Stir-Fried Chicken in Lettuce Leaves

• Recipe by Richard Reddington and Chris Blanchard

Chef Way After Reddington marinates this Asian-style chicken for a minimum of three hours, he sautés it with eggplant, carrots, scallions and mint.
Easy Way Marinate the chicken for just 10 minutes before stir-frying, then serve it with shredded carrot, sliced scallions and fresh mint, plus green-leaf lettuce leaves for wrapping.

Ingredients

1. 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2. 3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh ginger
4. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
7. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
8. 1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry
9. 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese black bean sauce
10. 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
11. 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
12. 1 head of green-leaf lettuce, leaves separated
13. 1 large carrot, coarsely shredded on a box grater
14. 4 scallions, thinly sliced
15. 1/4 cup shredded mint

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, toss the diced chicken thighs with the garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper and 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small cup, combine the soy sauce with the dry sherry, black bean sauce and sugar. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch.
3. Heat a large skillet or wok until very hot to the touch. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat until smoking, swirling the skillet to coat with the hot oil. Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry over high heat until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Stir the sauce and add it to the chicken, stirring to coat; cook just until the sauce is thickened and glossy, about 1 minute.
4. Arrange the lettuce leaves, shredded carrot, sliced scallions and shredded mint in separate serving bowls and serve with the chicken.

Notes

Sommelier Choice A Spanish Tempranillo’s acidity helps it stand up to the intensity of flavor in this dish, Blanchard says. He recommends the 2003 Bodegas Vizcarra Crianza Ribera del Duero.
Easy-to-Find Choice 2003 Tinto Pesquera, another Ribera del Duero red.