Are you sick of eggplant recipes yet? It’s my third one so far this month, but I’m surprisingly not tired of it yet! It really is a versatile vegetable. Tired of it or not, this is the last recipe from my collection of 5 New Eggplant Ideas that I’ll be posting here on this blog. If you want to see out the rest of the collection (which includes a fabulous recipe for eggplant stuffed with picadillo) you’ll have to check it out over on Tablespoon.com.
This recipe for ground chicken and eggplant lettuce wraps was inspired by the menu at P.F. Changs. They have a similar chicken and eggplant dish that’s one of the best things I’ve ever ordered at a Chinese restaurant. My recipe is pretty different from theirs, but it captures my favorite components of the original — especially the contrast of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors and the way the tender eggplant practically melts in your mouth. Adjust the amount of chili paste to suit your desired level of spiciness, or leave it out and allow each diner to add it directly to their own portion to accommodate a variety of tastes.
My favorite way to eat this dish is wrapped in crisp leaves of iceberg lettuce. It adds a great fresh flavor and a lightness to the heavier, fragrant filling. Plus it’s fun! Of course, if lettuce wraps aren’t your thing, it’s also great over steamed white or brown rice.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Chicken Breast
- Low 1/4 cup Sodium Soy Sauce
- Fish 3 Tbs Sauce
- Olive 2 Tbs Oil
- 2 Tbs Water
- Chili 2 Tbs Paste
- Freshly 1 Tbs Grated Ginger
- Clove 1 Garlic minced
- Globe 1 Eggplant diced
- Diced 1 can Water Chestnuts
- Cilantro 1/4 cup chopped
- Scallions 2 chopped
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, breaking it up occasionally with a spoon, until nearly cooked through - about 7 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce: Whisk together the soy sauce, fish sauce, oil, water, chili paste, ginger, and garlic. Add the sauce, eggplant, and water chestnuts to the skillet with the chicken. Cook until the eggplant is soft and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cilantro and scallions. Serve over rice or in lettuce leaves.
This was delicious. Thanks for a great recipe. Definitely a keeper.
So, where is the recipe? I’m looking, looking, and looking but can’t find your version. What am I doing wrong?
Hm, I’m not sure what happened there. It should be fixed now. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Okay, now the recipe popped up. Thanks- making it now. I’m adding sugar snap peas to it for a bit more crunch.
Oh, I can’t believe how exited I am getting about eggplant right now 🙂 thank you for sharing!
I loooove lettuce wraps. This is my favorite recipe: http://yellebellyboo.blogspot.com/2011/03/healthy-asian-lettuce-wraps.html – lots of similarities although I’m a big cilantro hater. Same goes for water chestnuts…the texture bothers me. I LOVE the idea of adding eggplant, it’s my favorite!! Will try that next time for sure!
Oh hey! I remember eating these lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang’s, except it was tofu instead of chicken. I’m pretty sure they had some hoisin in there though, but I may be confusing it with Yujean Kang’s. I really like how crisp and fresh the lettuce looks. It look like it will shatter juice in your mouth.
the Change’s dish that I was inspired by wasn’t actually a lettuce wrap; it’s from the entree section. Still, like I said, these aren’t an exact copy… I was just inspired by the chicken and eggplant combo. 🙂
The real question is…could I EVER get sick of eggplant. And the answer is, unequivocally, NO. I’m definitely going to try making a veg version of these! Maybe with lentils or mushrooms (or both!) instead of chicken…
ooh, mushrooms and lentils would be great!
I dont think I could get sick of eggplant either. I just bought some more!