These Thai chicken lettuce wraps make a delicious appetizer or lighter main dish that you can make at home. They are full of flavor!
I love making my restaurant faves at home. These were inspired by the lettuce wraps at PF Chang, and they are absolutely delicious.
Side note: If you like Asian-restaurant-inspired recipes, you may also want to check out chicken fried rice and Thai coconut tofu soup. 😉👌🏻
And if you need a vegan/ vegetarian version of these lettuce wraps, check out my tofu lettuce wraps recipe.
Ingredients
For tastiest results, always use the highest quality ingredients you have access to.
To make this Thai chicken lettuce wraps recipe, you will need the following:
- sesame oil
- onion
- garlic
- ginger
- ground chicken
- Tamari (low sodium) or soy sauce, coconut aminos
- Thai sweet red chili sauce (we love Trader Joe’s)
- lime juice
- maple syrup or honey, agave
- cashews
- scallions/ green onion
- cilantro
- shredded carrots
- Sesame seeds (optional, for topping)
- butter lettuce
Butter lettuce is my favorite, and it is what I highly recommend and am using here. Feel free to substitute with your favorite large leaf lettuce.
You can use soy sauce, Tamari (gluten free), or coconut aminos. I prefer low sodium, but again, any type works. As well as the sweetener of your choice (honey, maple syrup or agave).
Making Thai chicken lettuce wraps
Here is how you can make Thai chicken lettuce wraps. It is super simple, y’all.
Make the garlic, ginger pan sauce. Heat up a pan to medium high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the onions. Toss and let cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions start to brown and turn translucent. Then add in the garlic and ginger. Toss that all together and let it cook for 2 minutes.
Cook the chicken. Add the ground chicken to the pan, tossing it in the pan sauce while breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper and let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown and there is no more pink, about 3-4 minutes.
Make the Thai chili sauce. Meanwhile, add the soy sauce, chili sauce, lime juice, and honey to a small bowl and mix to combine.
Add the sauce to the chicken. Sprinkle the chopped cashews over the chicken in the pan and pour in the sauce. Toss that all together, reduce the heat to low and let that all cook for 2 more minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then stir in the carrots, chopped scallions and cilantro.
Assemble the Thai chicken lettuce wraps
To assemble the lettuce wraps, open one of the lettuce leaves and add a large spoonful of the chicken mixture into the wrap and top it with some of the pan sauce and sesame seeds.
Continue until you have made all of the lettuce wraps. Y’all enjoy, and let me know if you try it!
Share this recipe
Did you try this Thai chicken lettuce wraps recipe?
Did you try this recipe? Give it a star rating. Pin it and share it if it looks good to you. And be sure and stay connected on social media!
Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok
Be sure and check out all my favorite kitchen tools in my Amazon store (affiliate).
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These Thai chicken lettuce wraps make a delicious appetizer or lighter main dish that you can make at home. They are full of flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup onion diced, I used yellow. White onion works too.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger or ginger paste
- 10 oz ground chicken
- ¼ cup Tamari (low sodium) or soy sauce, coconut aminos
- 2 Tablespoon Thai sweet red chili sauce (we love Trader Joe's)
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey, agave
- ⅓ cup cashews chopped – raw or roasted/salted
- ¼ cup scallions chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh, chopped
- ¼-½ cup carrots shredded
- Sesame seeds for topping
- 1 head butter lettuce – leaves removed rinsed and dried – see notes
Instructions
- Make the garlic, ginger pan sauce. Heat up a pan to medium high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the onions. Toss and let cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions start to brown and turn translucent. Then add in the garlic and ginger. Toss that all together and let it cook for 2 minutes.
- Cook the chicken. Add the ground chicken to the pan, tossing it in the pan sauce while breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper and let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown and there is no more pink, about 3-4 minutes.
- Make the thai chili sauce. Meanwhile, add the soy sauce, chili sauce, lime juice, and honey to a small bowl and mix to combine.
-
Add the sauce to the chicken. Sprinkle the chopped cashews over the chicken in the pan and pour in the sauce. Toss that all together, reduce the heat to low and let that all cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then stir in the carrots, chopped scallions and cilantro.
-
Assemble the lettuce wraps. To assemble the lettuce wraps, open one of the lettuce leaves and add a large spoonful of the chicken mixture into the wrap and top it with some of the pan sauce and sesame seeds. Continue until you have made all of the lettuce wraps.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator. It will vary, based on how much filling you put in your wraps, but info is for approximately 2 wraps.
Notes
To prepare the lettuce, carefully tear each leaf away from the bulb and rinse each leaf carefully under light running water. Then place the clean leaves on a clean paper towel to dry before using them to assemble the wraps.
Jason says
These were great! Love finding recipes that are delicious and also healthy. Will be making on a regular basis.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Glad to hear it, Jason!
Bitsy says
Prep time was more like 45 minutes with all the chopping (not 5)
I doubled the recipe and it came out a bit soy sauce heavy/salty idk- something was overpowering
Might give another try with some tweaks
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Bitsy! If you try this again, you can definitely adjust the soy sauce, or use low sodium variety.
JRiley says
I am confused. Which sauce is added on top of the chicken in the lettuce wrap?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
The one labeled pan sauce in the instructions is the one it cooks in, and the Thai chili sauce mixture is the finisher👌🏻
ML says
Made this tonight and we really enjoyed it. Instead of lettuce wraps, I riced fresh cauliflower and added just before the carrots. I served in a bowl. Yummy and will make again. This was perfect for a diabetic meal for my hubby. Thx much.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yum! I am so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Lisa says
Made this , it is just as good as it looks
Thank you for the recipe
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so happy to hear that Lisa! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback🙏🏻
Lauren Fast says
Hey Zeus Christo that’s a great recipe – I’m a cheese addict and no cheese and tasting this good is just an out of this world experience. I really really enjoyed the outcome of this recipe a lot and it didn’t take much for prep to turn out SO delicious.! Thank you!!!
Sandra Duran says
Made this for dinner on a 109° day. Super filling, tasty, and great for a hot day. Instead of chicken I used ground pork. I also didn’t salt the the meat since the soy sauce had enough salt. I also made thin rice noodles to add to the wraps. Felt like it needed a starch. Great recipe! Will make this again.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Glad you enjoyed it Sandra!
Mary says
This sounds so good, I can’t wait to try this! So glad you shared!
Sally says
This was absolutely AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing. I will definitely be making this again. It rivals anything you might get at a restaurant.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
That sure is great to hear feedback like this Sally…thank you!!
Christine Ortino says
Trying to lose some weight and this is the first time ever I have made these. They are excellent ! THANK YOU 😊
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
So happy to hear this Christine!🙌🏻