Thursday, January 21, 2010

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps



I love to order lettuce wraps when I go to Chinese restaurants but I always question how healthy they really are. When you make them at home you control the fat and the flavor. I think these are better than any restaurant version that I've eaten and they are a lot more economical. Taste these and you'll want to make them every week!

The spicy, salty, citrus flavors are a perfect compliment to the cool, crisp lettuce leaves. Traditionally a bibb or butter lettuce is used but I prefer the crispier romaine lettuce for this dish. No fork necessary!

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
4 servings, 4 WW pts/serving
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
10 shitake mushrooms (about 3 ounces) - cut into slices
1 inch cube of ginger - minced
3 garlic cloves - minced
1 carrot - peeled and diced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 jalapeno - cut in half, seeds removed, then sliced
1/2 cup cilantro - finely chopped
5 green onions - sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp garlic-chili paste
2 tsp canola oil
1 lime - cut into 8 wedges
head of romaine lettuce - rinsed and dried

Prep all your vegetables and have ready before you start wokking. Cut your chicken into small pieces (1/4 - 1/3 inch).

In a cool wok, place 1 tsp canola oil and bring up to temp over high heat. Stir fry the chicken with the garlic-chili paste for about 5 minutes on high until the chicken is no longer pink.

Remove the chicken from the wok and place on a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tsp of canola oil in the wok. Add the carrots and 1 tbsp fish sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Bring the heat back up to high. Add the garlic, ginger, jalapenos, shitake mushrooms, green onions and oyster sauce. Stir fry for 3 more minutes.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp of bean sprouts, fish sauce, cilantro, and juice from 2 lime wedges.


With a spoon, scoop the mixture into whole romaine leaves. Serve with cilantro and lime wedges.

(**Note - when I provide the WW points, I have entered the recipe into Weight Watcher's Recipe Builder to determine points per serving.)

3 comments:

  1. This is my favourite...looks delicious! It's fun to eat :)

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  2. They are fun to eat. Just pretend the lettuce is a hot dog bun! :)

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  3. I'm going to give these a try. They look and sound delicious.

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