Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- PREP 10min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 30min
These ground chicken lettuce wraps made with lots of garlic, ginger, and hoisin sauce are a quick, healthy, and delicious meal. Every time we make them, we can’t help but do a little happy dance. They taste that good!
You can easily swap the chicken for another ground meat like turkey or pork. For a vegetarian option, try shredded firm or extra-firm tofu (we use a box grater) or plant-based crumbles.
You Will Need
1 head Bibb or Romaine lettuce
1 tablespoon neutral oil like sunflower oil
1 pound (450g) ground chicken, at least 7% fat
1 tablespoon minced garlic, 3 to 4 cloves
1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1-inch thumb-sized piece
Half of a medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced, light green and dark green parts separated
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
4 to 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce, we recommend homemade hoisin
¼ to ½ teaspoon Gochujang or sriracha, optional for heat
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
Optional: Fish sauce, Limes, Chopped roasted peanuts, finely diced chilies
Directions
1To prepare the lettuce for your wraps, separate the leaves and remove the core. Handle the leaves carefully to prevent damage, and trim any large or tough stems as needed. Give the leaves a thorough wash and dry them before storing them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
2Heat the sesame oil and sunflower oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and press down into the oil to flatten it. When the underside starts to brown, use a wooden spoon to break the meat into crumbles.
3Stir in minced garlic, ginger, chopped yellow onion, and the sliced light green parts of the green onion (you will use the darker green parts later). Keep stirring everything in the skillet as it cooks.
4Once the onions have become tender and the chicken is fully cooked, add the hoisin sauce, gochujang (or sriracha), and water chestnuts. Stir everything together until well coated in the sauce. Taste, and add more sauce if needed. If it doesn’t pop with flavor, add a small splash of fish sauce.
5Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in half of the dark green parts of the green onion, and then serve with lettuce leaves and toppings.
6Serve lettuce wraps family-style with optional toppings on the table. We love the remaining sliced green onion, chopped peanuts, finely diced chilies, and fresh lime wedges for squeezing on top.
7Serve lettuce wraps family-style with optional toppings on the table. We love the remaining sliced green onion, chopped peanuts, finely diced chilies, and fresh lime wedges for squeezing on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Lettuce: Try Butter lettuce (also known as Boston Bibb), Iceberg lettuce, Romaine lettuce, or Green Leaf lettuce.
- Hoisin sauce: Our homemade hoisin has a thinner consistency and is less salty compared to the store-bought version. If you use store-bought, add to your tastes as it might be more salty or sweet.
- Optional sauce for dipping: (shown in photos) Stir together 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, ¾ tablespoon lime juice, and 1 tablespoon sugar until the sugar dissolves.
- Make ahead: You can make the filling in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days or freeze for up to a month. To serve, reheat the filling on the stovetop or microwave. If you’ve frozen the filling, thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.