Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you hand me pita, tortillas, or even bread, I will likely find something to wrap the edible utensil around. I'm just that kind of gal. While most people eat salad when handed lettuce, I prefer to cook up something tasty that I can wrap with lettuce. This also happens to be an economical meal despite the price of ground chicken (I have yet to purchase the meat grinder attachment to my mixer), as it yields quite a bit of meat filling and can be eaten throughout the week for lunch or a quick snack.

I prefer to cook up some very thin rice stick noodles instead of rice, but that's because I also happen to be the spring roll type of gal. Or, should I say, that's how I roll?

...Come on. You know it was funny.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (from GoodLifeEats)

1 lb. ground chicken
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
1/2 cup chopped red onion
8 shiitake mushrooms, diced
4 peeled water chestnuts, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 head Butter lettuce
1 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 - 11 ounce can mandarin orange sections, drained
Directions

1. In a bowl, marinate the ground chicken with the soy sauce, wine, and cornstarch for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. When hot, add the oil, swirling to coat. Stir in the garlic, ginger, red onion. Fry for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

3. Add the ground chicken, cooking and stirring until lightly browned, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, water chestnuts, rice vinegar, and oyster sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Stir in the red bell pepper and simmer until it is tender-crisp, about 30 seconds to a minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.

4. Assemble the lettuce wraps by spooning a heaping tablespoon of rice and filling onto each lettuce leaf. Top with 2-3 mandarin orange sections.