What food do you crave most on Sundays as you deal with the emotional blow of the weekend being over? Is it pizza? Big bowls of saucy noodles? Or maybe a simple kale salad? Are you a detoxer or a retoxer? Do you try to recover from all the damage you did Friday and Saturday with something clean and healthy? Or are you one of those people that is so good Monday through Saturday, that Sunday is when you really let loose?
Sundays for me can go either way. I will either wake up excited that I have the whole day to cook and come up with something amazing and extravagant or….I just won’t. And that is what copious amounts of Chinese or Thai delivery and movie marathons are for. Which brings us to this recipe. Where does it fall on the spectrum? This meal is perfect for Sunday nights when you are craving Chinese food, but don’t want to feel the remorse afterwards. You know that “OMG DID I REALLY EAT 10 POTSTICKERS?!?!” feeling. That is what we’re trying to avoid here!
It is amazingly flavorful, fresh, and perfectly filling. The shiitake mushrooms give it delicious umami and the simple sauce will have you licking your plate once all the wraps are gone (this sauce licking statement isn’t an exaggeration here people. Kevin actually raised the plate to his face in an attempt to angle any drippings into his mouth).
If you’ve made my recipe for Mongolian Beef, you will notice I use many of the same Chinese cooking techniques on this dish. You’re going to prepare the chicken using one of the secrets to Chinese cooking that makes it taste incredibly authentic: corn starch. If you don’t use corn starch, the Chinese food you make will never have the texture that you get with truly Chinese, Chinese food. The cooking technique involving coating protein with corn starch is called “velveting.” Velveting provides a coating that tenderizes, helps with sauce adhesion, gets crispy on the outside when exposed to high heat, and also serves as barrier between the meat and the heat to help lock in moisture. It also helps to thicken the sauce that you will eventually be tossing it with.
Besides the chicken, this recipe is loaded with veggies that give it texture, flavor, and are amazing sauce absorbers. If you’re looking to incorporate more veggies, just keep adding them in! Shredded Carrots, chopped water chestnuts, baby corn, and edamame would all be amazing in this. Try to remember to keep all the veggies and protein roughly around the same size. This will ensure that they cook evenly and makes for better little mouthfuls when you’re working with a lettuce wrap.
And that’s a wrap. Lettuce get started.
Step 1: Confessions of a chopaholic. Get chopping. Chop your chicken thighs into small 1-1/2 inch bite-sized pieces. Slice your zucchini in half and then in half again and slice down its length. De-stem and chop those shiitakes. If you’re incorporating any other veggies you love, just remember to keep them roughly the same size as your other chopped pieces. Once you’re veggies are chopped and ready prepare your lettuce cups. You will need 5-6 decent lettuce cups to hold all the chicken you are making.
Step 2: Velveting. It’s time to velvet your chicken. Combine your chopped chicken with cornstarch, salt, and black pepper and allow it to sit while your make your sauce.
Step 3: Get Saucy. Let’s make your sauce. Combine Heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce & water. Add the brown sugar and let it dissolve in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to cook for 3 minutes. Remove sauce from the heat.
Step 4: Wok It Out. It’s time to fry like you mean it. Heat vegetable oil in your wok over high heat. Add your chicken in an even layer so all of the pieces are exposed to the heat. Allow your chicken to cook in this position for a 2-3 minutes to allow your chicken to get some color. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides.
Step 5: Veggin’ out. Once your chicken is brown on all sides, add your zucchini and mushrooms. Stir around with the chicken for 3 minutes. Add your sauce and cook over high for 3 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Add your bean sprouts and cashews and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 6: Lettuce eat. Fill your lettuce cups with the chicken mixture. Top with chopped green onion.
Cashew On The Flip Side {cashew chicken lettuce wraps}
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1⁄2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1⁄2 cup water
For the lettuce wraps
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 1 medium sized zucchini chopped into small pieces
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 4 oz shiitake mushrooms chopped into small pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 medium sized boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 green onion chopped from top to bottom
- 1/2 cup dry-roasted cashews, unsalted
Instructions
- Chop your chicken thighs into small 1-1/2 inch bite-sized pieces. Slice your zucchini in half and then in half again and slice down its length. De-stem and chop those shiitakes. If you're incorporating any other veggies you love, just remember to keep them roughly the same size as your other chopped pieces.
- Once you're veggies are chopped and ready prepare your lettuce cups. You will need 5-6 decent lettuce cups to hold all the chicken you are making.
- Combine your chopped chicken with cornstarch, salt, and black pepper and allow it to sit while your make your sauce.
- Combine Heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce & water. Add the brown sugar and let it dissolve in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to cook for 3 minutes. Remove sauce from the heat.
- Heat vegetable oil in your wok over high heat. Add your chicken in an even layer so all of the pieces are exposed to the heat. Allow your chicken to cook in this position for a 2-3 minutes to allow your chicken to get some color. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides.
- Once your chicken is brown on all sides, add your zucchini and mushrooms. Stir around with the chicken for 3 minutes. Add your sauce and cook over high for 3 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Add your bean sprouts and cashews and cook for 1 more minute.
- Fill your lettuce cups with the chicken mixture. Top with chopped green onion.
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