Famous Restaurant P.F. Chang: Ground Spiced Chicken in Lettuce Wraps

Check out P.F. Chang's popular chicken in lettuce wraps recipe recreated by a chef for ABC's Good Morning America show.

From Denny: Another favorite dish when we dine out for lunch. Usually, P.F. Chang's is terrible for high salt and oil levels but hey! once in a while just splurge, right? OK, so I like their lighter salmon dish but we often split this chicken lettuce wrap too because it's so tasty. What fun when I happened on Good Morning America's site today and found the recipe! Food hound hard at work... :)



P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

From Todd Wilbur: While working on the formula for P.F. Chang's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps, I discovered that there were several ways I could improve the clone recipe for the Chicken Wraps. I've now perfected the flavor of the stir-fry with the addition of mirin (a sweetened sake syrup) and oyster sauce, both of which you can find in your market where the Asian foods are stocked. The "special sauce" that you spoon over your wraps has also been tweaked and perfected. And finally, after reducing the amount of chicken from two breasts filets to just one, I think this new and improved version of P.F. Chang's most popular dish is the absolute best clone it can be.

Ingredients:

Special sauce
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon chili oil
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Chinese hot mustard paste (see Tidbits)
1 to 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
Stir-fry sauce
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large skinless chicken breast filet
one 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and minced (about 1 cup)
one 6-ounce can diced straw mushrooms, drained and minced (about 2/3 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 to 1 1/2 cups fried maifun rice sticks (see Tidbits)
4 to 5 iceberg lettuce cups

Directions:

Make the special sauce (for spooning over your lettuce wraps) by dissolving the sugar in the water in a small bowl.

Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil. Add the chopped green onion and set the sauce aside until you're ready to serve the lettuce wraps. Eventually you will add Chinese mustard and garlic chili sauce to this special sauce mixture to pour over each of your lettuce wraps. In the restaurant, waiters prepare the sauce at your table the same way based on your desired heat level. We'll get into the specifics of that in step #7.

Prepare the stir-fry sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.

To prepare the filling for your lettuce wraps, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large saute pan or wok over

high heat. Saute the chicken breast for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan to cool. Wipe out the pan. As the chicken cools, chop your water chestnuts and mushrooms into pieces that are about the size of small peas. If you haven't fried the maifun rice sticks, this is a good time to do that.

When you can handle the chicken, hack it up with a sharp knife so that no piece is bigger than a dime. With the pan or wok back on high heat, add the 3 remaining tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan. Cook the mixture for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the stir-fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple more minutes, then stir in the green onions and spoon everything out onto a bed of fried maifun rice noodles on a serving dish.

Serve the chicken with a side of lettuce cups. Make these lettuce cups by slicing the top off of a head of iceberg lettuce right through the middle of the head. Pull your lettuce cups off of the outside of this slice.

Prepare the special sauce at the table by adding your desired measurement of hot mustard and chili sauce to the special sauce blend: 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce for mild, ½ teaspoon of mustard paste plus 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce for medium, and 1 teaspoon of mustard paste and 3 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce for hot. Stir well.

Assemble each lettuce wrap by spooning the filling into a lettuce cup, adding special sauce over the top and eating it like a taco.

Tidbits: Follow the directions on the package for frying the maifun rice sticks - usually by pouring 2 inches of vegetable oil into a pan and heating it to around 400 degrees F. Add the maifun, and when it floats to the top remove it to a paper towel.



Photo by Donna Svennevik/ABC Food Styling by Karen Pickus



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Video and Recipe: Malaysian Rib Spring Rolls

From Denny: This video was originally run for the Fourth of July season, yet good food is good any time of the year. Right now, tail-gaters for the football season are looking for the unusual take on barbecue ribs and this recipe just jumped out at me to post. As an American kid who spent time in Asia, I grew to love Asian cooking and this chef just captures such wonderful flavors in this recipe you just have to try it! Chef Halston's recipe is both unusual and innovative.

