Some of you who know me realize that I live well out of delivery range for P.F. Chang's, and are wondering what on earth I am talking about. Well, last night we had chicken lettuce wraps that were so good they tasted like they were delivered hot and ready right from Chang's. I'm not talking "kind of the same" or "sorta like them", I mean JUST LIKE THE REAL THING!
It all started because I need to go do my BIG grocery shopping, but can't get over there until Wed. I had two chicken breasts and half a head of iceberg lettuce and thought, "what can I make with these?" One little internet search and I discovered this recipe with all it's rave reviews. I had most of the ingredients and could fake the others so I tried it. It was amazing, right down to the famous "special sauce". We ate this as our dinner, along with some white rice I had left over, and Egg Drop Soup, which I decided to make at the last minute. (Little Matthew totally shocked me by loving the soup!) The special sauce for this recipe is delicious and can be kept in the refrigerator for days. When it came time to mix in the pastes (like at the restaurant) I used about 1/8 t of garlic chili paste and 1/4 t of mustard in a tiny bowl with about 4 T of special sauce. It was just enough to add flavor but not too much heat. My husband added a lot more of both :-).
Since I have two kids at home and am on a budget, I didn't feel like running out to the store for the less common ingredients I didn't have on hand. So here is what I sub-ed:
Recipe - Sub
Mushrooms- canned mushrooms
Rice Wine Vinegar- White Vinegar
Sesame Oil- Toasted Sesame Seeds
Hot Mustard- Dry Mustard with a t of water (make a paste)
Garlic & Red Chile Paste- 1 t of garlic powder + 1/2 t chili powder + water to make a paste
I boiled the two chicken breasts to get my broth for the soup, but the recipe says to saute raw pieces. One of the reviews encourages you to use ground chicken which makes it even easier.
Texture is key in making these "just like the restaurant" so be sure to mince everything very fine.
This is one of my favorite restaurants, and one of my favorite items on the menu there. I am so excited to have found this recipe. Do you have any favorite restaurant knock-off recipes? Let me know!
DISCOUNT ALERT: If you do live near a P.F. Chang's, they are offing 15% off your bill on Tax Day, April 15th! See website for details.
1 comment:
I'm going to try these. Can't wait.
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