Saturday’s Basket – Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Aside from the sauce, you can purchase almost everything you need for this recipe from the market.  When I saw a tightly wrapped, pale green, beautiful head of butter lettuce at the Victory Farms stand, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  I also picked up a bunch of cilantro from them and grabbed some carrots from Fertile Crescent Farm.  I had chicken already, but I  could have easily picked up some free-range, hormone and antibiotic-free poultry from Empress Farm.  The second best thing about this recipe (aside from how delicious it is) is that you can use almost any mix of produce you like – go crazy!

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Prep time:  10 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

1 tbsp canola oil

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp lite rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 jalapeno or bird chili sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

6 white button mushroom caps, sliced

4 spring onions (whites and greens) diced on the diagonal

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 tin water chestnuts, diced

1 cup shredded cabbage

2 tbsp cilantro, rough chop (and more for garnish)

1/2 tbsp grated ginger

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 head butter leaf or bibb lettuce, core removed and leaves separated and washed

toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Sliced Chicken for Lettuce Wraps

Start by warming canola oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.  Season sliced chicken with salt & pepper and brown in skillet.  Once browned, transfer to plate and discard any remaining oil in pan.  Combine hoisin sauce, tamari, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil and transfer to skillet, reduce heat to medium low.  Add jalapeno, red bell pepper, mushrooms, half of the green onions and carrots to soften for about 4-5 minutes.  Once softened but still colorful, add cabbage, water chestnuts, cabbage, cilantro, garlic and chicken.  Turn to coat in sauce and continue to cook over medium low heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Farmer's market finds...

Line a serving dish with the lettuce leaves and transfer the spicy chicken mix to the middle of the plate.  Top with remaining spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and a garnish of cilantro…serve with Sriracha for an added kick!

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Saturday’s Basket is written by a Forest Hill resident and is a weekly review of South of the James Market purchases and the recipes she creates with her market finds. View these and more recipes at Pantry2Plate, a food blog with stories of cooking as best as she knows how.