Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Thai Lettuce Wraps from Cheesecake Factory are my favorite dish to get when we go out! I don't even need the cheesecake for dessert when I get these! Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to peanuts so I do not have the option to remake them in their entirety at home. Based on several "top secret" recipes found online I have tweaked them to our tastes. Use which ever ingredients you think would taste best!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

serves 4

Ingredients

6-8 Boston Lettuce Leaves

Thai Chicken Satay (recipe below)

2 medium Carrots, julienned
1 large Red Bell Pepper, julienned

1 bag Bean Sprout3

1/2 package egg based Asian noodles, or whatever you find at your market

Thai Marinaded Cucumbers (recipe below)

Sweet Red Chili Sauce, I like A Taste of Thai

Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce. Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a larger platter. If you have any leftover leaves feel free to fill with the carrots, peppers, and other toppings, makes a really nice presentation! Start building the wraps by placing a piece of chicken, your choice of toppings and sauce. Fold the leaf in half and enjoy! They tend to be very juicy, have plenty of napkins on hand! 

Thai Marinated Cucumbers

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flake

1 large cucumber – seeded and cut into 1/8 inch slices
1/2 red onion thinly sliced

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water, salt, and pepper in a small pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved. Place cucumber and onion in a bowl and pour hot marinade over the top, stirring to coat. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours, the longer they sit the better they get! These are also really awesome on fish tacos!

Thai Chicken Satay

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 Bamboo skewers (10-12 inches), soaked in water for prep time

Cut chicken into 3/4″ strips. Marinate in the soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a bowl for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, until only about 1 inch of skewer is left uncovered with chicken. Grill the skewers over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

Big Juicy Burgers

My husband and I had the fanciest hamburgers out at my company's Christmas party last month,  Kobe beef burgers on brioche rolls with tomato jam and cheddar cheese. Since that night I have been craving a big juicy burger! Being on our budget I don't think I can replicate the exact meal (Kobe beef is expensive!) but I came pretty damn close! Paired with roasted sweet potato fries these beef burgers with cheddar cheese, tomato jam, and romaine lettuce on a toasted kaiser roll were perfection!

mmm tell me that doesn't ask to have a huge bite taken out of it!

Burgers can sometimes be challenging, how big, how long to cook them? What I usually will plan on is about a 1/4 - 1/3 pound of hamburger for each person. Form the patty but don't overwork the meat. I like to form a small well in the middle of the patty, it creates a spot for the juices to gather rather than flowing out of the burger - making it juicer. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on the first side and then 2-3 for the second. When topping with cheese place slices on top of the burger immediately after flipping, if it doesn't melt to your liking with just the heat from the pan feel free to cover and let it steam, or if you have fries going in the oven you can slide the pan in for a minute.

Tomato jam, taken from this NY Times Recipe by Mark Bitman, is a wonderful alternative to ketchup. Sweet like a fruit jam but with a kick like spicy ketchup this really will impress a crowd and its easy to boot! I made some changes to Mark's recipe and it came out great! My changes are below.

Tomato jam is a great fancy alternative to ketchup!

Tomato JamYields 1 cup sauce, about 6 servings

1 pint grape tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/b teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch red pepper flakes


Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use; this will keep at least a week. Use to top sandwiches, burgers, or on its own with biscuits!