P.F. Chang's Style Lettuce Wraps

Today I have a treat for you all, I'm sharing my favorite dinner time recipe with you all.  Chicken lettuce wraps similar to those you can order at P.F. Chang's.  I first heard about these from my husband, and he literally shamed me after I came home from a girl's night there and informed him I didn't order the famed lettuce wraps. I didn't know of their deliciousness at the time.  I ended up coming across a recipe I've adapted to fit the ingredients in our pantry better, but let me tell you, these babies are delicious.

They can either be served with chilled lettuce as shown below or with white rice, we usually make both and do a combination, plus the rice is easier for Grant than the lettuce.

Now, I'll be the first to admit, when I looked at all the ingredients in the original recipe here, as well as the directions I was a bit overwhelmed.  After making this a few times I've been able to simplify it and make this dish easily.

Ingredients: 

For the glaze:
1/2  cup soy sauce
1/4  cup brown sugar
1/4  cup honey
1/2  cup red wine vinegar
1/2  teaspoon garlic powder
1/4  teaspoon onion powder
1/4  teaspoon ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the filling:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2  tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2  cup onion, diced
1  tablespoon garlic, minced
A sprinkle of dried crushed red pepper flakes
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1/2  cup dry roasted peanuts or cashews
8 lettuce leaves

Directions:

Begin by prepping the ingredients by cutting the chicken into chucks and chopping up the onion, red pepper, and green onion. Have garlic ready to mince.  I find if I do this first the process goes pretty smoothly.

For the lettuce, wash and peel leaves and set aside for dinner.

Also, if you're serving white rice, get it going, as it'll take about 20 minutes to make this dish, which is the same time the rice takes to cook.

After prepping the ingredients and starting the rice begin the glaze.  Add all the ingredients to a small sauce pan, except for the cornstarch.  Cook on low to medium heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat. Next pour 1/3 of mixture into a bowl, then add the cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Pour this back into the sauce pan and whisk until it reaches desired thickness; this happens within a minute.  Turn off and set aside.

Next put olive oil into a large sauté pan and heat at medium.  Add onions and minced garlic.  Let them soften for a few minutes, then add chunks of chicken.  Let this cook, for about 10 minutes (or until chicken is cooked). 

Now, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, add red pepper, green onion, and peanuts.  Pour glaze over top and mix together.  Let cook for a few minutes then serve with rice and/or lettuce. 

This recipe is seriously amazing, and I highly recommend you try it soon, then let me know what you think!