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Inspired by the popular appetizer, these Chicken Lettuce Wraps make a quick and delicious meal that’s chock-full of flavor. Cook ground chicken in an easy stir-fry sauce, then serve in cool lettuce cups with a zippy red dipping sauce.
Meggan’s notes
I love a good Chicken Lettuce Wrap, although some versions are better than others. I like one with a little heat and not too much sweetness. Light yet flavorful, not too greasy.
This version hits all the right notes. I love the taste and crunch of water chestnuts, so they were an easy addition with the ground chicken (or turkey or beef). Buy them already sliced so you have even less chopping to do! Red peppers, carrots, and mushrooms are also excellent veggie options if you don’t like water chestnuts.
I first learned about Sambal Oelek in Culinary School. It’s a spicy chili-garlic sauce, and I love it mixed with Dijon mustard and honey. I could drink the stuff; it makes the perfect dipping sauce!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Rice vinegar: Or substitute distilled rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Ginger: Store the whole root in the freezer, as-is and grate it when you need it. Some grocery stores also sell tubes of grated ginger in the produce area and it works perfectly here (I usually pick up a tube of the garlic paste, too, if I’m going to make teriyaki sauce).
- Chicken: Ground turkey tastes great here too. If you want to grind your meat by hand, I suggest grinding chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. It’ll make a juicier filling.
- Chili garlic sauce: Also known as Sambal Oelek, this Indonesian condiment has a sweet and spicy taste that infuses the dipping sauce with flavor. Think of it like sriracha’s sharper, chunkier cousin. While sriracha formulas include some sugar to balance the heat, chili garlic sauce is sugar-free and contains visible chili seeds and diced garlic. Look for chili garlic sauce in jars in the condiment aisle. Huy Fong and Lee Kum Kee are two brands that I trust.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a small saucepan combine honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, Sriracha, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and simmer while preparing the chicken, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken and stir, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chestnuts and green onion and cook until tender, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine.
- While the chicken is cooking, add dijon mustard, honey, and chili garlic paste in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of the lettuce leaf. Serve with the dipping sauce.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 appetizer-sized servings (2-3 lettuce wraps each) or 2 entree-sized servings (4-6 lettuce wraps each).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The ground chicken filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator and reheat to 165 degrees.
- More vegetables: This version has onions and water chestnuts in the filling, but finely-diced mushrooms, carrots, red bell peppers are delicious additions.
- Let us change up the lettuce: Use bibb lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or hearts of romaine lettuce for these gluten-free wraps.
- Spicy: A pinch or more of red pepper flakes are a great addition in the stir-fry sauce. You can also serve extra on the side.
- Saucy: Swap out the spicy red dipping sauce for Vietnamese peanut sauce (made with just peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and garlic) or teriyaki sauce. Both are delicious here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Using ground turkey is the most obvious and closest substitute to ground chicken, but ground beef and ground pork are also delicious in these lettuce cups.
Store the whole root in the freezer, as-is and grate it when you need it. Some grocery stores also sell tubes of grated ginger in the produce area and it works perfectly here (I usually pick up a tube of the garlic paste, too, if I’m going to make teriyaki sauce).
Yes, and you should! I exclusively buy low-sodium soy sauce. You can always add more salt if you want it, but soy sauce is already super salty. You can also use coconut aminos or tamari.
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Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger grated (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha optional
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- teaspoon Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
- 8 ounces sliced water chestnuts drained and diced
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
For the dipping sauce and serving:
- 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce or sriracha (see note 2)
- 1 head butter lettuce separated into leaves
Instructions
To make the sauce:
- In a small saucepan combine honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, Sriracha, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and simmer while preparing the chicken, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To make the chicken:
- Meanwhile, In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken and stir, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chestnuts and green onion and cook until tender, about 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine.
To make the dipping sauce and serve:
- While the chicken is cooking, add dijon mustard, honey, and chili garlic paste in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of the lettuce leaf. Serve with the dipping sauce.
Notes
- Ginger: Store the whole root ginger in the freezer (peeled or unpeeled) for up to 4 months and grate it as needed using a box grater or microplane grater. To peel the ginger, scrape of the skin with the tip of a spoon or a vegetable peeler.
- Chili garlic sauce: Also known as Sambal Oelek, this Indonesian condiment has a sweet and spicy taste that infuses the dipping sauce with flavor. Huy Fong and Lee Kum Kee are two brands that I trust.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 appetizer-sized servings (2-3 lettuce wraps each) or 2 entree-sized servings (4-6 lettuce wraps each).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Excellent
Thank you, Joan. Glad you enjoyed them! – Meggan