Gateaux1

This is NOT a PF Changs copycat recipe. 

These are MY damn lettuce wraps.

The dressing is so good – and it’s homemade. It’s the ginger dressing that everybody loves at Japanese hibachi restaurants. Yes, that one. The one that comes on iceberg lettuce in a little bowl with your soup.

It’s delicious and you’ll want to drink it. I like to marinate chicken in it sometimes. Pork is really good with it, too.

This is a fairly easy dressing to make, and if you make it a day or so early it will be even better. It makes roughly a pint, give or take. One of those plastic, tallish clear cylindrical take out containers is perfect as far as size, just so you can be prepared.

A note about making the dressing – do not skimp on the onion or celery. They both are critical to get the proper texture and taste.

The small amount of tomato sauce can be subbed. I know this personally because one time I made it and had no tomato sauce in any form except for ketchup, so I used it and we could never tell the difference.

If you don’t know about OXO and their products, you need to check them out. They send me the best stuff –  and I’m hooked. I have two of these salad dressing mixers – they’re one of my VERY favorites.

I smoked some chicken thighs.

Fact: Skinless BONE IN chicken thighs are so much better than boneless. Why? Because there’s flavor in the bones that gives such a deep flavor.

I probably get double the amount of chicken to chop (sans grossness like fat and whatever) than I usually do with boneless thighs.

Chicken thighs are still lean, and easier to chop than chicken breasts.

Usually I use my stand mixer to shred meats, but sometimes a girl needs to stand in the kitchen and chop just for fun.

Honestly, it’s a stress reliever for me, if you don’t already know that. If you’re skeptical just try it; you may be surprised.

Because I like to use a spicy wet rub on my chicken thighs, I thought it was appropriate to add mango.

It balances everything out and adds more flavor. Nothing wrong with more flavor – and mango works so well here.

As far as the vehicle for all of this, I chose green leaf lettuce.

Romaine would definitely work (it’s a sturdy leaf), iceberg would also be good, or you could even get crazy and use cabbage leaves.

I, personally, would blanch cabbage leaves if using them for this recipe.

All up to you.

Here’s your printable-