Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Sweet + Salty Sauce

We've been on a real Asian kick this week when it comes to cooking dinner. Sometime in the next few days, I'll post my Garlicky Korean Beef Noodles, which have become a weekly meal for the last 6 months. But today, we're going to talk about chicken lettuce wraps. Lettuce wraps are a must for me whenever we go out to a restaurant, so why not make my own version at home? This recipe is pretty easy when it comes to cooking other dishes on my food blog, although you will do a lot of chopping. But if you have another person helping you, y'all will be done in no time! I started off by making my go-to sweet + salty sauce (that also goes on the Korean Beef Noodles) and all you have to worry about is bring it to a boil, reducing it to a simmer, whisking continuously, and letting it cool. You'll repeat that cooking process 3-4 times until the sauce is smooth and has reduced slightly. After you have done that, just let the sauce cool in the small pot until you are ready to pour it over the chicken. Now, I have a pretty firm belief that everyone likes chicken, but if you are that one person who doesn't, then just trade out the ground chicken for ground pork and ground beef. Now let's talk about all the vegetables. We were recently eating out at one of our favorite thai restaurants and they have the most glorious chicken lettuce wraps. Something a little different that they include are red + green bell peppers. Both my husband and I enjoyed that addition so much, that I had to put some peppers into my chicken-vegetable mixture. It is important though, that you dice up the sweet onions and bell peppers to the same size, so that they will all cook for the same time. Once those vegetables have become slightly softened and somewhat translucent, throw in the minced fresh garlic, diced water chestnuts, minced green onions, fresh basil, minced dried garlic, toasted sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, and some red pepper flakes. Stir it all together and let it cook for a minute or two. Now, all that is left to do is to pour some of the sauce over the chicken mixture until everything is coated. I would suggest starting with half the sauce and working your way up because you don't want an overwhelmingly large amount drowning your chicken + veggies. The goal here is to add just the right amount of sauce to your liking, that way the chicken lettuce wraps taste light and delicious. All that there is left to do is to assemble them. Get a piece of butter lettuce, spoon in some of the sauced chicken mixture on top, drizzle with a little bit of extra sauce, and garnish with a pinch of minced, dried garlic, red pepper flakes, and toasted crushed peanuts. Voila, you have made yourself a real crowd pleasing recipe! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

For the Sweet + Salty Sauce:

1C Light Brown Sugar

½C Soy Sauce

¼C Hoisin Sauce

2T Toasted Sesame Oil + 2T Sriracha

1T Rice Wine Vinegar

1t Freshly Grated Ginger

1t Red Pepper Flakes (less or more to your preferred spiciness)

For the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Prepared Sweet + Salty Sauce

4T Vegetable Oil (separated)

2lbs Ground Chicken

2 Sweet Onions, Diced

1 Red Bell Pepper + 1 Green Pepper, Diced

1t Salt

8oz Sliced Water Chestnuts, Diced

8 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

2 Bunches of Green Onions, Minced

¼C Fresh Basil, Minced

2T Minced Dried Garlic (plus more for garnishing)

1T Toasted Sesame Seeds (plus more for garnishing)

Red Pepper Flakes (to your preferred spiciness)

1T Toasted Sesame Oil

1-2 Butter Head Lettuce

Toasted, Crushed Peanuts, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Sweet + Salty Sauce: In a small pot, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until it is well incorporated. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-low heat, making sure to continuously whisk. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool for a few minutes. Repeat this process of bringing it to a boil and simmering the sauce three more times. After you have done this, allow the sauce to cool while you make the chicken lettuce wraps.

2. Cooking the Chicken: Heat 2T oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in the ground chicken and cook until just browned, about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks, so smaller pieces form. Drain the excess fat out of the pan and set aside the cooked chicken while you sauté the vegetables.

3. Making the Asian Chicken: In a large pot, heat the other 2T of oil over medium-high heat. Add in the diced onions, diced red bell pepper, diced green pepper, and the salt. Sauté these vegetables for about 5-10 minutes, until they have cooked down and gave become translucent. Next, toss in the diced water chestnuts, minced garlic, and minced green onions. Stir everything so that it is all mixed together. Bring the heat up to high and let it cook on that temperature for a minute. Drizzle in half of the reduced sweet + salty sauce, stirring to make sure the lettuce wrap mixture is completely coated in the sauce. Lastly, finish off the dish by throwing in the fresh minced basil, minced dried garlic, toasted sesame seeds, as much or as little red pepper flakes that you like, and toasted sesame oil. Turn off the heat and taste the sauced, ground chicken-vegetable mixture. If you think the chicken needs more sauce, salt, or red pepper flakes, then add it to your liking.