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Finger-licking good! Malaysian rib spring rolls, a mouthwatering Asian-themed dish

Malyasian rib spring rolls with maple and tuong basil sauces

From: Chef Andre David Halston

INGREDIENTS

Malyasian short ribs

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 pounds Sterling Silver beef short ritbs 1-bone
• 2 tablespoons porcini mushroom seasoning (Market Salamander brand)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, milled
• 1 cup garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and rough-chopped
• 8 full-length stems fresh rosemary
• 1 cup port wine
• Beef stock (enough to cover by 3/4)

Crisp spring rolls filling

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons garlic fresh chopped, fine
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 ounces leek, white and green julienne
• 1/2 pound Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 tablespoon ginger, fresh peeled, very fine dice
• 1 tablespoon porcini seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, granulated fine
• 1 teaspoon black,peppe, milled
• 2 pounds short rib meat (shredded by hand)

Malaysian peanut slaw mix

• 3 full leaves white cabbage, fine shredded
• 3 full leaves Napa cabbage, fine shredded
• 1 full leaf red cabbage, fine shredded
• 2 leaves baby arugula leaves shredded
• 25 sticks carrots, peeled matchstick

Crisp spring rolls rolling

• 10 spring roll wrappers
• 1/2 cup egg whites (lightly whisked)
• 2 ounces short beef
• 1 ounce vegetable mix

Lite soy dipping sauce

• 1/2 cup lite corn syrup
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, light
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced 1/4-inch
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup brown organic sugar
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar, seasoned Marukan

Peanut dressing

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar, seasoned
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, lite
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 4 ounces cilantro, fresh leaves, no stems
• 1/3 cup sugar, organic white
• 1 tablespoon mustard, ground dry
• 1 teaspoon ginger, dry powder
• 1 tablespoon Malaysian chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, milled fine

DIRECTIONS

Malaysian short ribs

Preheat oven to 250 degrees; you need the oven for 4 hours.

In a pan over high heat, warm the pan for 1 minute. Evenly sprinkle the meat with porcini mushroom seasoning.

Add the oil to the pan. Evenly cover the bottom of the pan with pieces of short ribs. Cook to a nutty brown color on one side; turn over, add the garlic cloves and ginger and cook to nutty brown. Add wine and bring to a boil. Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Cover with a lid and place into the oven. Set the timer for 4 hours.

After cooking, place the pot uncovered into the refrigerator; when cool, remove the meat from the bone.

Spring rolls filling

In a saute pan over medium heat, warm the pan for 1 minute; add the oil and warm the pan for 30 seconds. Add the garlic, carrots, leek, cabbage and ginger; evenly sprinkle the vegetables with the porcini seasoning and sea salt; saute until the vegetables have softened, about 2 minutes. Spread the ingredients on a sheet pan; place uncovered in the refrigerator until cool.

Malaysian peanut slaw mix

Place all items into a bowl and evenly mix.

Crisp spring rolls wrap

Place the wrapper onto a clean sanitized area of a table with one point of the wrapper pointing toward you. Evenly brush the wrapper with the egg whites. Place the beef about 1 inch away from the point in a log shape. Place the vegetables on top of the beef. Place the point over the meat and veg. Mix, squeezing the mix tightly. Roll 1 time. Fold each edge tightly over the top and lightly press to seal. Continue to roll in a small log shape.

Lite soy dipping sauce

In a pot over medium heat add all ingredients; whisk for 1 minute and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 minutes exactly, whisking every minute, and remove. Pour the sauce into a glass or plastic container; refrigerate until cool.

Malaysian peanut dressing

Place the peanut butter in a plastic container. Place your Bermixer into a plastic container, add the vinegar, start the mixer. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, cilantro and mix for a few minutes. Add the sugar, mustard, ginger, chili sauce and pepper; mix for 2 minutes. Cover with a lid and refrigerate.