There is something really appealing with eating with your fingers, sometimes I really do think food tastes better when you can eat with your hands. These little lettuce cups are a perfect example, they are juicy so make sure you have lots of napkins on hand but so fresh with the mint and cucumber in the “slaw”. You can make these with either chicken or roast beef, and with only 1 small leg of chicken and leftover deli roast beef from the Roast Beef Vietnamese Sandwiches, I thought the two would make a perfectly good combination. I also sautéed in some finely chopped mushroom and onion to make go a longer way.  If I have learnt anything from cooking over the past years is that all recipes should be tailored to the contents of your fridge, sometimes you find some great flavour combos by combining your odds and ends into one dish.

Chicken and Roast Beef Lettuce Cups

Serves 2 very hungry people

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast or 2 chicken thighs, finely chopped (although you can get away with less if you increase the amount of mushrooms/onions)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced roast beef
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Boston or Bibb lettuce cups

Marinade

• 2-3 tablespoons siracha sauce or other hot sauce
• 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 inch nub ginger, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Slaw Dressing

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• pinch sugar
• salt and pepper

Slaw

• 1/2 english cucumber, thinly cut into matchsticks
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• handful of cilantro chopped
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Combine Siracha, soy sauce, broth, vinegar, garlic and ginger to prepare the marinade.
2. If you are cooking both chicken and beef you will want to separate the marinade in half, adding in chicken into one and beef into the other to marinade for at least 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the slaw in a large bowl and dressing in a small bowl, whisking the oil into the other ingredients. Pour the dressing over the veg and toss lightly.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil on med-high heat and add in onions and mushroom, cooking for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to shrivel.
5. For Chicken:  Remove chicken from marinade and add into pan with mushroom and onions and cook until done 5-10 minutes depending on size of chicken. While you are frying the chicken, whisk in cornstarch into leftover marinade (be careful with contamination as this sauce was housing some raw chicken!). Add in the marinade and cook for at least 3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
6. For Beef: Cook onions and mushrooms until almost cooked (onions are translucent and mushrooms are shrivelled). Add in beef and marinade, cook for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. If you are cooking with raw beef, you will want to follow the chicken instructions.
7. Prepare the cups :)- now this is the fun part! Start with your lettuce cups, place a giant spoonful of meat with sauce and top with veg slaw.
8. EAT!