Chicken lettuce wraps with lettuce cups full of the chicken mixture.

We love this Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe! It’s so delicious and we love that this recipe makes a bunch, which is great because they make great leftovers to enjoy the next day!

We love the versatility of this recipe! You can make it ahead of time, it makes a great appetizer for a crowd or you can enjoy it as a whole meal in itself for both lunch or dinner, and it’s a really great to-go lunch that travels so well!

What are Chicken Lettuce Wraps?

Chicken lettuce wraps are a great, delicious, low carb dish. It consists of a mouthwatering chicken mixture filled with asian flavors. The filling is scooped into individual lettuce cups and wrapped or rolled up, giving the slightly sweet and savory chicken filling a bright, crunchy texture contrast. Our chicken lettuce wraps recipe is truly a treat that you can enjoy is a number of different ways; as a shared appetizer, a grab and go lunch, or a simple dinner!

How to Make our Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Ingredients Needed for Chicken Lettuce Wraps

CHICKEN

red wine vinegar
water
low sodium soy sauce
cornstarch
black pepper
boneless, skinless chicken thighs

ASSEMBLY

neutral oil
garlic cloves
ginger
shiitake mushrooms
bamboo shoots
water chestnuts
green onions
butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce

SAUCE

hoisin sauce
low sodium soy sauce
red wine vinegar
water
oyster sauce
light brown sugar
cornstarch
sesame oil

GARNISH

green onion
toasted sesame seeds

Tools Needed

Process

Place the first five ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together.
Pour mixture over the chicken and stir together. Marinate.
Place all ingredients for cooking sauce into a small bowl and whisk together.
Place some oil into a large skillet over high heat. Sauté chicken until partially cooked.
Remove from skillet and set aside.
Pour some oil into the same skillet and place over high heat. Sauté the ginger, garlic and shiitake mushrooms.
Add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and continue to sauté. Season with salt and pepper.
Add chicken back into the skillet; cook and stir.
Pour the cooking sauce over the mixture and stir together. Lower the heat to medium and allow the mixture to thicken.
Stir in the green onions. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Top mixture with a sprinkle of green onions and sesame seed and serve warm with crisp lettuce cups.

Marinade for the chicken to make chicken lettuce wraps. — Whisk together chicken marinade ingredients.

Chicken thighs in a bowl for chicken lettuce wraps recipe. — Pour over diced chicken thighs and combine.

Cooking sauce in a glass bowl for chicken lettuce wraps. — Whisk together all the cooking sauce ingredients.

Diced chicken thighs in a skillet cooking. — Cook chicken.

Diced chicken thighs in a bowl for chicken lettuce wraps. — Place in a bowl and set aside.

Sautéing diced mushrooms to make chicken lettuce wraps filling. — Cook ginger, garlic, and mushrooms.

Making chicken lettuce wrap filling in a skillet. — Add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and continue to cook.

Cooking chicken lettuce wrap filling in a skillet. — Add chicken back into skillet.

Adding sauce to chicken in a skillet to make chicken lettuce wraps. — Pour sauce in and combine. Cook until thick.

Chicken lettuce wraps in a skillet with green onions. — Add green onions and combine.

Chicken lettuce wraps with lettuce and chicken in them on the side. — Top with sesame seeds and more green onions and serve!

What Lettuce to Use for Our Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Crisp, hearty and mild types of lettuce is our choice for chicken lettuce wraps. We love the refreshing texture contrast that it provides without overpowering the filling. Some of our favorite choices are:

butter lettuce
Iceberg
romaine

Cabbage is also a good option, if you’re looking for something thicker and even more hearty to wrap the chicken filling in. Some options we recommend are:

savoy cabbage
napa cabbage
green or purple cabbage

Make Ahead and Freezing This Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Make Ahead

The filling for the chicken lettuce wraps can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to reheat, pour filling into a sauté pan along with 1 to 2 tablespoons water and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.

Parts of the filling can also be prepped a few days ahead of time:

garlic and ginger – minced 3 days ahead of time
bamboo shoots and water chestnuts – diced 3 days ahead of time
shiitake mushrooms – stemmed and diced 3 days ahead of time
sauce – mixed together 3 days ahead of time
chicken – diced 1 day ahead of time

Freezing

The filling can be made and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Cool filling completely before transferring into a freezer friendly, airtight container, removing as much air as possible (if storing in a ziploc bag) until ready to use.

When ready to use, transfer container to refrigerator and thaw overnight. Once filling is thawed, pour filling into a sauté pan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.

Lettuce cups with chicken filling in them.

Variations for Our Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Diced chicken breast or ground chicken can be used instead of chicken thighs
Firm tofu thats been pressed (releasing some water) can be crumbled and used for a vegetarian option
Ground beef can be used as another protein option
Ground pork or diced pork shoulder can be used as another protein option
A mix of stemmed and diced wild mushrooms can also be used as another vegetarian option

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