Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps is an amazing dish that can be served as an appetizer or a main course with a Spicy Dipping Sauce. It’s light and flavorful, and full of healthy ingredients. What’s even better is that it’s easy to make. The chicken mixture can be made ahead of time, and reheated just before serving, making it the perfect lazy day treat.
Here’s How To Make The Spicy Dipping Sauce
The Spicy Dipping Sauce uses only five ingredients: Rice vinegar, soy sauce, roasted chili paste, green onion and sesame oil.
Once I had the ingredients assembled, I whisked them together for the Spicy Dipping Sauce. How simple is that?
Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need for the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- The Chicken: For the chicken, I used purchased ground chicken.
- The Vegetables: The vegetables that were added to the chicken included onion sautéed in olive oil, water chestnuts, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and green onions.
- The Flavorings: It’s not unusual that Asian dishes contain a variety of flavorings. This recipe is no exception. I used Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha and soy sauce thickened with a bit of cornstarch (not pictured).
- The Rest of the Ingredients: As the name suggests, I used lettuce for the wraps. My choice of lettuce for this recipe was Bibb lettuce, sometimes referred to as Boston lettuce. For a garnish, I used shredded carrots.
Here’s How I Made the Filling for the Lettuce Wraps
- I started by cooking the ground chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until all of the pink was gone. This took about 5 minutes.
Then, I drained the chicken in a colander and rinsed it under hot water to remove as much of the fat as possible.
- In the same skillet, I sautéed the onion in a bit of olive oil over medium heat. After about 5 minutes, the onions had started to soften.
- Then, I added the garlic and cooked the mixture for about 30 seconds until the garlic was fragrant.
- After that, I returned the cooked chicken to the skillet. I added the Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce that I had mixed with a bit of cornstarch and ginger. I cooked the mixture over medium heat until it was bubbly and had thickened.
- Finally, I added the water chestnuts, green onions and Sriracha. I cooked the mixture over medium heat for several more minutes until everything was well mixed and hot.
Here’s How I Served the Dish
Once everything was ready, I transferred the chicken mixture to a serving dish along with the lettuce, Spicy Dipping Sauce, shredded carrots and serving plates.
For the actual assembly, I spooned several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf and garnished it with some shredded carrots.
We ate the Easy Asian Lettuce Wraps taco-style, with the Spicy Dipping Sauce on the side.
The chicken mixture had the perfect blend of ingredients and was awesome. Because it’s just the two of us, the left-over chicken mixture is in the refrigerator for another light and tasty meal. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use Bibb or Boston lettuce in this recipe because of its tender texture and appearance. However, I’ve also successfully used Romaine lettuce and Green Leaf lettuce.
Any leftover chicken filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Just warm the leftover filling before adding it to the lettuce wraps.
While I like to add the chicken filling to lettuce wraps, it is also delicious served over noodles or rice. For more variety, fill taco shells with the chicken filling and shredded lettuce.
The chicken lettuce wraps can be served as an appetizer or a lunchtime treat. For dinner, the lettuce wraps are delicious with stir-fried vegetables or fried rice on the side. Also, don’t forget about egg rolls or spring rolls.
Other Asian Inspired Recipes
A characteristic of Asian inspired dishes is that they are generally quick and to prepare and satisfy even the pickiest eater.
Here are some of my favorite Asian inspired recipes.
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I first posted this amazing recipe on June 9, 2018. Since then, this recipe has become a family favorite. This repost contains updated photos and text, but the same great recipe that is sure to become your family favorite.
Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Spicy Dipping Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon chili paste
- 1 green onion thinly sliced, white and green parts
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pound (16-ounces) lean ground chicken (See Tips 1 and 2)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 8 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and diced
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon Sriracha
- 1 head Bibb or Boston lettuce (See Tip 3)
- 1 small carrot grated for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Spicy Dipping Sauce
- Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili paste, sliced green onion, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Combine soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cook ground chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until all of the pink is gone, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander; rinse under hot water to remove as much fat as possible. When chicken has cooled, rub between your hands to crumble into small pieces.
- Heat olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat; add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken to onion mixture; stir to combine. Add Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce mixed with cornstarch, and ginger. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add water chestnuts, sliced green onion, and Sriracha. Cook until hot and well mixed, about 2 minutes.
- To serve, spoon several tablespoons of chicken mixture into center of lettuce leaf. If desired, garnish with grated carrots. Serve with Spicy Dipping Sauce on the side. (See Tip 4)
- Yield: 4 servings.
Chula’s Expert Tips
- I used 92% ground chicken. I could have also used lean ground turkey.
- If you can’t find ground chicken, you can grind your own in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
- Rather than Bibb or Boston lettuce, I could have used iceberg lettuce or Romaine. The Bibb lettuce is more tender. However, the iceberg lettuce and Romaine are more substantial. It’s a matter of taste and preference.
- The chicken mixture can be made ahead of time, and reheated before serving. Also, it can be refrigerated for a later use.
This looks terrific! Couple of suggestions. Don’t rinse the fat off the chicken. That’s where the flavor is. Don’t put the green onions in to cook still get all the machines. Makes them at the very end so they stay a little crunchy.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely try them next time.
Sounds delicious!
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could make an impressive dish quickly and with ingredients I already had in the kitchen. Tasted so much better than the premade sauces I’ve tried. And just as easy! Thanks so much for a dinner win!
I put the raw chicken in the food processor and it makes it easy to crumble while cooking. If the chicken is a little frozen it makes it even easier in the blender
I make peanuts dipping sauce too! Delicious
Yum!
I’ve made this several times. It’s delicious but I would suggest using less rice vinegar. The taste seems a little overpowering.
Thanks for the tip Bernice!
Chula