A recipe for Lao and Thai Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps from the kitchen of Monica Bliss

New Lebanon— If you are a first time gardener, or have tried and failed, I recommended starting with fresh mint. Fresh mint requires little care and delivers a hearty harvest for the entire growing season. Fresh mint attracts pollinators and repels pests. In the home, it can be used in meals, in beverages, and for medicinal purposes, including aromatherapy. Always challenging myself to use my abundance of fresh mint, I created these Lao and Thai Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps for a quick, easy, spicy, and delicious weeknight dinner that is fun and full of flavor. Enjoy! 

Lao and Thai Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps

For the filling:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 lime, juiced, divided

For the wrap:
1 head Romaine lettuce, leaves removed, washed, and dried

For the toppings:
1/2 English cucumber, sliced thin
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 handful fresh mint, leaves removed, washed, and dried

For the sauce:
2 limes, juiced, divided
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Thai chili pepper, sliced thin (be careful, it’s spicy)

Cook ground chicken in olive oil with the remaining filling ingredients until the chicken is cooked through. 

Add hot chicken mixture and toppings to lettuce leaf.

Wrap it up, serve with a side of sauce, take a bite, and enjoy!