A Perfect Package

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce, like corn tortillas, is the perfect GF vessel for all types of food. Tortillas work when warmed and softened, while lettuce offers a cold, refreshing crunch to a meal. I’ve used both before in this blog: corn tortillas as a crust for quiche and lettuce as a “bun” for cheeseburgers. This recipe shows another ideal use for lettuce as a wrap: warm and spicy filling pairs perfectly with cool, crispy iceberg in these Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

The shame about Chinese food is it tends to include just a few ingredients that are off-limits to glutenholics. But because those particular components (such as soy sauce) are in virtually every dish, Chinese food becomes a rare luxury for us. But there’s a bright side. If you buy GF versions of those few ingredients (try San-J GF soy sauce), the cuisine is already pretty glutenholic friendly. Corn starch is actually called for as a thickener in many authentic recipes, and rice flour is commonly used as a coating for deep frying. Unfortunately, you never really know what they’re using in Chinese restaurants and whether there’s any cross-contamination behind those swinging kitchen doors.

I’ve talked about the GF menu at P.F. Chang’s before. Let me emphasize that I don’t just love that place because it offers gluten free Chinese food (which by itself is incredible), but because that food is delicious. One of my favorite dishes on the menu is the chicken lettuce wraps: finely diced chicken cooked with water chestnuts, mushrooms and a super flavorful sauce, served with crunchy iceberg lettuce for wrapping. As we don’t all have a neighborhood P.F. Chang’s around the corner, here’s my version:

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

For 2 servings:

1 T. vegetable oil

1 T. grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 green onion, minced

4 medium crimini mushrooms, diced

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast or 4 to 6 tenders, cut into small chunks

1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

¼ C. sherry wine

1/3 C. GF barbecue sauce (see Jan. 25 blog)

2 T. rice vinegar

¼ C. GF soy sauce (like San-J)

1 T. fish sauce (like Thai Kitchen)

½ to 1 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce

1 tsp. chili oil

½ head iceberg lettuce, washed and separated into whole leaves

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat and quickly sauté the ginger, garlic, shallot, green onion and mushrooms. Once they begin to soften (after about a minute), add the chicken, tossing and stirring regularly until cooked through (another 2 to 3 minutes). Stir in the water chestnuts and sherry, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Add the remaining ingredients (sriracha to taste depending on your heat/spice tolerance)and cook for another few minutes until heated and slightly thickened. Serve wrapped in whole leaves of iceberg lettuce. Garnish with additional diced green onion, if desired.

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