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Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated Sep 10, 2023
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Chicken lettuce wraps are super easy, and make a surprisingly quick and healthy weeknight meal.
Serves2 to 4Prep20 minutes to 30 minutesCook15 minutes to 20 minutesJump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
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For all the times I have ordered chicken lettuce wraps at Chinese restaurants like P.F. Chang’s, inhaled entire “appetizers” by myself, and sighed with happiness while licking sticky sauce from my fingers, it never once occurred to me to try making this dish at home. Partly, lettuce wraps have always felt like an indulgence that needed restriction to restaurant visits only. Partly, I assumed that the secret to their deliciousness surely lay in a long list of ingredients, fussy technique, or both.
You see where I’m heading here, yes? We can definitely make chicken lettuce wraps at home. It’s actually super easy and makes a surprisingly quick and healthy weeknight meal. The sauce is what makes it delicious and to make it, simply mix hoisin sauce with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to make a sticky glaze for the chicken. Pick up what you need on your way home, and you can have these for dinner tonight.
Quick Overview
Tips For Making Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Whisk in the cornstarch if you like a more thickened, glossy sauce.
- Use ground chicken, or mince chicken breasts or thighs for the filling.
- Round out the filling with some diced mushrooms, water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger.
- Use Bibb or butter lettuce with small heads and fresh outer leaves.
Ingredients for Chicken Lettuce Wraps
The Secret Sauce
I can’t claim to know what P.F. Chang’s or other Chinese restaurants put in their secret sauce, but I feel pretty happy with my own. The key ingredient is hoisin — a sweet, salty, slightly tangy, spiced sauce that’s like the Chinese equivalent to American barbecue sauce. Here, I mix it with some soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to make a sticky glaze for the chicken in our wraps.
This sauce is what gives the chicken filling its rich, savory depth. And (in my professional opinion) what makes these wraps so incredibly addictive, both at restaurants and at home.
The Chicken Filling
Of course, a secret sauce requires a delivery vehicle, and in this case, ground chicken does the job. This is one place where the relatively light and mild flavor of chicken is a boon — any other meat would make this dish too rich. I like the chewy, nubbly texture of ground chicken (or turkey) in this dish, though you could mince some chicken breasts or thighs if you’d prefer.
To round out the filling, add some diced mushrooms, water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger. I especially love the water chestnuts — their wet crunchiness is always a nice surprise in each bite!
The Lettuce Wrap
Bibb or butter lettuce are my picks for these wraps. They have sturdy, broad leaves that hold a good amount of filling without major risk of everything falling apart. Look for relatively small heads with fresh outer leaves that show no signs of wilting.
You could also use long leaves of romaine, cut into a few pieces, or even a hearty green, like Swiss chard or collards.
A Quick, Satisfying Meal
Chicken lettuce wraps are a true 30-minute meal, even including the time to chop up the vegetables. This is a meal that won’t heat up your kitchen or feel too heavy to eat. It hits that magical middle zone of being both very satisfying and also surprisingly light and refreshing.
But wait, there’s more! I’ve found that the chicken filling keeps well in the fridge. This means that I can make a big batch for dinner and then have the leftovers for lunch over the next few days, or make this for a party without cooking at the last minute. Add a splash of chicken broth if the filling looks dry; otherwise, heat up what you need in the microwave.
How To Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Chicken lettuce wraps are super easy, and make a surprisingly quick and healthy weeknight meal.
Prep time 20 minutes to 30 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes to 20 minutes
Serves 2 to 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 3 to 5 tablespoons
hoisin sauce (gluten-free, if needed)
- 2 tablespoons
soy sauce (or 1 tablespoon tamari or coconut aminos if gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons
rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon
toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon
cornstarch (optional)
- 1 pound
ground chicken or ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons
vegetable oil, divided
- 8 ounces
white button or cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
Optional vegetables: finely diced onions, finely diced bell peppers, finely diced or grated carrots
- 1 (8-ounce) can
water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
- 3 cloves
garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon
peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup
thinly sliced scallions (from about 6 scallions), divided
- 2
small heads Bibb or butter lettuce
Serving options: red pepper flakes, hot sauce
Equipment
Measuring spoons and cups
Large frying pan
Instructions
Make the sauce. Place 3 tablespoons of the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl and whisk. If you'd like a more thickened, glossy sauce, whisk in the cornstarch; place near the stove.
Cook the ground chicken. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking it up into small pieces, until cooked through and no longer pink, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean bowl; set aside.
Cook the vegetables and aromatics. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and any optional vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Combine the vegetables and chicken. Return the chicken to the pan and add 1/2 of the scallions.
Stir in the sauce. Add the sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling and the sauce is warmed through, 30 to 60 seconds. Taste and add more hoisin sauce if desired.
Serve with the lettuce. Break off all the lettuce leaves and pile them on a plate in the center of the table, along with small dishes with hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and the remaining scallions. Transfer the hot chicken mixture to a serving dish, or serve straight from the skillet. Give everyone a spoon and let them dig in — place a generous spoonful of chicken mixture in the middle of a lettuce leaf, top with scallions and hot sauce or red pepper flakes, and eat right away.
Recipe Notes
Gluten-free: To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten-free hoisin sauce, and tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Make ahead: The cooked chicken filling keeps very well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat just what you need and add a splash of chicken broth if the mixture seems dry.
Filed in:
appetizer
asian
Chicken
chinese
Dairy-Free
dinner
