In a medium skillet on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Swirl the oil around the skillet then add the ground chicken. Using a spatula, separate the chicken into small pieces (see photo #2) and cook until it is no longer pink.
On the same skillet, add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until soft and translucent.
Fold in water chestnuts, green onion, and more sesame oil (if needed). Remove from the pan. You can stop right here, and start enjoying your chicken lettuce wraps if you wish. Steps 5 and 6 are for preparing the mung bean noodles if you want to add that to your lettuce wraps. See instructions on how to cook mung bean noodles below.
Serve ground chicken on a bed of stir-fried (or deep-fried) mung bean noodles and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. Garnish with sliced green onions and more sriracha sauce as needed.
For the mung bean noodles:
If stir-frying, soak the noodles in a bowl filled with tap water for 15 minutes. Drain. And now we're ready to stir-fry the noodles. Using the same skillet, add the noodles. Add a bit of water to scrape off bits from the pan. This will add more flavor to the noodles and will give them that nice golden color (see photo #6). See notes.
If deep-frying, heat oil for about 345 °F (174 °C). Put dry noodles in oil, and cook until noodles puff up. This is kind of fun to watch! Using a slotted spoon, pick up the noodles and place them on a plate covered with a paper towel to help absorb the oil from the noodles. See notes.
Notes
Whether you're stir-frying or deep-frying the mung bean noodles, be sure to cut them first so they're not too long and will be easier to eat.
Serve ground chicken on a bed of stir-fried mung bean noodles and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. Garnish with sliced green onions and more sriracha sauce as needed.
Can also be served with a side of steamed or fried rice.
The following ingredients can be found in the Asian aisle at your local grocery store.
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Hoisin sauce
Rice vinegar
Sriracha sauce
Water chestnuts
Mung bean noodles
For a vegetarian option, use tofu in place of ground chicken.
Ground turkey or ground pork can also be used instead of ground chicken.
Coconut aminos can be used instead of soy sauce for a gluten-free option.
If you can't find mung bean noodles, you can replace them with other clear noodles, like glass noodles, cellophane noodles, and bean thread noodles, all of which are gluten-free options.
Don't want to use water chestnuts? No problem. You can omit or use jicama or radishes to give some crunch to the dish.