Day 49.
The first time I had lettuce wraps was in Tempe, Arizona at a PF Changs. I had heard about them from friends who raved that they were the "best thing ever"--I was not disappointed. I had to ask for more napkins though, these puppies are pretty messy.
So very worth it.
I am a fan of PF Changs, because of their elaborate gluten-free menu. Even their lettuce wraps are made gluten-free, with a specially prepared GF sauce. The fact that this restaurant chain goes out of their way to label their food and are aware of dietary restrictions warms my heart. The only drawback of PF Chang's awesomeness is how crowded it can become.
Stay home instead and gobble up these lettuce wraps in the comfort of your own home---with a roll of paper towels by your side.
The Ingredients:
--4 chicken breast halves or 10-12 chicken breast tenders
--5 chopped cloves of garlic
--1/2 chopped onion
--1/4 cup soy sauce (if gluten free, go for La Choy or Tamari wheat free)
--1/4 cup white wine
--1/2 t ginger
--dash of allspice (or a dash each of cloves, cinnamon and black pepper)
--2 T balsamic vinegar
The Directions:
--chop up chicken into teeny tiny chunks. After I compiled my concoction, I googled how to "really" make this and discovered that most recipes call for ground chicken, turkey, or pork. That probably would have been easier. And I wouldn't have had to sterilize myself quite as much afterwards.
the things I do for you all.
--chop up the onions and garlic, dump into crockpot on top of the meat
--in a mixing bowl, mix the liquid and spices
(on a side note, check out my super-cool spice cabinet Adam made yesterday out of the ironing-board cabinet) it's not alphabetized. yet.
--pour sauce on top of meat
cover and cook for 4-6 hours on high, 6-8 on low. I did stir this a few times to break up the chicken--it wanted to stick together at first.
--serve over lettuce leaves. I chose Romaine, because Trader Joe's sells them already separated and it makes me happy.
--If you are not gluten free, top with a bottled plum sauce. If you are, try mixing a bit of GF soy suace with some grape jelly.
The Verdict:
These tasted great. I would have liked a bit more crunch, though, and will add some water chestnuts and green onion next time.
We had company over and everyone enjoyed them. The kids were too busy running around like crazy people to stop and give them a try.
:.