Chicken Stir Fry Lettuce Cups with Sweet Chili Jam
Serves 6-8 or 12-15 individual lettuce cups
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. Canola oil
- 1 Lb. chicken thigh meat, trimmed of excess fat and chopped
- 2½ oz. light soy sauce
- 1 ounce granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. white pepper
- 1 oz. Hoisin Sauce
- ½ oz. Chili Sambal Sauce
- 1 oz. chopped garlic
- 10 leaves of Thai Basil (preferably, but Basil will do)
- 3 oz. cashews, dry roasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 oz. corn starch
- 12-14 leaves of the freshest Bibb lettuce, chilled very cold
- Sweet Chili Jam
- Make the marinade. Combine the chopped chicken, only 2 of the 2½ ounces of soy, the Hoisin, Chili Sambal sauce, garlic, Basil, white pepper, corn starch and sugar in a large bowl and mix well with spatula, beating the mixture against the side of the bowl to tenderize further. Marinate for 1 to 12 hours.
- To cook the mixture, heat the Canola oil in a large, non-stick skillet or wok until it begins to show smoke. Add the chicken mixture and stir-fry until nicely browned and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Add the cashews, the remaining ½ oz. soy sauce, stir and cook for 1 minute more.
- Place 2-3 tablespoons of the warm mixture in thoroughly chilled lettuce cups, top with Sweet Chili Jam and serve.
Ingredients:
- 2 T chopped garlic
- 1 t. chili flakes
- 1 red bell pepper, minced very small
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ T salt
- 1 bunch mint, leaves only, chopped
Mix the ingredients, except the mint, in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until it has reduced to a syrupy consistency. Cool the sauce and then add mint.
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Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa
3425 Solano Ave, Napa CA 94558
707-254-3360 direct
Website: napavalleymarriott.com
Email: shawn.milburn@napavalleymarriott.com
About Brian Whitmer:
Brian has directed kitchens at four of the finest hotels in the Bay Area; Campton Place in San Francisco, The Highlands Inn in Carmel, The Renaissance Lodge at Sonoma and now here at The Napa Valley Marriott and Spa. Interwoven in a career rich with great experiences are triumphs Brian has enjoyed as Chef of fine restaurants. At Montrachet in New York City he earned the coveted 3-star rating from the New York Times and at Montrio, the restaurant he helped open in Monterey was awarded nationally, "Best Restaurant of the Year" by John Mariani for Esquire magazine. Brian describes his cooking style as "robustly flavored, Mediterranean-inspired, wine country cuisine". Chef Brian is passionate about utilizing the "rich array of local artisan producers and the bounty of the seasons" to create a cuisine as classic as it is contemporary.
