Recipe Wednesday: Lettuce Wraps (Merrick)

One of my family's favorite restaurants is P.F. Changs. Whenever we go, at least one of us gets the lettuce wraps because they're just too good not to get. I never considered trying to make them at home until Real Simple sent me a recipe for lettuce wraps in their daily recipe email. Their recipe looked pretty good, so I decided to give it a whirl.

After dinner, Philip and I both declared that they were far better than P.F. Changs. Then I passed the recipe onto my little sister, and she reported the same thing. Try it out and judge for yourself which ones are better..

Chicken and Cashews in Lettuce Cups

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce ($.20)
3 tablespoons honey ($.10)
2 tablespoons canola oil ($.10)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces ($3.00)
pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped ($.10)
1 tablespoon ginger ($.05)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced ($.60)
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained (I left these out, so I don't know how much they cost)
1/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews ($1.00)
1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated ($1.00)

1. Combine the soy sauce and honey in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
3. Lower heat to medium and stir in the garlic and ginger. Add the scallions and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the water chestnuts and half the soy sauce mixture and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the cashews.
4. Divide the lettuce leaves among individual plates and spoon the chicken over the top. Serve with the remaining soy sauce mixture for drizzling.

(Serves 4)

Total Cost: $6.15

If you determine that these are better than P.F. Chang's, make these when you're in need of a Chinese food fix. You'll save money since P.F. Changs are $7.50 (plus tip!), and you'll save yourself the trouble of driving over there!