4. Assembling the Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Pull off the individual leaves of butter lettuce and wash and dry them. Place the lettuce leaves onto a plate, and then spoon some of the chicken mixture into each leaf. Garnish the top of the chicken lettuce wraps with a drizzle of the sweet + salty sauce, dried minced garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes, and some toasted, crushed peanuts. Enjoy the lettuce wraps while they are still hot (but they are just as delicious if you serve them cold)!

Copycat Recipe: Zoe’s Kitchen Protein Power Plate with Greek Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken, Greek Feta Coleslaw, + Caramelized Onions

Zoe’s Kitchen Protein Power Plate with Greek Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken,
 Greek Feta Coleslaw, + Caramelized Onions

Some of my fondest memories come from my days at the University of Alabama, well y'all probably already know that, haha. And one of our favorite places to get a quick + healthy lunch was at Zoe's Kitchen. Our go-to meal was their Protein Power Plate. It's fabulous, fresh, and doesn't weigh you down the rest of the day. Their dish consists of a greek vinaigrette feta coleslaw that is topped with grilled chicken and a mound of luscious, sweet caramelized onions. It seriously was the perfect way to start the day, or end the night really. And for a while now, I have been wanting to recreate it myself at home. Because I mean, look at its' components... it should be a breeze. I found a great recipe for greek yogurt marinated grilled chicken, and honestly I can't wait to make it over + over again. It would be great on tacos, in other salads, or just as a main entree. It blackens nicely on the grill, yet retains the moisture from the greek yogurt marinade. For a little extra sweetness, I drizzled my grilled chicken with a little white balsamic reduction-- and it was perfection. Who doesn't like tangy + sweet?! You can make your own reduction at home or you can pick up a handy-dandy store-bought brand at the grocery store. It's as simple as that! The coleslaw is heavy on the onions, which we love, but if you're not so into that... then feel free to not use the red onions. The vinaigrette recipe makes a big batch, so only use enough to lightly coat the coleslaw. You don't want it soggy or drowned in a bunch of liquid. And don't skimp on the feta because it adds a nice saltiness and creaminess to the coleslaw. All you have left to do is caramelize a shit-ton of onions (the more the better, in our humble opinion). Then, just load it into a big bowl and drizzle a little more reduction, as well as some extra crumbled feta... and dinner is served!! I can see this meal becoming a weekly tradition for us, that's how much we liked it!! Enjoy :)

For the Greek Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken:

16oz Greek Yogurt (try to use a thick yogurt)

2-inch Piece of Fresh Ginger, Peeled & Grated

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced into a Paste with Salt

1t Ground Cumin, Red Chile Flakes, Kosher Salt, Pepper, & Greek Seasoning

½t Dried Oregano

2-4T Sugar (depending on how much sweetness you like)

1 Lemon, Juiced + Zested

4 Bone-in, Skin-on Chicken Breasts

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for greasing the grill)

White Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

For the Greek Vinaigrette:

½C Red Wine Vinegar

¼C Honey or Agave Syrup

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1T Fresh Basil, Minced

1t Fresh Oregano, Minced

½t Dried Marjoram

1t Red Pepper Flakes

1 Lemon, Juiced + Zested

¾C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste  

For the Greek Feta Coleslaw:

2 Bags of Shredded Angel Hair Coleslaw (the thinly shaved kind)

¼ Red Onion, Shaved

¼C Fresh Parsley, Chopped

1 Small Handful of Fresh Oregano, Chopped

8oz Crumbled Feta Cheese

6 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

¼C Minced Chives

Prepared Greek Vinaigrette (to taste, as little or as much as you want)

For Serving:

Caramelized Onions

Crumbled Feta

Minced Chives

White Balsamic Reduction

Directions:

1. Marinating the Chicken: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, ginger, garlic, cumin, chile flakes, salt and lemon. Whisk until smooth and pour into a baking dish. Place the chicken breasts in the yogurt mixture and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to a day to marinate.

2. Grilling the Chicken: When ready to grill, heat a very clean grill to medium. When the grill is hot, brush with the oil and place chicken on the grill, skin side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, and then flip. Cook another 5-10 minutes, covered, until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5-10 minutes before pulling meat off the bone and shredding or slicing it. Drizzle the chicken with some White Balsamic Reduction.

3. For the Greek Vinaigrette: Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

4. For the Greek Coleslaw: Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl thoroughly. Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour. Add in some of the prepared Greek Vinaigrette (just enough to coat the coleslaw, but not drown it and make it soggy). Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve cold.

5. For Serving: Spoon some of the Greek coleslaw into a bowl and top it with some grilled chicken. Garnish with a pile of caramelized onions, crumbled feta, minced chives, and a little drizzle of more white balsamic reduction. Enjoy.

source: greek vinaigrette. greek coleslaw. greek yogurt marinated chicken.

