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Joyce's Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Wraps

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 From 6 ratings.

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rating TELAMBS
These were awesome. The only thing I did differently was to cut the fish sauce in half and substitute teriyaki sauce instead as many family members don't like fish. Even with half the amount I could taste the fishiness so I will eliminate it altogether next time. Everyone loved them though.
rating Cecile
rating mjmajors
These make a great appetizer.  I make the recipe a day or two ahead so the flavors meld together.  They are so pretty set up in the lettuce wraps too. 

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Joyce's Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Wraps

  • healthy HEALTHY
  • staff favorite STAFF FAVORITE
ACTIVE TIME: 25 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN
SERVES: 4
Small Bites by Jennifer Joyce takes the popular restaurant trend of small plates and turns it into a fresh style of entertaining. Joyce's party recipes are clever but extremely doable: She gives chicken meatballs a heavenly sticky glaze, for instance, by rolling them in sugar before baking.
ingredients
  • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  • 3 small shallots, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 stalk of fresh lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus 1/3 cup leaves for serving
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint, plus 1/3 cup leaves for serving
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 head Boston or red leaf lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 small seedless cucumber—peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1 small red onion, halved and sliced
  • Asian chili sauce, for serving
directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Position a rack in the top third of the oven. In a food processor, pulse the chicken until coarsely ground; transfer to a bowl. Add the fish sauce, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chopped cilantro and mint, cornstarch, salt and pepper and mix with your hands.
  2. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the sugar on a plate. Using slightly moistened hands, roll the chicken mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the meatballs in the sugar until they are evenly coated. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared baking sheet and bake them for 15 minutes, until they are lightly browned and cooked through.
  3. Meanwhile, arrange the lettuce, cilantro and mint leaves, cucumber and onion on a platter. Transfer the meatballs to the platter and serve with chili sauce.
WINE The Spanish grape Verdejo has a citrusy zing that goes perfectly with this sweet-spicy lettuce-wrapped chicken. It grows in the Rueda region in north-central Spain, where fine dry weather in 2004 resulted in terrific wines like the tangy Naia and the zesty, fresh Solar de la Vega.

Recipe by Jennifer Joyce
From Cookbook Sneak Preview
This recipe originally appeared in June, 2006.