Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Dipping Sauce is an amazing dish that can be served as an appetizer or a main course. 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.
Ingredients for Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Dipping Sauce:
I used the following ingredients for the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Ground chicken, olive oil, onion, garlic, Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, fresh ginger, water chestnuts, green onions, Sriracha, Bibb lettuce, and shredded carrots. For the Spicy Dipping Sauce, I used rice vinegar, soy sauce, roasted chili paste, green onion, and sesame oil.
Making the Spicy Dipping Sauce:
To make the Spicy Dipping Sauce, I whisked together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, roasted chili paste, green onion, and sesame oil. How simple is that?
Making the Filling for the Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps:
First, I cooked 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 with hot water to remove as much of the fat as possible. After the chicken cooled a bit, I rubbed it between my hands to crumble it into small pieces.
Meanwhile, 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.
I returned the cooked chicken to the skillet, and 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. Next, I added the water chestnuts, green onions, and Sriracha. I cooked the mixture for several more minutes until everything was hot and well mixed.
Serving the Easy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Dipping Sauce:
Once everything was ready, I transferred the chicken mixture to a serving dish, and placed it 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!
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
- 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 Note 1)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 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
- 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha
- 1 head Bibb or butter lettuce (See Note 2)
- 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 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 Note 3)
- Yield: 4 servings.
Chula's Expert Tips
- Note 1: I used 92% ground chicken. I could have also used lean ground turkey.
- Note 2: Rather than Bibb or butter 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.
- Note 3: 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.