Vietnamese Chicken in Lettuce Wraps

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. Position a rack in the top third of the oven. In a food processor, pulse the chicken until coarsely ground; transfer to a bowl. Add the fish sauce, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chopped cilantro and mint, cornstarch, salt and pepper and mix with your hands.

Step 2

Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the sugar on a plate. Roll the chicken mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar to coat (See NOTE). Transfer the chicken balls to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.

Step 3

Meanwhile, arrange the lettuce, cilantro and mint leaves, cucumber and onion on platter. Transfer the meatballs to a platter, having your guests arrange the ingredients inside each lettuce wraps and serve with chili paste.

NOTE: Rolling these meatballs in sugar before cooking them might seem like an unconventional technique. However, it results in a sweet and sticky glaze that's wonderful with spicy chile paste and tangy Asian fish sauce.