Gourmet Spiced Turtles with Vanilla Bean Caramel, Dark Chocolate, & Sprinkled with Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel + Toffee Chips

Gourmet Spiced Turtles with Vanilla Bean Caramel, Dark Chocolate, & Sprinkled with 

Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel + Toffee Chips

Back when I lived in Savannah, there were candy kitchens pretty much at every block. Pralines were their number one seller by far, so much so that if you just walked in the store, a hot, freshly-made praline sample was handed to you. Naturally, that just meant we walked in and out about 5-10 times. Of course, who wouldn't? Most of their treats were quite tasty, but I could never get on board with store-bought turtles. I'm not quite sure why, but they just weren't my gig, ya'know? Well, a couple weeks ago, I had a custom order request from an Haute + Heirloom Etsy buyer, asking me if I could whip up some gourmet turtles for her. I had never made them, but I knew how to make all the components and I was sure I could spice them up some to make them extra special. The first component are the pecans. A lot of the time, no one does anything to them. Some people might toast them or salt them slightly, but I went with the extravagant route by "spicing them". After being toasted in butter, I added in some fleur de sel, cinnamon, ground ginger, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, chili powder, & cardamom. They are all perfect, comforting fall spices. I also sweetened them up a bit with sugar to give them a crackly crust (um yumm). Now onto the caramel... the gooey, sticky, chewy caramel that is speckled + scented with vanilla beans and flavored with a dash of fleur de sel. If that doesn't make your mouth water... then I don't know what would. The caramel will harden & solidify, which means they are ready to be covered in chocolate. Tempering chocolate may seem like a daunting task, but really it is all scientific. You just gotta be aware of the temperature and keep it even throughout the entire process. Once you pour the tempered chocolate over the caramel, it will quickly begin to settle, so while it is still soft, sprinkle the tops with some vanilla bean fleur de sel and toffee chips (just for presentation & extra flavor). Even though these candies are a little more labor-intensive than the ones you can buy in a store, the quality alone speaks for itself. And that's coming from a girl who hated turtles prior to making this recipe!! Enjoy :)

clustering the spiced pecans...

making the vanilla bean caramel...

pouring the vanilla bean caramel over the spiced pecan clusters

a little extra salt neva hurt no'body

ready for the chocolate...

I experimented a little bit by adding on some chocolate stour marshmallows--yumm!

now it's time for the tempered chocolate, fleur de sel, & toffee bits

READY TO EAT!!

For the Spiced Pecans:

16oz Pecan Halves

3T Unsalted Butter, Melted

½t Salt, Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Pumpkin Pie Spice

¼t Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Chili Powder, & Cardamom

1-2T Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

For the Vanilla Bean Caramel:

¾C Heavy Whipping Cream

½C Sugar

1/3C Dark Brown Sugar

3T Light Corn Syrup

2T Unsalted Butter, Cubed

1t Vanilla

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

½-1t Salt (depending on your taste)

For the Dark Chocolate Coating:

12oz High Quality Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, Roughly Chopped

Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling

Toffee Chips, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the Spiced Pecans: For the pecans, preheat oven to 350°F. Toss pecan halves with melted butter and kosher salt and spread onto a large sheet pan. Toast the pecans, stirring halfway through cooking, until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes; set aside until cool enough to handle. Once you can handle them, toss them with the spices and sugar until it adheres. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and arrange cooled pecans into X-shaped clusters or feel free to place the pecan pieces into small mounds to yield a more rustic-shaped cluster.

2. For the Vanilla Bean Caramel: For the caramel, combine the cream, sugars, and corn syrup in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan and whisk until incorporated. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Please do NOT stir the mixture after it comes to a boil; if necessary, dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot to remove any sugar stuck to the sides. Continue boiling the mixture until it reaches 250°F on an instant read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds.

3. Working quickly, spoon a generous teaspoon or so over each cluster of pecans. Allow clusters to set, uncovered and undisturbed, for at least two hours but preferably overnight.

4. Tempering the Chocolate:To melt and temper the chocolate coating, prepare a double boiler or set a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water. Add approximately 3/4 of the chocolate (the remainder will get added in after the initial heating) to the top of the boiler. Melt the chocolate, stirring often, until it reaches the following temperature(s) on an instant read thermometer: 116 to 120°F for semisweet; 110 to 112°F for milk chocolate, and immediately remove from the heat. Add the reserved chocolate and continue stirring until the temperature drops to the following: 82 to 86°F for semisweet;80 to 84°F for milk chocolate. Return the chocolate to the boiler and heat on low until the temperature rises back up to 90°F, watching carefully to make sure the chocolate does not exceed the temperature.

