Lettuce Cups with Sesame-Soy Chicken
Lettuce cups are one of those things that look like special-occasion treats, but in reality, they’re one of the simplest recipes to whip up in the kitchen. Most of the work here—and the mess—is at home, and store-bought sauces for dipping and drizzling are worthy shortcuts when the filling itself is so good. Serve these lettuce cups at camp as an appetizer, a salad, or the main event, and let friends and family assemble the wraps themselves.
Makes 4 Servings
Lettuce Cups With Sesame-Soy Chicken
- 1 pound (450 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 scallions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, plus more for serving (see Note)
- 1 large head butter lettuce (about 3/4 pound/340 g)
- 1 cup (142 g) dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
- Sweet chili sauce (see Note)
- Sriracha
Note: Hoisin sauce and sweet chili sauce can be found near other Asian condiments in most well-stocked supermarkets.
Prepare At Home
Cut the chicken into 2-inch (5-cm) chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the chicken is ground into a fine texture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Alternatively, you can mince the chicken by hand or buy dark meat ground chicken from the butcher.)
Place the ground chicken in a large bowl. Add the scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger and toss to coat thoroughly. =ransfer the chicken and marinade to a resealable plastic bag, squeeze out the excess air, and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Prepare In Camp
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and swirl in the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and hoisin sauce and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Separate the lettuce into individual leaves. Spoon equal amounts of chicken onto the lettuce and sprinkle with the peanuts. Serve with hoisin sauce, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha on the table for dipping or drizzling.
(Next page: Grilled Watermelon)
