These Chicken Lettuce Wraps are easy, healthy, and better than P.F. Chang’s! Tender ground chicken and veggies are cooked in an outrageously addictive, sweet-and-salty Asian sauce, then piled inside crisp lettuce cups.
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Why You’ll Love This Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
- Simple Ingredients. As with my vegetarian Lettuce Wraps, it was important to me that these chicken lettuce wraps be made of everyday ingredients that are easy to find at most grocery stores. You may even have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now!
- No Muss, No Fuss. Just like my Asian Chicken Wraps, these easy lettuce wraps are flavorful without requiring hours of prep time. They can be made in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Each option is equally as delicious, so choose whichever fits best with your schedule.
- Leftovers Are a Dream. Like my Egg Roll in a Bowl, these lettuce wraps yield a generous portion of the filling, and any amount you don’t finish will last in the refrigerator for several days or can be frozen for several months. Simply grab some fresh lettuce leaves and you have a meal prep dream.
- Healthier Than a Restaurant. As with all my stir fry recipes, these Thai chicken lettuce wraps have the same sweet crunch and addictive taste as the restaurant kind, but they’re so much better for you. Every spoonful provides double-duty servings of both protein and vegetables.
5 Star Review
“These were truly amazing! So delicious! They were a winner with the whole fam. “
— Sarah —
How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
The Ingredients
- Ground Chicken. Ground chicken is quick-cooking, mild, and it will soak up the flavor of the sauce without overpowering it. Perfect!
- Hoisin + Soy Sauce. The sweet, sticky, salty, and umami base for our sauce. Think of hoisin as sweet Asian BBQ sauce (YUM!). I use low sodium soy sauce to keep the sodium levels lower, but tamari or coconut aminos can also be used.
- Rice Vinegar. It provides a touch of acidity to balance the sweetness of the hoisin and the saltiness of the soy sauce.
- Sesame Oil. A richly nutty and toasty counterpart to the sweetness in the sauce for these Asian chicken lettuce wraps. This one is hard to swap; if you cook Asian food often (or aspire to), you’ll love having it on hand.
- Ginger + Garlic. Twin flavor bombs in Asian cooking. Fresh ginger is best but you can swap in one-third the amount of ground ginger in a pinch.
- Mushrooms + Grated Carrots. Even if you don’t like mushrooms, I highly doubt you will notice them here! They are chopped super small, and their flavor deepens the sauce without making it taste like mushrooms.
- Red Pepper Flakes. Just a little for some heat.
- Water Chestnuts. The delicious “crunch” factor. They are mild in flavor but so worthwhile.
- Butter Lettuce. Butter lettuce is the best for lettuce wraps (bibb lettuce works well too). The leaves are tender and slightly sweet, making them the ideal vessel for our filling. The inner hearts of romaine lettuce will also work well, and in a pinch, you can use iceberg lettuce for lettuce wraps, if that’s what you have on hand.
Optional Chicken Lettuce Wrap Toppings
This recipe is ready to enjoy as is, but you can certainly incorporate some toppings if you please. I think chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, or crispy chow mein noodles would be tasty options. Chili crisp is also delicious if you want to add some more heat.
The Directions
- Prepare the Sauce. A liquid measuring cup works well for this.
- Brown the Chicken. Add the green onions, ginger, and garlic to the pan.
- Cook. Transfer all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours.
- Serve. Assemble the chicken lettuce wraps and ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Beef Lettuce Wraps. Swap the ground chicken in this recipe for lean ground beef. The flavor will be different but still tasty.
- Pork Lettuce Wraps. Swap the ground chicken for ground pork. (Love pork in Asian recipes? Don’t miss my Pork Stir Fry with peanut butter.)
- Turkey Lettuce Wraps. Use ground turkey instead of ground chicken. This swap is nearly imperceptible.
- Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Since lettuce wrap recipes like this one are designed for cooking ground meat (versus a whole chicken breast), I’d recommend making this Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken or this Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken, then folding it into lettuce cups.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Leftover filling can be stored in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store your lettuce separately in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the refrigerator. I like to wrap my lettuce leaves in a dry paper towel or clean kitchen towel before placing them in the container/bag to help preserve their crunch.
- To Reheat. Gently rewarm the filling in a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave. Fill lettuce cups just before serving.
- To Freeze. You can freeze chicken lettuce wraps filling. Place leftover filling in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and serve with fresh lettuce cups.
Meal Prep Tip
Up to 1 day in advance, brown the meat as directed with the green onions, ginger, and garlic. Refrigerate the mixture in an airtight storage container until you’re ready to finish the recipe.
Leftover Ideas
Leftover lettuce wrap filling is scrumptious served over rice or noodles for an easy meal. You can also turn leftovers into a salad by serving them over lettuce.
What to Serve With Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Salad. Salad goes well with chicken lettuce wraps. Asian Cabbage Salad and Asian Cucumber Salad would both be tasty.
- Veggies. Pair lettuce wraps with Roasted Frozen Broccoli, Air Fryer Green Beans, or Roasted Eggplant.
- Noodles. Vegetable Lo Mein would be delicious with lettuce wraps for dinner.
- Rice. Keep it simple with white rice or brown rice, or pair these lettuce wraps with Egg Fried Rice.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Slow Cooker. I love that it switches to “keep warm” at the end of the cooking time so my food rarely overcooks.
- Dutch Oven. This one is perfect for browning the meat and preparing lettuce wrap recipes on the stovetop.
- Measuring Spoons. These are easy to store and can go in the dishwasher.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Cook on Low. I do not recommend cooking the meat for Asian chicken lettuce wraps on high in the slow cooker. Low heat is the best option to ensure a tender, perfectly cooked filling.
