Stir-Fried Chicken in Lettuce Leaves
This delicious recipe was made with the Meadow Pond garden club for their end of the fall lettuce harvest, with the high school life skills class, and with middle school faculty as part of a Wellness Mindful Eating cooking series.
Serves 4
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or breasts), 1/2-inch dice
3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese black bean sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 head of green-leaf lettuce, leaves separated
1 large carrot, coarsely shredded on a box grater
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shredded mint
1. In a medium bowl, toss the diced chicken thighs with the garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper and 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small cup, combine the soy sauce with the dry sherry, black bean sauce and sugar. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch.
3. Heat a large skillet or wok until very hot to the touch. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat until smoking, swirling the skillet to coat with the hot oil. Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry over high heat until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Stir the sauce and add it to the chicken, stirring to coat; cook just until the sauce is thickened and glossy, about 1 minute.
4. Arrange the lettuce leaves, shredded carrot, sliced scallions and shredded mint in separate bowls and serve with the chicken.