5. Finishing the Turtles: Drizzle the tempered chocolate over the caramel-covered pecan clusters. Sprinkle the top with some vanilla bean fleur de sel and some toffee chips. Set aside in a cool place to set. Turtles will keep for up to two weeks, stored between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature.

source: homemade turtles.

Blood Orange Mulled Red Wine with Spiced Brown Butter

Blood Orange Mulled Red Wine

HI GUYS. I am terrible. I left y'all high + dry. But but but but, I can explain. See last week the world ended. What? You guys didn't hear? That's shocking, I know, but so true. Well, if you didn't hear, I'll give you the quick rundown of how it snowed two inches in Atlanta and the whole city shut down. I'm not making this up. Luckily for me, I work from home, so I really didn't experience anything too badly. Actually, we were quite excited at first...

the beginning of snow fall

yep, it snows in the south

starting to cover the ground

shots at 5AM in honor of the "state of emergency" 

snow day with my little pup.

See? We welcomed the snow, with open arms. I was tooooo excited, I hadn't seen snow since probably my middle school days. It started innocently enough, but then I got a phone call from my Mountain Man around noon, saying that he got released from work early due to the possible inclement weather. I was TOTES excited. However, I just waited and waited and waited... I watched the news. EVERY major highway, intersection, and street was practically shut down. Black ice was everywhere. Children were stuck at school, or worse, in school buses. Finally 9PM had rolled around I had yet to see my Mountain Man because he had been stranded for over eight hours. In the same spot. I mean it couldn't get any worse. I was stranded at home and couldn't possibly rescue him. It got so crazy, he and one of his friends, abandoned their cars and walked about 7 miles in the sleeting snow back to our house. I can't even tell you how crazy it all was, and it was all over a pathetic two inches of snow. People had to sleep in grocery stores, hospitals, gas stations, and even their frozen cars. It was just straight up ridiculous. By 10 o'clock, the Governor officially called a "State of Emergency" and cancelled all non-essential work/travel for two days. If you guys watch The Walking Dead, this is really how Atlanta looked. No joke. We had no food, or barely any at all, so we ate a lot of potatoes and leftover roasted chicken. Not fun. We did, however, have a lot of red wine... and blood oranges. So, I decided that I would try my hand at making mulled red wine. This classic winter cocktail never really gets enjoyed here because well it's always so-dang-hot and DEFINITELY not snowing. It was the perfect occasion. The flavor was boosted with those gorgeous red citrus fruit, fresh ginger, mulling spices, apple, a-whole-lotta-booze, simple syrup, and a homemade spiced brown butter. The brown butter/compound butter is perfect for any fall drink, but especially anything mulled or it would be fab in a hot buttered rum too! This was the bomb to drink while the snow kept collecting on the ground... and it warmed my Mountain Man up real fast. So all of y'all that are still cold up in the Northern states can enjoy it as well!! Enjoy :)

juicing the blood oranges.

winter citrus art.

gorgeous blood orange slices in mulled wine

a generous slice of homemade spiced brown butter

ready to drink!

For the Spiced Brown Butter:

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Browned & Softened

2C Homemade Dark Brown Sugar (or store-bought can be used)

1 ½t Cinnamon

1t Fleur de Sel

½t Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Bourbon Smoked Paprika, & Ground Ginger

¼t Cardamom, Cayenne, & Black Pepper

For the Mulled Red Wine:

2 Bottles of Red Wine

4 Blood Oranges, Zests Peeled & Sliced

1 Apple, Sliced

1 Inch Knob of Fresh Ginger (peeled)

2 Cinnamon Sticks

¼C Mulling Spices

2 Star Anise Pods

1C Homemade Mulled Simple Syrup

1 Vanilla Bean Pod, Split & Scraped for Seeds

½C Brandy, Bourbon, & Apple Jack

Nutmeg, For Grating

Homemade Spiced Brown Butter, For Serving

Directions:

1. For the Spiced Brown Butter: Cream together the butter, spices and sugar. At this point you can roll up the mixture with parchment into a log. Cover well and refrigerate or freeze for later use. In the fridge the mixture will keep for two weeks, in the freezer a couple of months.

2. For the Mulled Red Wine:Peel the zests off the blood oranges, and then cut up one of the oranges into slices and juice the remaining three. Throw them into the pot, along with the sliced apple, cinnamon sticks, mulling spices, star anise pods, mulled simple syrup, vanilla bean pod, and fresh ginger. Let this mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the wine and bring back to a simmer, about another 5-10 minutes. Turn the heat off the burner and toss in the brandy, bourbon, and Apple Jack. Stir to combine.

3. For Serving:In a mug, add a tablespoon of the spiced brown butter. Top with a few ladles of blood orange mulled red wine. Grate some fresh nutmeg over the top and serve with a cinnamon stick for stirring. The ratio of the ingredients is really preference.