- Don’t Overstuff. If you don’t mind filling slipping out of your lettuce, then feel free to stuff away! However, if you want to serve perfectly portioned, easy-to-eat lettuce wraps (think dinner party), then use less filling per lettuce cup.
- Keep Your Lettuce Separate. Refrigerate your lettuce separately to help it stay crisp. I wrap my lettuce leaves in a dry towel before placing them in the storage container to help preserve their crunch.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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Ingredients
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce plus 1 tablespoon, use tamari to make gluten free
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken breast
- 1 small bunch green onions thinly sliced, white/light green and dark green parts divided
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 8 ounces baby bella cremini mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 ½ cup grated carrots from about 3 large carrots
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes reduce to 1/4 teaspoon or omit if sensitive to spice
- 2 (8-ounce) cans water chestnuts drained and finely chopped
- 2 heads butter lettuce
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 5-quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the chicken and brown the meat, breaking it into small pieces. Continue cooking until no longer pink, about 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the white and light green parts of the green onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook 30 additional seconds.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the chopped mushrooms, carrots, red pepper flakes, and sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours until the mixture is thickened and the chicken is ultra tender. (Do not be tempted to cook on HIGH, as the chicken will become tough.) Stir in the water chestnuts and green parts of the green onions.
- To serve, separate the butter lettuce leaves and fill with the chicken mixture. Enjoy hot.
Video
Notes
- TO MAKE ON THE STOVETOP: Prepare the recipe through step 2 in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the chopped mushrooms, carrots, red pepper flakes, and sauce. Reduce the heat to low and let cook until the chicken and mushrooms are very tender and the sauce has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Check and stir periodically. Stir in the water chestnuts and green tops of the green onions. Enjoy!
- I do not recommend cooking this recipe on high in the slow cooker. The filling does best over low heat so that it becomes nice and tender.
- TO STORE: Leftover filling can be stored in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store your lettuce separately in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the refrigerator. I like to wrap my lettuce leaves in a dry paper towel or clean kitchen towel before placing them in the container/bag to help preserve their crunch.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm the filling in a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave. Fill lettuce cups just before serving.
- TO FREEZE: Place leftover filling in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and serve with fresh lettuce cups.
Nutrition
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My friend recommended this recipe and am I glad that she did! It’s perfect as is, but also very customizable and still comes out great. Last time I made it, I added zucchini and used cabbage leaves in place of lettuce as a wrap and it was so yummy.
Hi Felicia! So glad she did too! :) Thanks so much for the kind review!
Super easy, fast & delicious. Made it right on the stove top in under 15 minutes. The sauce was perfectly savory & a little sweetness. I would absolutely make this again.
Did have some difficulty with the website glitching a lot, lots of pop ups.
HI Brianna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! Sorry to hear about it glitching, we will definitely take a look at it.
Absolutely Fabulous!
Made this for Mother’s Day dinner. The prep was easy and done the night before. Everyone was very impressed and enjoyed the meal. Who knew this could be done in the slow cooker! This recipe is a keeper!
Thanks!
Hi Kathleen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
If you are going to brown the meat fully on the stove top, what is the point of moving it tothe slow cooker?! Just finish the dish on the stove by adding sauce and and let it reduce foe a few minutes
Hi Beth! You can do it both ways, which I have both options listed in the recipe card. Some people like the convenience of the slow cooker. It helps marry the flavors together and keeps it warm for you, for when you want to serve it later. Hope this helps!
These were amazing! I followed the instructions exactly but left out the water chestnuts. My family loved them and I will be making these again!
Hi Sarah! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this for dinner the other night, and it was SUCH a hit! It made enough for leftovers for us to enjoy a healthy lunch throughout the week, too! Another plus- it’s a slow cooker meal! With back to school upon us and my kids’ busy sports schedule, I am so excited to be able to add this to our rotation! Thanks, Erin! 🙂
Hi Sami! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made it tonight. Totally amazing. Family loved it
So so good to hear, thank you!
Oh my goodness. This was so good. PERFECTLY DELICIOUS! Just what I was craving and my husband loved it also. My whole family loves it even more than the original served at the chain restaurant. I doubled the recipe to have leftovers or to freeze. Thank you so much for the time and work you put in to make and share it!
So glad you enjoyed them, Stacey! Thank you!
Loved this! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception that I used a diced up leftover rotisserie chicken breast instead of ground because I wanted to use it up. Served with egg rolls and chicken-veggie rice for a complete meal. The sauce was spot on. Thank you, I will make this again!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Amira!
These are delicious! My son is a picky eater, so I cut the veggies up really small. Luckily he approved of this recipe. The balance of flavors in the filling was spot on – the sweetness from the hoisin sauce, the tanginess from the rice vinegar, and the heat from the red pepper flakes all came together beautifully.
Yay! Thank you Debbie!
Is there a substitute for mushrooms?
You could just leave them out!
Just made this recipe as is and adding the chopped cremini mushrooms is brilliant. Such a great flavor addition. I wouldn’t change a thing. I added red pepper flakes, tasted and then added a bit more – perfect. Definitely going to make a favorite of mine! Thank you!
Thank you Kayla!
This wasn’t very good, I couldn’t even finish it. Definitely not as good as Pickup Stix and no way even close to PF Changs! I just threw the rest away.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Mullein. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Another delicious dish. Simple and flavorful. I used ground turkey instead of chicken and kept it low on the stove. It turned out great!
Thank you Keith!