Copy Cat (Sort Of) Lettuce Cups

I've been having this huge craving for PF Chang's lettuce cups, but I know that their recipe is loaded with sugar. The chicken stir fry sauce has sugar in it as does their super delicious secret sauce. So, I was on a mission to re-create this recipe in a South Beach Diet friendly manner.

First things first. I had to locate a copy cat recipe for the PF Chang's lettuce cups. Thankfully, this wasn't a difficult task. Once I obtained the recipe I got to work converting it to be SB diet friendly. That wasn't difficult either. Then, on top of that, I wanted to incorporate as much of my CSA shipment in this dish as possible. So, in place of the water chestnuts (which I love, by the way) I used the beautiful turnips and radishes that I received from Harvest2U this week.

This recipe is SB friendly and Gluten Free (so long as you use GF soy sauce)

So, let's get started!

South Beach Diet Lettuce Cups - Modified PF Chang's copy cat recipe.

First, let me start by saying that you can easily make the sauces up the day before, and place them in the refrigerator.

What you'll need:
2T olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1c minced turnips
3 minced radishes
1c minced mushrooms
1 large shallot minced
1t minced garlic or two cloves minced
1 head butter lettuce, core removed

Secret Sauce
1/4c splenda
1/2c water
2T soy sauce
2T rice wine vinegar
2T sugar free ketchup
1T lemon juice
1/4t sesame oil

1T hot mustard
2t hot water
1-2 t red chile paste (optional)

Stir Fry Sauce
2T soy sauce
2t splenda
1/2t rice wine vinegar

The first thing I did was mince my turnips, radishes, mushrooms, shallots and garlic. I tossed them in a bowl and set them aside.

Next I prepared all sauces. For the secret sauce, start by dissolving the splenda in the water in a small bowl. Then add the next five ingredients to the same bowl. Give it a quick whisk with a small whisk or even a fork.

In a separate small bowl (I used a pinch bowl) add the hot mustard and water. Give this a quick whisk.

For the stir fry sauce, add all three ingredients to a small pinch bowl and give a quick stir.

Next, you'll heat the oil on medium high heat in a large frying pan or wok. Once the oil is heated, add the chicken breasts and cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove chicken from pan and let it rest on a plate or cutting board. Turn the heat down to medium low and add once more tablespoon of olive oil if needed.

Once the chicken has cooled you will want to dice it into small pieces. I would say about the size of a garbanzo bean. Turn the pan back up to med-high heat and add the chicken and the bowl of minced veggies. Drizzle stir fry sauce over the meat and vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the veggies start to become a little tender. I like a bit of crispness still to mine. If you like yours more thoroughly cooked, you'll be looking at 7-10 minutes.

Once the chicken is done spoon it into a lettuce cup and top with secret sauce. Add spicy mustard and chili paste if desired. You could also add red pepper flakes in lieu of chili paste.

This recipe is going to definitely be in my meal rotation from here on out. It was in no way a disappointment! My youngest son asked if he could have this again for dinner tomorrow night. Sadly, the answer is "no" since I have another recipe to South Beach modify on my list. Up next, Chicken and Dumplings.