Serve these simple and Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps as a tasty appetizer, a quick lunch or even as a light dinner!
This Asian inspired recipe is a popular one! It’s easy to make and full of tantalizing crunch and flavor. Lettuce serves as a replacement for other higher carbohydrate wraps like rice paper or tortillas. And the filling is made with garlic, ginger, red peppers, water chestnuts and ground chicken, all cooked in a sweet hoisin soy sauce with a splash of siracha. This combination of delicious flavors and textures make these chicken lettuce wraps hard to resist!
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Best Appetizer Recipe
- These Thai inspired chicken lettuce wraps are positively delicious. The best creations in Asian cuisine are filled with lean ground chicken, red peppers, crunchy water chestnuts and flavored with a sweet and slightly sour sauce.
- Scoop the tasty filling into crisp and healthy iceberg or butter lettuce leaves for serving. These chicken wraps are so simple and easy to make, perfect any time of day or any occasion.
Ingredients & Variations
FILLING: Buy ground chicken or turkey, which are lean options for this recipe. Or use boneless chicken thighs, sliced or ground, in these Thai wraps. Add fresh garlic, ginger, and some red peppers to the mix, along with water chestnuts. Water chestnuts are sold in a can, and can be found in the Asian aisle of the supermarket.
SAUCE: Hoisin is a rich and flavorful dark sauce made from soybeans, garlic, spices, and sugar. It’s an important ingredient for the sauce and boosts the flavor of the final dish. The siracha adds a little bit of an extra spicy kick, but can be replaced with a little tabasco if desired.
WRAP: A traditional wrap, such as rice paper, is replaced with iceberg, or bibb lettuce – which is a type of butter lettuce. Both types of lettuce are mild flavored and tend to have large leaves that form a ‘bowl’ to hold the filling. They are also stiff enough to stand up to the weight of the filling.
VARIATIONS: Try adding some crushed cashews or peanuts to the filling, or sprinkle with some black or white sesame seeds. Garnish with julienned carrots, cucumbers, or add some cilantro or crunchy noodles.
How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
This Thai dish is superbly easy to make and so delicious.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients.
- Cook the chicken, garlic, and ginger.
- Add the water chestnuts and pepper, then cook as per the recipe below.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and stir.
- Add filling to lettuce leaves and garnish if desired. Serve!
What to Serve with Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Serve lettuce wraps as a low carb main dish, but if there is a hungry crowd, add some Lemon Rice, Thai Quinoa Salad, Baked Corn Ribs, or Oven Roasted Asparagus. Or just compliment lettuce wraps with white rice, soba noodles or a some Wonton Crisps. All would be perfect addititions.
Easy Recipe Tips
One of the secrets to making lettuce wraps lies in the lettuce. While breaking it from the head of lettuce, try to peel it back so the leaf stays intact. The larger leaves are the best used to wrap, as are ones without holes or tears. Smaller leaves are great for making smaller, bite sized portions. However, if the lettuce isn’t the right size, use it to make a salad!
More Appetizer Recipes!
- Pineapple Sausage Kabobs – perfect for a party.
- Grilled Quesadillas – always a favorite.
- Chicken Wonton Cups – delicious!
- Cranberry Meatballs – so easy.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings – insanely delicious!
Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- ½ Tablespoon oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger grated, or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 8 ounces water chestnuts diced (1 can)
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 1 head lettuce iceberg or bibb lettuce (washed)
Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce low sodium preferred
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon sriracha or to taste (or a couple dashes tabasco)
Optional Garnishes
- julienned cucumbers
- julienned carrots
- cilantro chopped
- crunchy noodles
- peanuts or cashews (chopped if desired)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- In a large skillet on medium high, saute ground chicken, garlic, and ginger breaking up with a meat chopper (or a wooden spoon). Continue to stir occasionally and break up the meat for 7-8 minutes.
- Add water chestnuts and red pepper. Stir. Cook until pepper is tender, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sauce and cook until heated through.
- Spoon warm filling into lettuce leaves. Top with your favorite garnishes and extra hoisin sauce if desired.
Notes
- Nutrition calculated without optional garnishes.
- Try to peel each lettuce leaf back gently so it stays intact.
- Use large leaves and ones without holes or tears.
- Smaller leaves are perfect for bite sized portions.
- Refrigerate filling separately from lettuce. It will keep for about 3-4 days.
- Reheat filling on the stovetop.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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