THOSE ONO-CHICKEN-LETTUCE-WRAPS!

A couple night ago I decided to try something that's been on my "Recipes to Try Soon" Pinterest board for quite awhile; chicken lettuce wraps (along the line of P.F. Changs')!  If I had remembered that sage advice from my mom, to always read a recipe first, I would have realized that I needed to buy some cellophane noodles, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots!  But, part way through the recipe, I wasn't going to let that stop me! I'm sure the noodles, etc., would have added to the outcome, but they were so good anyway, that I'll just share my easier/cheaper version with you. This is originally from foodnetwork.com, I just made a few other minor changes. (Maybe I should have called these "Oh-no!" chicken lettuce wraps, since I was missing 3 ingredients!)

THOSE ONO-CHICKEN-LETTUCE-WRAPS KNOCK-OFF RECIPE

(Original recipe was from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (or white grape juice)
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

For the Stir-Fry Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (or white grape juice)
• 2 tsp. chili paste (adjust for heat)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the Stir-Fry:

• 4 tablespoons peanut oil (I used grape seed oil)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
• 4 scallions; 2 minced, 2 cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, cut in smaller pieces

• Lettuce leaves, I think butter lettuce is best for wraps

• Directions

Prepare the chicken: Whisk the egg white, cornstarch and rice wine in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Make the stir-fry sauce: Whisk 1/3 cup water, the oyster, hoisin and soy sauces, the rice wine, chili paste and sesame oil in a bowl, then whisk in the cornstarch until dissolved. Set aside.

Make the stir-fry: Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the skillet; when almost smoking, stir in the garlic, ginger, and minced scallions, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the water chestnuts and scallion pieces and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the stir-fry sauce and chicken and cook 1 minute.

Serve with lettuce leaves to wrap.  The chicken filling would also be wonderful over rice, instead of in wraps!