Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps — 🥬🍗😍 EASY, ready in 20 minutes, and layered with FLAVOR galore! High-protein, gluten-free, and the Thai twist is AMAZING! Your NEW GO-TO chicken wrap recipe!
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Healthy Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These Thai lettuce wraps are a great fast and easy meal option when you’re trying to focus on high-protein meals that are still satisfying and full of flavor galore. Even better, this healthy chicken lettuce wraps recipe is naturally gluten-free.
THE most popular recipe on my website in 2017 were these P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Copycat Recipe}. Everyone who makes them raves about them, and tells me that it’s their new go-to Asian chicken lettuce wraps recipe, and that they taste even better than P.F. Chang’s.
I couldn’t help but adapt that recipe to have a Thai twist, because I’m into all things Thai recipes. I talked about my love for Thai red curry paste in my sweet potato and chickpea coconut curry recipe, and it plays a starring role in this Thai lettuce wraps recipe as well.
You’d never guess these Thai chicken lettuce wraps are ready in just 20 minutes, because there are so many layers of flavor from the Thai red curry paste, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, green onions, and cilantro.
Better than takeout, these wraps are perfect to serve as a healthy appetizer or light lunch!
What’s in Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps?
Slightly different from traditional Asian lettuce cups that feature a chicken filling with a peanut butter-based peanut sauce, these wraps come together with fresh ingredients and bold flavors!
To make these Asian chicken lettuce wraps, you’ll need:
- Olive oil – Lastly, be sure to use all the oil called for in this ground chicken lettuce wraps recipe. Ground chicken doesn’t contain much fat, so you need the oil to prevent the filling from drying out
- Sesame oil
- Ground chicken
- Onion
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Thai red curry paste
- Hoisin sauce
- Soy sauce
- Chili garlic sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Shredded carrots
- Butter lettuce leaves
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make This Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Once you realize how easy it is to make lettuce cups at home, you’ll never go back to the restaurant versions again! Here’s an overview of the process:
- Cook the chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring intermittently. Then, add the onions, and cook until it’s translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger, and continue to cook until fragrant.
- Stir in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Thai curry paste, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, chili garlic sauce, and pepper.
- Add the carrots and green onions, and continue to cook. Season to taste, adding salt and pepper or any other sauces or seasonings. Then, stir in the cilantro.
- Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves, garnish with green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Recipe FAQs
Yes, I’ve made these Thai lettuce wraps using both ground chicken and ground turkey and both are excellent. Ground pork will also work well if that’s what you prefer.
Both the Thai red curry paste and the chili garlic sauce add a perfect amount of heat, which we enjoyed. However, if you’re sensitive to spices, feel free to reduce the amount. Alternatively, if you love a bit of heat, feel free to add a dash of Sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes to amp it up even further.
I prefer using butter lettuce leaves when making lettuce wraps as they’re more flexible than iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce and hold much more of the cooked chicken filling. Bibb lettuce will also work well.
Yes, feel free to add any vegetables you have on hand such as celery, bok choy, bean sprouts, mushrooms, zucchini, red bell pepper, or shredded Brussels sprouts. Cook them with the carrots, allowing them to become crisp-tender.
Sure! I haven’t personally tested it, but you can swap the chicken with tofu or your favorite plant-based meat crumbles. Or, omit the meat completely, and serve these Thai lettuce wraps as a side dish instead of a main course.
This recipe is best served fresh, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend storing the chicken filling separately from the lettuce wraps to prevent it from becoming soggy. When you’re ready to eat, warm the filling in the microwave or a skillet over medium heat, assemble the wraps, and enjoy.
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Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 pound ground chicken, I’ve also used ground turkey with great results
- 1 medium/large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, or to taste
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce, plus more if necessary
- 2 to 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Asian chili garlic sauce, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 to 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
- about 3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds; reserve 1 tablespoon for garnishing
- ¼ cup finely minced fresh cilantro; reserve 1 tablespoon for garnishing
- butter lettuce leaves, sometimes called living lettuce, for serving
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the oils, chicken, and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through; stir intermittently to crumble while cooking.
- Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent; stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic, ginger, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Thai curry paste, rice wine vinegar or lime juice, chili garlic sauce, pepper, and stir to combine.
- Add the carrots, green onions, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until carrots are crisp-tender. Taste filling and make any necessary flavor adjustments, i.e. more hoisin sauce (add additional if your mixture is on the dry side), soy sauce, Thai curry paste, etc.
- Add 1/4 cup cilantro and stir to combine.
- Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture into each of the lettuce leaves, evenly garnish with reserved green onions and cilantro, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Recipe is best warm and fresh but filling will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Adapted from P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Copycat Recipe}
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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great
Delish, even with a few ingredients missing. Thanks Averie!
This recipe sounds lovely but hoisin sauce contains gluten. Have you found a GF option? I’d love to know!
https://amzn.to/2zUmnTi
I followed this recipe exactly and omg it came out so good!!
Thanks for your sharing!!
I followed this recipe exactly and omg it came out so good!!
Thanks for your sharing!!