Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

It was just me and Nick on the Fourth of July this year so our meal was pretty simple. Between Nick’s picky 16-year-old palette and my (mostly) restricted eating habits, most of our meals are pretty simple.

I had planned on making Teriyaki Drummettes because Nick likes to eat a pile of them. I actually think it’s because he likes to see the pile of bones on the plate when he’s finished. Must be a manly man kind of thing.  But when I got to the grocery store the family pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs were on sale so I went with those instead.

We had the Teriyaki chicken, fresh corn on the cob from a local corner vendor, roasted asparagus and fruit salad. Yum. Yum. Yum! Seriously one of my favorite meals in the world. And, judging by my scale the next morning, I enjoyed it a little too much! But that’s OK. I enjoyed it and then got right back on track the next day so all is good.

Because I ended up with the family pack of chicken I had quite a bit of leftovers that I needed to use so I decided to make lettuce wraps. I simply cut up the leftover chicken and some veggies and quickly stir fried everything before serving with lettuce leaves. I have also used the leftover Teriyaki to make a pretty salad. Just heat the chicken and then slice. Layer the slices on top of a bed of baby greens or baby spinach leaves, add some vegetables and drizzle with your favorite Asian dressing.

OK – here’s what I did with my leftover Teriyaki Chicken. Keep in mind that I used the ingredients that I had in my fridge. Mix it up any way that you like. Use your favorite veggies… not mine!

Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

• Leftover Chicken, chopped
• 1/2 Red Pepper, chopped
• Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped
• Handfull of Bean Sprouts
• 1 can sliced Waterchestnuts, chopped
• 2 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• Couple of Dashes Ground Ginger
• 1/4 -1/3 cup Teriyaki Sauce * (see note below)
• Boston Bib or Red Leaf Lettuce

I prepped all of my ingredients and had them arranged on my cutting board so that everything was ready to throw in my pan. You want to cook this at a high temperature, very quickly so it doesn’t get mushy. I like it crunchy!

Heat the oils over medium-high head in a skillet or wok. Quickly add the chicken, veggies, garlic and ginger to the pan and stir fry for about four minutes or until veggies are crisp-tender and everything is heated through.

Stir in the teriyaki sauce and then remove from heat.

Spoon filling into lettuce leaves and serve. (You can garnish with toasted or black sesame seeds but I didn’t have any in the house.)

Note about Teriyaki Sauce: You can use your favorite purchased or home made teriyaki sauce. I make another batch of the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Combine one teaspoon cornstarch with one tablespoon cold water and then add to simmering sauce. Continue to simmer for a minute or two until the consistency of a glaze. If you like your sauce thicker, simply use more cornstarch.

I wish I had some carrots in my fridge because the orange would have been a nice color addition. Again, just use what you have. This mixture is also really good over brown rice. Just cut your chicken and veggies into larger chunks or strips. This can be a very healthy entree, depending on how much sugar there is in your teriyaki sauce. In my homemade version you can substitute the white sugar with honey or agave (just use less than the amount of sugar you would use as agave is much sweeter).

Nick came out of the “man cave” while I was making this last night. He decided that he might try it. Really? But the more he analyzed what was in the wok, the less enthusiastic he was about a taste test. He decided that he might try a piece of chicken rolled in a lettuce leaf. Well… at least it’s a start so I was happy. I wrapped a slice of chicken in a leaf of lettuce and presented it to him. He did eat it (score for mom) but declared that it was better without the lettuce. Uh… Nick… that’s what you had for dinner last night. Just the chicken.

Oh well. I had a brief glimmer of the possibilities. One day my boy may actually eat something… anything… that actually touches another food item.

Sweetest Blessings,
LeAnn