Today, you get this dish everywhere, not only in Chinese restaurants but in western restaurants as well. And it’s obvious why. It’s exciting and delicious. The different ingredients–chicken, peas, onion, mushroom, water chestnut–give this a rich assortment of flavors and textures. Each ingredient is patiently cut into tiny cubes (at least it’s meant to be) so that the savory sauce is coated on all the little pieces.
The recipe looks complex but basically it is just stir-fried chicken with mixed vegetables. Then it is presented over deep-fried vermicelli to add glamor. The lettuce wrap makes is fun and encases all the ingredients in a crisp leaf. Offering a homemade sauce adds more interest to the dish.
As painstaking as it sounds, it is very easy to make and involves just a little bit of work. Complicated cooking is just sometimes a combination of different cooking processes. In this case, it’s assembling a stir fry on a deep fry. All the other components to the dish is just trimmings. Piece of cake. Even the sauce is simple to make, I kid you not.
I love to serve this as a starter. It’s elegant, announcing to your guests that they are in for a surprise. And it’s a great hands-on, community dish. Diners will enjoy putting this together at the table—trickling Hoisin Sweet Sauce on lettuce leaves, adding the chicken and wrapping it up.
Some time ago I read that studies have shown that food tastes better when the person who eats it performs in a ritual involving the food before partaking. Like with birthday cakes and singing. No wonder making your own tacos or Vietnamese summer rolls with friends always taste better. I think wrapping diced chicken at the table with friends is one of those social foods.
When I first came to the US in the 1970s, no one had heard of Chicken in Lettuce Wrap. I had, of course, eaten this as a child. But I learned it from Taiwanese food master Fu Pei Mei and it has been one of my favorite dishes to cook for friends.
Traditionally, this dish was made with minced pigeon. (I guess chicken breast is not small enough.) Pigeon is leaner and just a little gamier in taste. (Think organic chicken that has been working out.) And originally, this dish includes chicken liver.
Yes, liver. But all I have to do is mention liver to my husband and he’ll be balking already. So, although I love chicken liver (yum, fried with onion) I rarely deal with that offal, which is rich in iron and has a beautifully robust texture and flavor. It gives complexity to this dish but alas, I have to leave it out. Just as well, it’s not easy to get a few ounces of any kind of liver in our supermarkets here. In Asia, a butcher will sell liver in small or big portions.
I adapted this from a recipe I learned from Fu Pei Mei’s Minced Pigeon in Lettuce Wrap. I used to trim iceberg lettuce into cute little round bowl shapes. But the last time I served it I used heart of romaine and served them just as is, in its long, boat-shape freshness. No wastage and a great time saver. I recently had lettuce wrap in another restaurant and they used butter lettuce. It’s not as crispy.
Some preparation hInts
How to cut the chicken into cubes: When I learned this recipe, we were told to cut the chicken and all other ingredients to about the same size as a pea. So try to cut it the size of a pea. We’re aiming for petite cubes, not Thor-sized, x-tra large, marble sized cubes. This can be a challenge for most of my friends here.
In this dish one generous, thick slab of chicken is enough. More chicken is not necessarily a better thing. Let’s go for delicate here. No more than 12 ounces.
If the chicken breast is chilled, it’s easier to handle and dice. Cut breast crosswise first. Then pile the slices on top of each other and slice it into strips. Turn it ninety degrees and cut into cubes. It won’t take you long; it’s only one chicken breast. Because it’s small, I marinate it only for 10-15 minutes.
Chicken in Lettuce Wrap
Serves 8-10
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
20 leaves of romaine or iceberg lettuce
¾ cup chopped onion
4 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked for 30 minutes till softened and drained and stems trimmed
½ cup diced water chestnut
¾ cup peas
12 ounces (350 grams) chicken breast
3 ounces (100 grams) dried rice vermicelli
3 cups oil
Marinade for chicken
½ tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk (optional)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Seasoning sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Accompanying sauce
Hoisin Sweet Sauce. For recipe, click here.
Prepare lettuce ahead of time. Rinse and drain well. To keep it crisp and fresh, wrap lettuce securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until use.
Dice onion, mushroom and water chestnut to about the size of a pea. Place ingredients in separate piles on a work platter. If using frozen peas, thaw and drain well.
Dice chicken also about the same size as other ingredients. In a bowl, marinate chicken in soy sauce, sugar, salt, egg yolk and cornstarch.
Blend seasoning sauce of soy sauce, stock, cornstarch, salt, sesame oil and pepper in a bowl. Have all ingredients and seasoning sauce ready for use as cooking process is very fast. Set aside.
Prepare Hoisin Sweet Sauce and set aside. Click here for instructions.
Remove one panel of vermicelli from its package keeping noodles intact so it holds together when deep-fried.
Heat oil in a non-stick wok. Meanwhile line a large plate with paper towels and be ready with a large slotted ladle and chopsticks. When oil starts to shimmer, toss a short piece of vermicelli into the oil to check its temperature. If noodle puffs up, the oil is ready.
Gently put panel of vermicelli into oil. It will puff up very quickly, in a few seconds.
Immediately remove it from oil with the slotted ladle and chopsticks and place on top of paper towels. Move wok away from heat. Carefully drain oil into a glass or metal bowl reserving it for later use.
Return wok to heat and add 2 tablespoons hot oil to pan. Add and fry chicken quickly. Transfer chicken to marinating bowl as soon as it turns color and is almost cooked. Set aside.
Heat another 2 tablespoons oil in the wok. Add onion and fry 30 seconds. Add mushroom and chestnut and fry another 20 seconds.
Return chicken to wok, add peas and stir well, another 30 seconds, until chicken is completely cooked.
Give seasoning sauce a quick stir to blend cornstarch and add to pan. Mix ingredients well with sauce until heated through and sauce is reduced. Turn heat off and remove pan from heat.
Line the base of a large serving plate with the cooled, fried vermicelli. Press the center of the vermicelli to make a slight dip. Neatly put chicken and vegetables on top.
When serving chicken, accompany with baskets of fresh lettuce and dipping bowls of Hoisin Sweet Sauce. When serving, mix the chicken breaking it into the crispy vermicelli.
Invite guests to help themselves in wrapping the chicken in the lettuce leaves. Dribble Hoisin Sauce on leaf or chicken before wrapping. Or drizzle sauce over chicken.
VARIATIONS
— If you don’t wish to mess with deep-frying, omit the noodles. Cook the chicken and vegetable combination on its own. It is just as tasty—and fun—to wrap in lettuce leaves.
Banquet Presentation
Plating Diced Chicken With Lettuce Wrap
Serve this as a main dish presented on its own. To make it visually dramatic, select a large, nice looking platter to hold the crispy vermicelli and chicken. Place Hoisin Sweet Sauce in three or four small matching saucers or dipping bowls with spoons and place them within reach for your guests. Trim edges of leaves to form neat circles. Serve lettuce leaves in two or three deep dishes (or baskets) and strategically place these between guests.
Each diner should have a clean mid-size plate of their own to assemble their wrap. Offer guests wet towels so they can clean their fingers before and after.
