Chicken Lettuce Wraps – restaurant copycat!
Love chicken lettuce wraps that you order at popular restaurants? You can easily make your own delicious wraps at home and for a fraction of the cost!
I’ve been crazy about chicken lettuce wraps ever since I tried them at a restaurant nearby. Cupped in crispy lettuce leaves and topped with crunchy wonton strips, the chicken filling is just the right balance of spicy, salty, and tangy.
Of course, I immediately thought to myself, Why can’t I make these at home? and this recipe is the result. If you haven’t experienced chicken lettuce wraps yet, please don’t wait any longer. Now you don’t even have to leave the house to try them.
You’re going to love the fact that the filling and sauce can be prepared a few days in advance. Whenever you get the craving for a lettuce wrap, simply heat up a portion of the filling and wrap it up. Perfect for lunches!
About these chicken lettuce wraps
Even though the list of ingredients looks kinda long, don’t be intimidated. These wraps are really easy to make.
Begin by very briefly sautéing minced garlic and fresh ginger. Add ground chicken and finely chopped mushrooms, and sauté until the chicken is done.
Stir in 4 cups of finely shredded cabbage (or use pre-made coleslaw mix), chopped canned water chestnuts, and chopped green onions. Stir fry until the cabbage begins to wilt.
Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and Sriracha to taste. Stir well and heat through. Remove from heat, add a little chopped fresh cilantro and your filling is ready. Other than a little chopping, this recipe is pretty easy, right?
Dipping sauce is optional. You decide whether you want it or not. The sauce isn’t totally necessary because the filling is really flavorful on its own. This dipping sauce is simply soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, honey, and fresh ginger stirred together. It tastes great and actually makes a good salad dressing, too.
We recommend Bibb or butter lettuce because the leaves are just the right size for lettuce wraps. You could use Romaine or iceberg lettuce, too.
Chopped peanuts or chopped fresh cilantro are great garnishes. I like to serve the lettuce wraps with crispy wonton strips that I purchase. An additional drizzle of Sriracha is great if you like a little extra heat.
Chicken lettuce wraps are a great appetizer.
If you’re serving chicken lettuce wraps as an appetizer at a get-together, you’ll probably want to let people make their own. Or not, it’s up to you.
Make it your own
- Use ground turkey if you prefer.
- Like seafood? You could substitute a couple cans of baby shrimp for the chicken. Or try Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lettuce Wraps.
Make Ahead Tip
Prepare the filling and sauce up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate in tightly covered containers until ready to serve. Reheat filling in skillet on stove or in microwave until warmed. Serve as directed.
It’s a wrap!
Wraps are perfect any time of the day: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They’re portable, easy to customize, and fun to eat.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Lamb Lettuce Wraps with Red Pepper Hummus Sauce
- Roasted Vegetable Wrap with Feta and Pesto
- California Breakfast Wrap with avocado, egg, bacon & more
- Copycat Starbucks Egg White Wrap with spinach and feta
- Collard Wrap with Black Beans, Chicken, and Avocado
- Quinoa Hummus Wrap {vegetarian}
- Ham and Egg Wrap with Herbs {easy lunch idea!}
- Vegetarian Wrap with provolone and roasted red pepper hummus
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Love chicken lettuce wraps that you order at popular restaurants? You can make your own delicious lettuce wraps at home!
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 teaspoon oil (canola, avocado, or grapeseed work well)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
- 1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained, and finely minced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha, or to taste
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Dipping Sauce
- 4 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1-2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
To Serve
- 1-2 heads Bibb, butter, Romaine, or iceberg lettuce
- chopped peanuts or crispy wonton strips for topping, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, garlic and ginger. Saute for about 30 seconds, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up chicken as it cooks, until chicken is cooked through.
- Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage just starts to wilt. Drain any excess liquid from the pan.
- Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and Sriracha to taste. Cook and stir until chicken and vegetables is coated with the sauce and heated through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
- To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.
- To serve, carefully separate lettuce leaves. Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce and chopped peanuts or crispy wonton strips, if desired.
Notes
- Makes approx. 5 cups of filling.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 2 lettuce wrapsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 478Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 1373mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 5gSugar: 19gProtein: 22g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
7 Comments on “Chicken Lettuce Wraps – restaurant copycat!”
Mmm I love PF Chang's lettuce wraps! Good to know about the overpowering lemon flavor…definitely saving this recipe to make soon! :)
These look perfect! I usually try to recreate burgers/sandwiches from restaurants!
I've never eaten at Pei Wei or PF Changs, but that looks really good. And I love the little one with the colander on her head! :)
The restaurant foods I have recreated at home are Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and their Portobello Ravioli, Chevy's Sweet Corn Tomalito, and Subway's Southwest Sauce. In fact, I have a category on my blog for copycat recipes. http://edesiasnotebook.blogspot.com/search/label/Copycat%20Recipes
The lettuce wraps look easy, fresh, and yum – although, I will have to sub in tofu or tempeh for the chicken :) Can't wait to try them for myself!
I love chicken lettuce wraps – they were actually one of the very first things I learned to make in my tiny apartment. Your helper is totally adorable BTW – that colander fits perfectly ;)