Chicken Lettuce Wraps – An Easy Low-Carb Appetizer or Main Dish Recipe

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring, especially when you can make Chicken Lettuce Wraps! The famous wraps have a ton of flavor and are made with just a few ingredients.

It is an easy, low-carb recipe that can be served as an appetizer or a stand alone main course. The filling is packed with vegetables, protein, and a delectable sweet sauce that will satisfy your appetite for hours.

The filling is then piled inside cool lettuce leaves before serving. It is a great hand held meal or appetizer that even those that aren’t on a low-carb diet will enjoy.

The deep, flavorful richness of the chicken filling comes from the sauce. This is what makes the wraps so addicting, both at home and in restaurants.

In fact, there is no better feeling than witnessing your family or friends pile seconds, thirds, and even fourths onto their plates! Not only do you know that they are enjoying the dish but also that they are eating healthy without even knowing it!

How to Prepare Chicken Lettuce Wraps 

Ingredients

• Bibb lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Optional veggies: finely chopped onions, bell peppers, or grated carrots
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh ginger
• Hoisin sauce 
• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce 
• Sesame oil
• Cornstarch
• Ground chicken 
• Olive oil
• Water chestnuts, sliced
• Green onions

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1:

Carefully separate whole lettuce leaves. Then rinse and pat dry them dry, being careful not to rip them. Set aside. Then dice the mushrooms and whatever vegetables that you are using into small, diced pieces. Grate the ginger and mince the garlic, set aside.

Step 2:

In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. If you would like a thicker, glossier sauce, whisk in a little corn starch. Set aside.

Step 3:

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes until they are tender, then add ginger and garlic to cook for 1 minute more until they are fragrant. Add the ground chicken to the skillet. Continue to cook, breaking up the meat using a wooden spatula, until it is no longer pink.

Step 4:

Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir. Then heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly reduced, and the chicken is completely coated. Remove the skillet from the heat and then stir in the green onions and water chestnuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5:

Place the chicken in a serving dish and serve with lettuce wraps. Optional: serve with tiny dishes of spicy sauce, chili flakes, and diced green onions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe Gluten-Free?

In order to make this recipe gluten-free be sure to use gluten-free hoisin sauce, coconut aminos and replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce.

What is the best lettuce to use for lettuce wraps?

For the lettuce wraps, you can choose any variety of leafy green lettuce. However, I would suggest using Bibb lettuce, Boston lettuce or Hearts of Romaine.

The great thing about the lettuce wraps is that you can use whatever head of lettuce that you can find. Just be sure to buy a lettuce head with big, flexible leaves to use as wraps!

You could even use cabbage leaves as a delicious and extra crunchy alternative.

What is the best way to cut lettuce for chicken wraps?

It’s pretty easy! Remove the bottom third of the lettuce head. After that, carefully peel each lettuce leaf away! Before serving, make sure the lettuce leaves are clean and dry.

Can I make this in advance?

You can make it in advance and keep the filling in the refrigerator. Then when you are ready to eat, simply reheat the filling in a saucepan and serve.

Can I use ground ginger instead of fresh ginger?

The sauce tastes the best when the ginger is fresh. Purchase a small ginger root and then break off what you need for this recipe. Then place the rest in the freezer for whenever you need it next.

Possible Recipe Substitutions

1. Vegetables

The recipe is highly customizable to whatever you have on hand in the refrigerator. You can include other chopped vegetables such as celery, bean sprouts, bok choy, shredded Brussels sprouts, summer squash, or even diced zucchini.

Just be sure to cook the vegetables in the skillet until they are soft and tender. However, depending on how many vegetables that you add, you may need to make additional sauce.

2. Meat

You can use ground turkey, pork, plant basked crumbles, or tofu instead of the ground chicken. Or if you don’t want any meat, make the lettuce wraps entirely out of vegetables.

Chicken options:

When it comes to choosing the chicken to prepare in the chicken lettuce wraps, you have a lot of alternatives. Although this recipe calls for ground chicken, you could use chicken thighs or breasts. Just be sure to dice them into tiny pieces for easy serving.

3. Spice level

The sauce contains garlic which adds a little warmth and spice to this dish. However, if you are very sensitive to spices you may always reduce the amount or leave the garlic out completely. Alternatively, you can boost the heat level by adding a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

Preparation Tips

• Chicken lettuce wraps are often served with shredded carrots. You can sometimes find a bag of shredded carrots at the grocery store. However, it is easy to shred your own with a box grater or food processor that contains a grater blade. However, be sure to squeeze off the excess moisture from the carrots by squeezing the shreds in a paper towel.

• If you choose to use chicken breasts or thighs, dice the meat into tiny pieces. Then pat the freshly cut chicken with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. This will allow the chicken to brown better when cooked.

• You can make the sauce for the lettuce wraps up to two days before the preparation date, allowing you to get supper on the table even faster!

Storage and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate any filling leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days.

Reheat the filling in a saucepan over medium heat till it is thoroughly warmed. I find it best to add a teaspoon of water during the reheating process to keep the meat nice and moist.

Enjoy! Mary

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