Description
Spice it up and make copycat Szechuan chicken lettuce wraps with spicy mayo from the comfort of your own home with this easy to follow recipe. Plus, it is healthier than the original!
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into small 1 or 2-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 + 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (black)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Lettuce Wraps:
- 1 cup fried wontons* or chow mein noodles (Farkay brand)
- 1/4 cup green onions or scallions, sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons white and black sesame seeds
- lime wedges
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, cut in half through the stem
Spicy Mayo:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
Chicken:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cooking pan with foil and spray or brush with cooking oil.
- In a medium skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add panko breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously until the breadcrumbs start to brown. Be careful not to burn them, you only want them to slightly turn a golden colour. Remove from heat and mix in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg and mayonnaise together. Pour mixture into a shallow dish and set aside. Place flour into another shallow dish and set aside.
- Fully coat each chicken strip with flour, then with egg, and lastly with the panko breadcrumb mixture.
- Place the coated chicken strips onto your cooking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and no longer pink inside.
Lettuce Wrap Filling:
- Place chicken strips into a large bowl and add chow mein noodles, green onions, cilantro, peanuts, and sweet chili sauce. Toss to coat.
- Transfer chicken mixture into serving dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Add lime wedges.
Spicy Mayo:
- In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, hot sauce, and lime juice together.
- Serve spicy mayo on the side or drizzle on top of chicken mixture.
To eat, scoop several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, drizzle extra spicy mayo on top, and wrap like a taco.
Notes
This dish is best served right away. This way the noodles will stay crunchy. After an hour or so, the noodles will start to go soft.
How to make fried wontons: Slice 1 cup wonton wrappers (about 10 wrappers) into thin strips (3 inches by 1/2 inch). Heat 1 inch of oil in a pot until hot, about 3-4 minutes. Fry wonton strips in batches, spreading them apart so that they don’t stick together, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon once they turn golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Asian