Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These crisp lettuce wraps are a great, light dinner option on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

2lbs Chicken Breasts
1 Tbl Sesame Oil
1 Tbl Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Garlic, chopped
1 tsp Ginger, chopped
1lb Mushrooms (I prefer Criminis, but any fresh mushroom will work)
2 cans Water Chestnuts
1 Blt Maggi Gins Stir Fry Sauce (see "Chinese Please" Blog for where to find this AWESOME sauce)
1/2 pkg  Bean Thread Noodles (find in the Asian isle)
3ea Scallions, chopped
1 Head Iceberg Lettuce

Start by cleaning chicken and cutting into long strips. 

 

Grind using meat grinder (see "What in Your Ground Beef" blog for tips on grinding meat.  Note: I do not add any pork fat to this ground chicken recipe).  If you do not have a meat grinder you can pulse in your food processor or just buy high quality, fresh ground chicken.

Next, wash mushrooms, pat dry and pulse in food processor until finely chopped.  Set aside.

Pulse water chestnuts in food processor until roughly chopped (careful not to over chop and make a paste)
 
In a large saute pan or wok, gently heat sesame oil and vegetable oil.  Add garlic and ginger, cook 30 seconds or so, add chicken.  Continue cooking until chicken starts to brown.   (Chicken will loose a lot of water at first, keep cooking until it starts to look dry and starts to brown). 

Drop 2 bundles of noodles into boiling (unsalted) water.

Add chopped mushrooms.  Cook for about 5 more minutes (or until mixture looks dry again).

Add chopped water chestnuts, sauce, scallions and 1 cup water.  Turn down heat to medium.

By now your noodles should be done cooking (they should be COMPLETELY clear, no white!)  Drain and using a clean pair of scissors, snip a few times just to make strands a little shorter.

Add noodles to chicken mixture.  Cook over low heat until the noodles have absorbed most of the sauce.  Check seasoning.  Add soy sauce if needed.

Serve with crisp iceberg lettuce.  Simply eat the same way you would with a taco.