Lettuce Wraps

These Asian-inspired Lettuce Wraps are made with ground chicken, veggies, and a homemade sweet and spicy sauce. This easy recipe makes a great appetizer, side dish, or main course and is ready in under 20 minutes!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 18

Total Time 28

Servings servings (12 wraps)

Calories 382kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Large skillet
Bowls

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

¼ cup hoisin sauce (60mL)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the Chicken:

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 pound ground chicken (450g)
1 onion diced (195g)
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced (180g)
1 (8-ounce/226g) can water chestnuts drained and finely chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves minced

For Serving:

12 Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
3 green onions chopped (20g)
¼ cup chopped peanuts (40g)

Instructions

For the Sauce:

In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. Set aside.

For the Chicken:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring to break into small crumbles, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the onion, bell pepper, water chestnuts, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is well covered in sauce, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Spoon about ¼ cup of the chicken mixture onto each lettuce leaf. Sprinkle the lettuce wraps with green onions and peanuts. Serve immediately.

Notes

Allow the filling to cool slightly before serving. This will keep the lettuce base from wilting. If this filling is too hot, it can make the wrap wet and soggy.
Mix in extra veggies. Feel free to add more vegetables to the filling for a pop of color, nutrition, and flavor. Great options are shredded carrots, diced zucchini, or chopped mushrooms.
Add more heat. For spicier lettuce cups, increase the amount of sweet chili sauce or add sriracha or red pepper flakes to the chicken filling.
Garnish with additional toppings. Add flavor and texture with extra toppings like sesame seeds, Thai basil or mint, wonton strips, sliced avocado, bean sprouts, or serve with fresh lime wedges.
Reinvent leftovers. Serve leftover filling over hot rice or rice noodles as a bowl, or chop up the lettuce and drizzle with a ginger dressing, then scatter the filling on top for a quick and easy salad.

Nutrition