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!
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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.
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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.
Andrea says
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times now. Each time I change it up a little bit. My favorite thing to do is to add sliced jalapeños and crumbled water chestnuts. It gives it an extra spice and crunch. I also tried to boil off as much water from the chicken so the flavor from the sauce is not diluted. The other thing I do is add amino‘s instead of all so away. I split the two. Oh and I also doubled the garlic and ginger. Absolutely delicious!
Deidre Nolen says
Can I use green onion/scallions instead of yellow onion?
Nicole Johnson says
That should work well as a substitute.
Andrea says
Love this recipe! Great for dinner or meal prep. Is there any way to cut the soya sauce/tamari? Or a different sub? We’re trying to cut out salt. Thanks!
Nicole Johnson says
You could use a low-sodium soy sauce in place of the regular soy. A lot of people also will use liquid aminos.
Blair Madison says
Delicious! User ground turkey instead of chicken. Came out yummy 😋
Danita Small says
Delicious, although I did find the wording a bit confusing and added the chicken to the pan sauce to cook. Then see at the end the pan sauce was meant to be separate?
Steph says
I’m so glad you said this! I made a couple mistakes due to the wording and wondered if it was just me lol
Lindsay J says
We love love love this recipe! I usually add a cup of cooked rice to make it stretch a bit. I take this meal to new moms when I drop by to visit. They’re always thrilled for something different than the typical casserole or pasta. Great meal, easy to toss together and sub ingredients as you see fit.
Michelle says
We really liked this recipe. However, next time I will drain the divine after cooking before adding the sauce, as u found it a bit too watery and messy to eat. I think I’ll add some chili paste for a bit of spice, as well. Otherwise, love the flavors.
Sherry m Crane says
I added chopped red cabbage and chopped sugar snap peas…at the end with carrots, added extra crunch,and flavor! Great recipe!
Aries says
Awesome dish!! I love the flavors
Can I serve this meal cold
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Aries! I am so glad you are enjoying it. I have never eaten it cold, but I don’t see why not. I am curious to hear how it does, if you try it that way.
Emma says
This looks amazing! Is there a substitute you would recommend for the cashews, my daughter is allergic to nuts.
Nicole Johnson says
You can omit the cashews completely, or sub in something like pine nuts or sesame seeds, which are seeds and not nuts.
John Salcido says
Made this recipe tonight for my family. My wife and daughters loved it! I loved to be pleasantly suprised by recipes…but this was awesome! Came out great, so fragrant and bursting with flavor.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay John! So happy to hear this🙌🏻
Erin says
Delicious flavor – loved it! However my sauce after adding to the chicken was very thin and liquidy…any tips?