Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a light and refreshing dish that combines savory, sweet, and tangy flavors with the crisp crunch of fresh lettuce. These wraps are typically filled with a seasoned ground chicken mixture, infused with bold Thai ingredients like fish sauce, lime, and fresh herbs. The beauty of Thai chicken lettuce wraps lies in their versatility—whether you're looking for a low-carb meal, a healthy appetizer, or a fun dish to serve at a party, these wraps are sure to please everyone. They offer a perfect balance of textures, from the juicy, flavorful chicken filling to the crisp lettuce wrapping, making them a popular choice in Thai cuisine.
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.