Today I’ve got a really simple, delicious recipe for you! I actually found it on Pinterest at some point last year and have made it a few times since, but decided to re-create it last night for Chris and I for dinner. It is also pretty quick to make, making it especially convenient for last night because by the time we got home from the gym after work, we were both starving (which is a dramatic word, but that’s how it felt).
I would not go as far as to compare these to the lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang’s, which I think are incomparable and wonderful, but they are pretty darn good. I made a couple of minor changes to better suit my own taste buds, so this is slightly different from the original recipe. I also must say that I despise mushrooms, but I love them in this recipe? I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that they are chopped up so tiny, that they are mixed with a delicious, spicy sauce, or what. But I’m not mad about it, because I really do want to like them.
Anyway, the prep for this is super simple. I chopped up one cup of mushrooms pretty tiny, 4 cloves of garlic (originally the recipe said 2 but I say 4 because I love garlic), and 6 basil leaves (unsure where the recipe writer came up with 6 leaves, but it works so I’ll take it). I also whisked together the sauce, which is comprised of a bunch of yummy things that I’ll outline below in the recipe. This is all best done with a glass of cabernet 😉
After that, you sauté the mushrooms, put them aside, cook the ground chicken, drain the fat and set it aside, cook the garlic a little, and add the chicken, mushrooms, and chopped basil in and stir it all up. Then you add in your sauce, stir it a bunch, and that’s it!
You also have to rip off and wash a bunch of leaves off of a head of romaine and chop up some green onions if you like them for on top. I love green onions so we used a bunch. And yes, we usually eat at the living room coffee table sitting on the floor, because we are bad adults and don’t like to sit at the kitchen table and “talk about our days” while we are eating. That’s one of the beautiful things about being an adult – no one to tell you that you can’t eat on the couch while you watch Netflix. In fact in my experience, it is even encouraged.
Then all you have left to do is grab a leaf, put some chicken mixture in there, top with a few onions, and you’re ready to eat! I’m really not just saying it, but I actually love this meal with a glass of cabernet. The dish is pretty spicy and salty, and the dark, red wine somehow balances it out and makes it taste even better (at least for me).
And here is the recipe I used if you want to make it for yourself:
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Serves: 2-3, depending on how hungry you are
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 cup chopped mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, chopped
6 basil leaves, chopped
1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp. sriracha
2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
A bunch of romaine leaves
Some green onions, chopped
Steps:
Sauté the mushrooms for 5 minutes in a little bit of oil (they recommend sesame oil, but I just used olive oil because it was what I had)
Remove the mushrooms and cook the chicken in a little more oil
Remove the chicken and drain it to get rid of the fat
Cook the garlic a little bit and then add back in the mushrooms, chicken, and basil
While you are doing all this, you can be mixing together your sauce with the 7 ingredients listed above
Stir the sauce into the rest of the food
Serve on the romaine leaves and top with some green onions
So easy and so good! This was a wonderful Tuesday night meal that was simple, delicious, and filling, but didn’t leave us feeling grossly full or that we had ruined our workout we just had.
I also always forget it until I get back into a groove, but I love to cook. This recent obsession could certainly be due to the fact that I have been way into Chef’s Table on Netflix lately, but I like cooking for many more reasons than that. I love to be able to cook for people and take care of them and make sure they are getting healthy, yummy food. I love how methodic and relaxing it is for me – nothing better than having all the time in the world to cook something fantastic while drinking a glass (or two) of wine and listening to your favorite music. I love the creative aspect of it – coming up with whatever I am in the mood for that day. Although this one really stresses Chris out because in his words, “a recipe is meant to be followed.” But I think a recipe is meant to be played around with and adapted if you aren’t just obsessed with it. I do like following certain recipes, but I also love coming up with my own thing.
Something else I really love is when a recipe has a story behind it. When you can eat something and be taken back to the last time you had it, where you were, and who you were with. I mean, don’t we all have something we used to eat as a child that every time we think of it we think of our parents making it for us, probably forcing us to sit at the table and “socialize” longer than we wanted to? But what great memories those are now.
Recently I found a cute recipe box on Amazon and ordered it and am really working towards filling it up. Sure, Pinterest is great, but there is something to be said for holding a physical cookbook or using a recipe you (or someone you love) wrote with your own hands. Usually I think my favorite recipes are ones that are passed on to me by a family member or a close friend. And then every time I make it I think of them. Cooking really is a social thing that pleases whomever you do it for – a really legitimate hobby in my opinion!
Do you like to cook? Are you big on following recipes or making things up as you go?
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