Chicken lettuce wraps using ground chicken cooked in a savory sauce with fresh vegetables. This absolutely delicious and refreshing dish is a perfect starting point for dinner or a meal on its own.
This chicken lettuce wraps recipe goes really well with Shrimp Ceviche with Cooked Shrimp or the Asian Napa Cabbage Salad.
Why you will love this
Super simple to make.
Easy as a weeknight dinner or an appetizer for a dinner party.
Healthier option using ground chicken.
Kid-friendly – this is how I get my kids to eat lettuce.
Versital to eat with rice or noodles if you don’t want to wrap it with lettuce.
Amazing flavors that will be a favorite for all taste buds.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Ground chicken – I usually get it at my local Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find ground chicken, you can use chicken breasts or thighs and dice it up into small pieces. Ground turkey works as a substitute also.
Water Chestnuts – you can usually find them in can water chestnuts in the Asian food aisle in the grocery stores. This can be substituted with daikon, jicama, turnips, or radish.
Onion – white, yellow, or sweet will work. You can also use green onion.
Mushrooms – brown, baby Bella, or shiitake.
Fresh Basil – dried can be used.
Green Onions
Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce – this gives the dish a rich, dark color. You can substitute it with soy sauce but with half the amount.
Oyster Sauce – this is a key ingredient in the sauce, and you can usually find it in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. A close, but still not the same, substitute would be hoisin sauce or combining two tbsp of soy sauce with one tbsp of honey.
Brown Sugar
Rice Vinegar – or apple cider vinegar
Sesame Oil – walnut or olive oil
Cornstarch – or another kind of thickener
How to make chicken lettuce wraps
Prepare the sauce.
Prepare vegetable ingredients.
The cooking process.
What goes well with chicken lettuce wraps?
This delicious chicken lettuce wrap is excellent as an appetizer or a side dish for a summer BBQ or dinner party. It also goes well with any seafood dish, a light beer, or a glass of your favorite white wine.
Which lettuce is best for wraps?
My favorite lettuce to wrap is iceberg lettuce. The crunch you get from the iceberg lettuce with the warm and savory chicken filling is the best! It is a bit hard to prepare and a little tricky to peel each leaf and keep it in tack to create the perfect cup. Butter lettuce or romaine lettuce are also great options.
Can I use other types of ground meat?
The best substitute for ground chicken will be ground turkey. The flavoring mainly comes in the sauce. You can use other types of ground meat like beef or pork. But keep in mind that it will change the dish’s flavor since each kind of meat gives it a different taste.
What sides go well with lettuce wraps?
We love having chicken lettuce wraps with a side of homemade dill pickles or kimchi as a meal during the weeknights because it’s quick and easy. My kids love having it with a side of rice or noodles, so they can mix it with the chicken mixture or wrap it with lettuce however they want.
Can I make it spicy?
You can turn this into a spicy chicken lettuce wrap recipe. Simply add your choice of chili or hot sauce to the sauce mixture before cooking. How much to add will depend on how hot you want it. Here are some suggestions:
Sriracha Hot Sauce
Thai chilies – diced
Chili paste or oil
Jalapeno – diced
Chili flakes
Other Asian recipes to try
Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 small onion diced
- ½ cup water chestnuts – diced
- ½ cup mushrooms chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 2-3 sprigs green onions chopped
Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp water
Garnish
- green onions
- shredded carrots
- sesame seeds
- bean sprouts
Instructions
- Prepare the soy sauce mixture in a bowl by combining soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Mix until the brown sugar dissolves.
- Add corn starch and water. Mix until the corn starch is mainly incorporated into the mixture. Set the sauce aside.
- Rinse the lettuce leaves. Shake as much water off of it and set it aside to dry.
- Chop water chestnuts, mushrooms, green onions, and basil and set them aside. Chop onions and set them aside separately from the other ingredients.
- Heat a large skillet or pan on medium-high heat. Coat it with desired cooking oil. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes or till semi-translucent.
- Add ground chicken to the pan. Use a wooden spatula or a meat chopper to separate and crumble the meat. Once you crumble the meat to your liking, add the soy sauce mixture to the ground chicken. Mix until all the meat is coated with the sauce.
- Add all other ingredients to the pan, water chestnuts, mushrooms, green onions, and basil. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated with the ground chicken. Let it simmer for about 5 mins.
- Transfer to a serving plate and let it rest and cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
- Top with garnishes or serve it on the side.
- Serve with lettuce leaves.
