Asian Spicy Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Cups

/ Mike's Kitchen, Uncategorized / By

We served these little beauties at a recent wine/food pairing event involving our neighboring wineries (GRILL 116).

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 4 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • ½ cup minced shallots
  • 1 piece sliced bread, soaked in milk, drained and crumpled
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • ½ cup mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 head butter lettuce
  • ½ cup cucumber, cut in matchsticks
  • 2 thinly sliced scallions
  1. Combine 2 tablespoons fish sauce, lime juice, sriracha, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Combine remaining fish sauce, chicken, shallots, bread, garlic, mint and cilantro in a bowl. Mix until integrated.
  3. Shape mixture into 2 inch balls – you should have 8. Refrigerate for an hour.
  4. Grill or sauté until cooked (4-5 minutes) Wrap each meatball in lettuce leaf, garnish with cucumber and scallion, and serve with dipping sauce.

Serves 4 as an appetizer. These go quite well with the 2011 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc and the 2011 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris.