These veggie packed chicken lettuce wraps are a great option for a quick weeknight dinner with plenty of leftovers for meal prep.
Ingredients
Bell Pepper – Red, Orange or yellow bell peppers work well in this recipe.
Onion – One small sweet or yellow onion is best.
Peas – I prefer to use fresh peas, but frozen frozen peas can be substituted for fresh.
Sesame Oil – I used toasted sesame oil for a little extra flavor in the meat, but regular sesame oil, or olive oil works as well.
Ginger – Freshly grated ginger will have more flavor, so if using frozen ginger cubes or pre packaged ginger, consider adding a little extra for more flavor.
Ground Chicken – Ground chicken breast is best due to less fat percentage. You can use regular ground chicken or ground turkey, but will need to drain the excess fat off after cooking.
Sauce Ingredients
Garlic Chili Sauce – Any garlic chili sauce will work, but my go to is always Sambal Oelek (the one with the roster on it).
Sesame Oil – For the sauce, toasted sesame oil should be used for more depth in flavor.
Rice Vinegar – Plain rice vinegar is preferred, seasoned rice vinegar has added sugar. If you only have seasoned rice vinegar, consider reducing the amount of brown sugar used in the sauce recipe.
Tamari – I prefer lite Tamari to reduce the amount of sodium in the wraps, you could also use reduced soy sauce if Tamari is unavailable.
Accompaniments
Brown Rice – I prefer short grain brown rice for its heartier texture, especially for most of my asian dishes. Any type of rice will work.
Peanuts – Garnishing with peanuts gives these wraps a nice crunch. I coarsely chop some unsalted, un-roasted, but you can easily substitute another nut such as cashews.
Butterhead Lettuce – Butterhead lettuce is very fragile and doesn’t always hold up well for lettuce wraps, but it is very easy to find at most grocery stores. More sturdy lettuce varieties such as baby gem, leafy romaine, or Boston bib hold up better for lettuce wraps if you are able to find them.
Cilantro – Cilantro is not necessary, but I always have it on hand and it tends to show up as a garnish in my recipes whenever possible.
Meal Prep
This recipe is perfect for a quick dinner with plenty of left overs for weekly meal prep. If planning to use left overs for meal prep, I keep the rice and chicken filling separate so I can easily heat them up at work. If running short on at lunch, this dish can easily be enjoyed as a deconstructed chicken lettuce wrap bowl. Simply chop the lettuce into a manageable size and add to the dish after heating.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
Sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp garlic chili sauce add more if you prefer a little extra heat
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp lite tamari
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Garnish
- chopped peanuts
- green onions
- cilantro
- butter lettuce
- 1 cup short grain rice cooked per package instructions
Instructions
- Bring small pan of water to a boil for the peas. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, strain and set aside.
- While the peas are simmering, make the sauce by whisking together the hoisin, sesame oil, peanut butter, chili garlic sauce, honey, tamari, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan. Add the diced onion and pepper, sauté until the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger, sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add the ground chicken, continuing to chop up the chicken as it browns in the pan with the onions and peppers. The ground chicken pieces should be about pea sized once the chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Add the peas, carrots, and sauce. Sauté for about 3 more minutes, making sure to thoroughly coat the meat and vegetables with the sauce while sautéing.
- Construct the lettuce wraps by adding a spoonful of rice, ground chicken and veggies and top with green onions, cilantro, and chopped peanuts.
