Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Cheesecake Factory Style!)

 These are awesome, and with the recipes below, feel free to substitute with what you like or what you simply have in the fridge today. I plan on making them tonight because I have been wanting to since I had them at the Cheesecake Factory a few weeks ago while out on one of my Christmas shopping trips...they are really, really good. I plan on substituting a few of the ingredients to make them a little less time consuming to prep, for example I plan on sauteing the chicken in a stove top skillet so I can eliminate the skewer process and grilling. I also plan on using brown rice noodles in place of the egg noodles/pasta. So, I encourage you to make them your own. Other varieties could be done also, like a Mexican version...the whole idea that is that you eat them on the lettuce wraps. For some of the sauces, try looking in the refrigerated section of your produce department that holds fresh dressings, rather than typical bottle dressings.

credit: ttp://www.flickr.com/x/t/0097009/photos/bokchoi-snowpea/4288148863/

• 2 red cabbage leaves – cut in half vertically
• 6-8 Romaine Lettuce Leaves
• Thai Chicken Satays (recipe below)
• Julienne carrots
• Sesame Bean Sprouts (recipe below)
• Thai Coconut Curry Noodles (recipe below)
• Thai Marinaded Cucumbers (recipe below)
• 1 Tablespoon Roasted Peanuts – Chopped
• Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
• Thai Peanut Sauce (recipe below)
• Sweet Red Chili Sauce (recipe below)

Directions

1. Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce.
2. Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a larger platter.
3. Remove 2 red cabbage leaves, wash and dry and slice in half vertically.
4. Arrange on the serving platter and fill with each one of the fillings (chicken, bean sprouts, thai coconut curry noodles and marinated cucumbers).
5. Let your friends or family create their own lettuce wraps by choosing a filling or fillings and placing it on a leaf along with a choice of sauce.
6. Fold the leaf in half and enjoy!

Here are the individual recipes:

Thai Chicken Satays

• 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
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 green onions – cut into 1″ pieces
• 8 Bamboo skewers (10-12 inches)

1. Cut chicken into 3/4″ strips
2. Place in a shallow glass dish
3. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
4. Add water and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour over chicken
6. Toss to coat all of the chicken pieces.
7. Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
8. Soak bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to keep them from burning.
9. Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.
10. Weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, alternation with green onion pieces. You may need to use several pieces to cover each skewer.
11. Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade.
12. Grill the skewers on an uncovered grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

Bean Sprouts

• 1½ cups bean sprouts
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan
2. Add the bean sprouts along with the other ingredients.
3. Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender
4. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles

• 12 oz fresh egg noodles
• 1 tbsp minced garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 pinch turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice

1. Place the noodles in hot water, separating with a fork.
2. Let the noodles soak until tender or according to the directions on the package.
3. Drain and keep warm.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste.
5. When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients.
6. Continue to simmer for approximately 2 minutes.
7. Stir in the noodles and serve.

Thai Marinated Cucumbers

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 large cucumber – seeded

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan.
2. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
4. Peel the cucumber and cut lengthwise into quarters and again crosswise into 1/8″ slices.
5. Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend.
6. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup chopped cashews
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 medium garlic cloves – minced
• 2 green onions – chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tsp honey
• 6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Combine cashews, hoisin sauce, garlic, green onion, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
2. In a small sauce pan add oil, honey, rice wine vinegar and tamarind pulp.
3. Heat at medium for 1 minute.
4. Stir until the tamarind pulp is completely dissolved.
5. Add this to the cashew mixture and process until smooth
6. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Peanut Sauce

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp chili oil

1. Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan.
2. Stir mixture over a medium heat until it begins to bubble.
3. Cover the pan and remove from the heat.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 lime – juiced
• 1 tsp garlic – minced
• 1 tsp red chili paste

1. Combine the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chili paste in a blender.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Pour into bowls and serve.

*Substitution for Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce! ...

~M.L.E.