Kung Pao Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Recipe 43 of 150)

Photo from Damn Delicious

Every time my BFF and I go to PF Changs I order Kung Pao Chicken and we order the lettuce wraps as an appetizer. So when I saw this recipe I thought, "Best of both worlds". And I was not wrong. 

This is a SPICY recipe. I didn't put in all the chili paste and I'm glad I didn't. Whoa! 

The overall flavor is good. It was a little too vinegar-y for me. I added a bit more brown sugar (low carb brown sugar too) to balance out the vinegar. That seemed to help a little. Regardless, this was a solid low carb meal. Well, I made it low carb by using the low carb brown sugar. 

Looking for a quick, flavorful meal without a ton of calories? This is it.

Kung Pao Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 head butter lettuce
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, optional

FOR THE SAUCE:

• 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, dry sherry, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil and 1/4 cup water; set aside.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.

Stir in garlic and zucchini until softened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce mixture until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style, garnished with peanuts, if desired.