Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups

November 20, 2012

Author: KatieChin

I decided to repost this yummy appetizer after realizing that many of you may not only be hosting Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving Eve for out of town relatives. I’m in the same boat with 30 of my in-laws descending in from all over the country starting tonight! This is a perfect starter as your guests can help themselves while milling around and catching up on cousin Kate’s recent marathon and niece Sarah’s last performance. Filled with sweet, bright, salty and spicy flavors from the fresh lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce and Thai chilies, this recipe is super easy and will win raves from your whole clan!

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar

2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)

1 fresh hot red or green pepper, preferably Thai, deseeded and finely sliced

Filling:

2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil

2 teaspoons minced galangal or fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1 fresh red or green chili, preferably Thai, finely sliced (deseeded if you prefer less heat)

1/2 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup canned chopped water chestnuts, drained

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)

1 tablespoon minced lemongrass

1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 large butter lettuce leaves

Instructions

Make the sauce: Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cool slightly. Mix ¼ cup of the syrup with the ginger, lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce and chili in a small bowl. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Discard remaining syrup.
Make the filling: Heat oil in a wok or skillet on medium-high heat. Add galangal, garlic and chili; stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground chicken and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add water chestnuts and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add cilantro, green onion, lemongrass, fish sauce, crushed red pepper and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dish out and transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve chicken mixture with lettuce leaves and ginger lime dipping sauce, allowing guests to form their own wraps.