Chicken Lettuce Cups

Chicken Lettuce Cups

February 3rd marked the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese calendar. While most of the foods eaten during this holiday are probably too unhealthy - or perhaps even unappealing for some - to share, this recipe, adapted from Martin Yan's Quick and Easy, is an easy, healthy dish that everyone in your family will enjoy! Lettuce is actually considered a lucky food that is eaten during the Chinese New Year, as the Chinese word for lettuce, ("sheng cai" in Mandarin) sounds a lot like the words for "creating/growing wealth".

You should be able to find most of the ingredients in the ethnic aisle of the supermarket, or at one of the many Asian grocers in town. We kept the original iceberg lettuce for its satisfying crunch, but for more nutrition, choose a darker leafed lettuce, like Romaine or Boston. To make perfect lettuce "cups", halve and core a head of iceberg lettuce, then slowly peel back the layers. 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 2 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
  • ? lb (227 g) ground chicken or turkey
  • 1? tsp (7 mL) cornstarch
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
  • ? cup (60 mL) hoisin sauce
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1? tsp (7 mL) chili garlic sauce
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) ginger, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ? red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • ? cup water chestnuts, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cilantro, chopped
  • 8 iceberg lettuce cups

Method

  1. If using dried mushrooms, soak the mushrooms in a small bowl filled with warm water to cover until softened, about 15-30 minutes, then drain. Discard the stems and coarsely chop the caps. Set aside.In a bowl, combine the chicken, cornstarch and wine and mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes.

  2. While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce by combining hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.

  3. Place a stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken mixture and stir-fry until crumbly and no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, water chestnuts and mushrooms and stir-fry until the bell pepper is soft, 1-2 minutes.

  4. Stir in the cilantro. To serve, arrange the lettuce cups on a plate and set alongside the sauce and the chicken mixture. Spoon some of the chicken mixture into the lettuce cup (don't be greedy!), add a drizzle of sauce, then fold the lettuce around the filling and eat! 

Nutrition Information (per 2 lettuce cups with sauce)

192 calories, 9 g fat (2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fats), 49 mg cholesterol, 15 g carbohydrate (6 g sugar, 2 g fibre), 11 g protein, 400 mg sodium.


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