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Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh shitake mushrooms (about 4 handfuls)

  • 1 1/3-1 1/2 pounds thin-cut chicken breasts or chicken tenders

  • 2 tablespoons light-colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil

  • Coarse salt and coarse black pepper

  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 1-inch piece of ginger root, finely chopped or grated (optional)

  • Zest of 1 orange

  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced small

  • 1 small tin sliced water chestnuts (6-8 ounces), drained and chopped

  • 3 scallions, chopped

  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce), available on Asian foods aisle of market

  • 1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered

  • 1 navel orange, cut into wedges, for platter garnish

Directions

Remove the tough stems from the mushrooms and brush them with damp towel to clean. Slice the mushrooms. Chop the chicken into small pieces. Pre-heat a large skillet or wok to high. Add the oil to the hot pan. Add the chicken to the pan and sear the meat by stir frying for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two. Add the salt and pepper to season, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute more. Zest the orange into the pan, then add the bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook for another minute, continuing to stir fry the mixture. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the chopped barbecued chicken to a serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce alongside. Add the wedged oranges to the platter to garnish. To eat, pile spoonfuls of the chicken mixture into the lettuce leaves, wrapping the lettuce around the filling and squeezing an orange wedge over it.