There's something about sharing finger food like these Chicken Lettuce Wraps with friends and family. I don't know exactly what it is - maybe it's the closer interaction over a communal bowl that brings people closer and the atmosphere a little more intimate. Whatever the particular chemistry is, I like it and I make these kind of sharing platters on a regular basis, sometimes just for the family but always when I have friends over for a get together.
This recipe - Chicken Lettuce Wraps - is heavily influenced with Asian flavours, so I've called it a "Chinese style" recipe but there are lots of flavour variations wherever you encounter it - I've eaten Chicken Lettuce Wraps like these in China, Thailand and Malaysia and each time I've eaten them, the flavour has been a little different but always delicious!
My recipe combines Japanese soy sauce, Chinese Shaoxing wine and oyster sauce as the three main flavourings. If you don't have any Shaoxing wine, then you could try an equal amount of dry sherry or, at a pinch, mirin. If you don't wan't to include alcohol in the dish, then try a little sweetened water instead but the taste will be a little less rich. I use gem lettuce leaves as the wraps for this dish. I find you get more "just the right size" leaves from a gem lettuce but by all means use the leaves of a cos lettuce and the dish will work just as well.
Preparation for this dish takes less than 30 minutes. If you can do so, prep the chicken and mix it into its marinade a few hours in advance for the richest flavours but if you can't do this, marinade for at least 15 minutes. Those considerations apart, Chicken Lettuce Wraps is quite a simple dish to prepare. A little cutting, a little stir frying and you're done, basically.
So if you would like to try out my Chicken Lettuce Wraps, you can find the recipe just below of click Chicken Lettuce Wraps for the Youtube tutorial or scroll to the bottom of the page.
Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.
ingredients
(makes enough for 8 -10 wraps)
1 spring onion
1 bell pepper (red makes for the most decorative effect)
1 clove of garlic
1 cm thick piece of ginger, peeled
2 boneless chicken thighs (350g / 12 oz in weight)
1 tsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp potato flour
for the stir fry sauce;
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
8-10 gem lettuce leaves, rinsed*
*you can use other leaves but I find gem lettuce leaves are the perfect shape and form for this finger food
how to:
finely slice the spring onion
halve, deseed & slice the bell pepper.
mince the garlic and ginger.
cut the chicken thighs into thin slices
put the chicken in a bowl. add the chinese Shaoxing wine, soy sauce & potato flour. mix together well, then marinade for at least 15 minutes.
put the sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil & oyster sauce in a bowl. mix together well and set aside
heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan. add the marinated chicken slices, the garlic & the ginger. stir fry for 2-3 minutes
add the sliced bell pepper and stir fry for another minute
add the sauce mixture to the frying pan. continue stir frying for 1 - 2 minutes
lastly add the spring onion. stir fry for another 30 seconds
transfer the to a serving plate. serve with the gem lettuce leaves on a separate plate. use a dessert spoon to spoon the chicken and sauce onto a leaf for a great finger food