, and left-over cooked chicken work well with this recipe, also. Try mixing with a side of white or brown rice, or even wrap with rice paper (a la spring rolls!).

< Prev		Next >