Okay, so maybe this isn’t the best thing to make for say, the first few dates with your new flame… but man, these are good. Crunchy, spicy, saucy and just a tad bit messy. At least it was for me! Somehow my sous chef managed to have a perfectly clean plate and hands. And here I am with sauce on my fingers, sauce on my face and sauce on my plate. Perhaps that’s attributable to the inappropriate amount of sauce I have the tendency to always use.
Regardless, these are amazing. And so so so easy. Just takes a little slicing and dicing! And did I mention they’re healthy, too (depending on your sauce preferences…)? Enough babble, let’s get started.
Asian Chicken Lettuce Boats with Thai Peanut Sauce:
- Two chicken breasts, diced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sweet chili glaze
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Your favorite thai peanut sauce (store bought = weeknight dinner friendly).
- Baby carrot sticks
- 1/4 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- Red pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 basil, sliced
- 1/4 green onions, chopped
- Hearts of romaine lettuce
First, we are going to create the marinade for the chicken. So, mince the garlic and ginger.
Combine the soy sauce, sweet chili glaze, hoisin sauce, dijon mustard, black pepper, garlic and ginger in a large ziploc bag. Now, this may seem like a mess of ingredients but I forewarn you: this marinade = amazing. This sauce is so good my sous chef thinks I should trademark it, so this will just be our little secret.
Let marinate for a few hours – I did it for about a half a day.
Alright, when showtime comes around we are going to have some slicing to do.
First, cut the red pepper into thin matchstick-like slices. Then, core the cucumber (we used an English cucumber because it’s seedless and who wants a gooey mess!) and create matchsticks using the skin part of the vegetable. The skin helps keep the crunchiness!
Add your carrots to the mixture (it looks like cheddar cheese, yes, but I promise they’re carrots). Next, chiffonade the basil and slice your green onions.
Slice the bottom off of the heart of romaine to create individual lettuce boats.
Alright, in large skillet over medium-high heat add your diced chicken – marinade included (we wouldn’t want to miss any opportunity to incorporate sauce, right?).
Let cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Transfer to a bowl. Now, we are all set to construct beautiful chicken lettuce boats.
I started by placing the crunchies at the bottom (carrot, cucumber & pepper). Then, I added the chicken and topped with sauce. Finally, garnish (I over-garnished because I am obsessed with basil.. and green onions..) with the basil and green onions and voila! A gorgeous, delicious lettuce boat.
As my sous chef says, we are missing the whiskey, india, november, echo (i.e. the wine, of course!). I would pick a great pinot noir for this bad boy. Our choice? The 2006 Fleur Pinot Noir, Carneros: Notes of cherry and oak with a peppery and char-like finish make this wine a perfect complement to the zest and spice of these lettuce boats.
Cheers!
