Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Chicken lettuce wraps are a stir-fry you eat with your hands: ground chicken, mushrooms and water chestnuts cooked with garlic, ginger and a hoisin and soy glaze, then spooned into cool, crisp lettuce leaves. Water chestnuts stay crunchy even after cooking, so the soft filling keeps some bite, and the mushrooms add bulk and a savoury depth for very few calories. Minced meat served in lettuce cups comes from Cantonese cooking; this version uses ground chicken and takes about 30 minutes.
Published
- Prep Time
- 15 mins
- Cook Time
- 12 mins
- Total Time
- 27 mins
- Servings
- 12 lettuce wraps
How do you make Chicken Lettuce Wraps?
Brown 450 g ground chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains and it reaches 74°C (165°F). Add chopped mushrooms and green onions, then garlic and ginger, and stir in chopped water chestnuts with a sauce of hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Spoon into butter lettuce leaves and top with shredded carrot. It takes about 30 minutes.
- Total time
- 27 mins
- Calories
- 280 per serving
- Protein
- 23 g
- Yield
- 12 lettuce wraps
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Method
- Stir-frying
Ingredients
Sauce
Filling
To serve
Equipment
Large skillet or wok (30 cm / 12 inch) · Wooden spoon or spatula · Small bowl · Salad spinner or clean kitchen towels
Quick Directions
Mix the sauce
Stir the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sriracha, if using, together in a small bowl.
Prepare the lettuce
Separate 12 whole leaves from the lettuce, rinse them gently and dry them well in a salad spinner or between clean kitchen towels.
Brown the chicken
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
Add the mushrooms and aromatics
Add the mushrooms and the white parts of the green onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has mostly cooked off.
Glaze the filling
Add the water chestnuts and the sauce and toss for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the filling with very little liquid left in the pan.
Fill the lettuce cups
Spoon the filling into the lettuce leaves, about 3 heaped tablespoons each.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Every step for making chicken lettuce wraps, written out in full.
Mix the sauce
Stir the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sriracha, if using, together in a small bowl.
Prepare the lettuce
Separate 12 whole leaves from the lettuce, rinse them gently and dry them well in a salad spinner or between clean kitchen towels. Keep them in the fridge until serving so they stay crisp.
Brown the chicken
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, press it into an even layer and leave it for 2 minutes, until browned underneath. Break it into small crumbles and cook for 3-4 minutes more, stirring now and then, until no pink remains anywhere and the juices run clear. Ground chicken is safe to eat once it reaches 74°C (165°F).
Add the mushrooms and aromatics
Add the mushrooms and the white parts of the green onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has mostly cooked off. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Glaze the filling
Add the water chestnuts and the sauce and toss for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the filling with very little liquid left in the pan. Take it off the heat and stir in most of the green onion tops.
Fill the lettuce cups
Spoon the filling into the lettuce leaves, about 3 heaped tablespoons each. Top with the shredded carrot, the rest of the green onion tops and peanuts, cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if you like. Eat them like small tacos.
Recipe Tips
- Chop the water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of the cooked chicken crumbles, roughly 5 mm. Pieces that match in size are easier to scoop into a lettuce leaf and stay put.
- Leave the chicken alone for the first 2 minutes in the pan. Ground chicken is pale and mild, and the browned bits it forms give the filling much more flavour.
- Dry the lettuce well. Wet leaves dilute the sauce and make the wraps slippery.
- Hoisin sauce is sweet and salty, so taste the filling before adding more soy sauce.
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari labelled gluten-free instead of soy sauce and a hoisin sauce labelled gluten-free. Regular versions of both usually contain wheat.
Variations
- Ground turkey: use the same weight and cook until no pink remains and it reaches 74°C (165°F).
- Ground pork: use the same weight and cook until no pink remains and it reaches 71°C (160°F).
- Extra crunch: add 1 finely diced celery rib or 1/2 diced red bell pepper with the mushrooms.
- Rice bowl: serve the filling over steamed rice with the lettuce shredded on top.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories | 280 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 23 g |
| Carbs | 16 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated fat | 3.1 g |
| Fibre | 2.7 g |
| Sugar | 6.3 g |
| Sodium | 570 mg |
Estimated from the listed ingredients; values vary by brand.
Related Recipes
Storing & Reheating
- Fridge
- Refrigerate the filling within 2 hours in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep the lettuce leaves separately, wrapped in paper towel in a container, for up to 3 days.
- Freezer
- Freeze the cooked filling, not the lettuce, for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat
- Reheat the filling in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave, stirring, until steaming hot and 74°C (165°F) in the centre, then spoon it into cold lettuce leaves.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps FAQs
What lettuce is best for lettuce wraps?
Butter lettuce, also called Boston or Bibb, has soft, cup-shaped leaves that fold around the filling without cracking. Iceberg is crisper and holds its shape but splits more easily, and romaine hearts or little gem give boat-shaped leaves that are easy to hold.
Can I make chicken lettuce wraps ahead of time?
Yes. Cook the filling, cool it and refrigerate it within 2 hours for up to 4 days. Store washed, dried lettuce leaves separately for up to 3 days. Reheat the filling until steaming hot and 74°C (165°F), then fill the leaves just before eating so they stay crisp.
What can I use instead of water chestnuts?
Finely diced jicama is the closest match, since it is crisp, juicy and stays crunchy when cooked. Diced celery or extra mushrooms also work, though celery has a stronger flavour and mushrooms add softness rather than crunch.
How do I know the ground chicken is cooked?
Cook it until no pink remains in any of the crumbles, including the larger clumps, and the juices run clear. Ground chicken is safe once it reaches 74°C (165°F). Break up big clumps as it cooks so the heat reaches every piece evenly.
Are chicken lettuce wraps gluten-free?
Not as written, because regular soy sauce and most hoisin sauces contain wheat. Use tamari labelled gluten-free and a gluten-free hoisin sauce, and check the label on the sriracha, to make them gluten-free.
How many calories are in chicken lettuce wraps?
Each serving of 3 lettuce wraps has about 280 calories, 23 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat, without the optional peanuts. A tablespoon of chopped peanuts adds about 50 calories.
Disclaimer
- Nutrition information is an estimate based on the listed ingredients. It changes with the brands, portion sizes and swaps you use.
- Read ingredient labels for allergens and for diet claims such as gluten-free or vegan. Products and their ingredients can change.
- Cooking times are a guide, since ovens, air fryers and slow cookers all run differently. Use a food thermometer and cook meat, poultry and fish to the safe internal temperatures in government food safety guidance.
- This recipe is general information, not medical or nutrition advice. If you have an allergy, a health condition or a special diet, check with a qualified health professional.
