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Home By Meal Lunch and Dinner

Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

★★★★★ 33 Reviews Recipe Print
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By: Erin8/27/19

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

healthy chicken lettuce wraps

Healthy chicken lettuce wraps make for an easy and low carb Asian inspired dinner that your whole family will love! One of our favorite clean eating dishes to serve for a crowd!

healthy chicken lettuce cups

Whenever I see chicken lettuce wraps on a menu, I immediately know I’m going to be ordering them because it’s one thing on the menu that I know will be a guaranteed winner.

It all started a few years ago when I went to P.F. Changs and tried their rendition of lettuce wraps that I have been hooked on the incredible flavors that come in each little bite. Cooking with sesame oil, which is a key ingredient in Asian cooking, is now a staple in my house.

And while I love the P.F. Changs lettuce wraps, I don’t always love the nutrition breakdown of all the extra oils and sodium they put in their dishes, so I sought out to create my own healthier version of chicken lettuce wraps.

Ground chicken is mixed with a variety of sauces and spices in order to get that authentic chicken wrap flavor. Each portion of chicken is nestled into a delicate butter lettuce leaf cup, and then each cup is topped with peanuts, green onion, and a little sriracha if you like it spicy.

I love making Asian inspired meals and also wanted to share my Healthy Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry recipe too.

plate of lettuce cups

Homemade chicken lettuce wraps

You can now find chicken lettuce wraps on the menu at most restaurants but creating them at home is actually a lot of fun! Plus you can customize them any way you want and can alter the flavors to be more in tuned with what you like.

They are easy to feed a crowd, too. Seriously I never would have thought of serving chicken lettuce wraps but something about just prepping the meat ahead of time and then serving it like a taco bar is perfect. You can line up all the toppings: cooked ground chicken, peanuts, sesame seeds, green onion, sriracha, butter lettuce cups, and then have your guests walk down the line and make their own cups.

People will rave over these simple yet healthy chicken lettuce wraps!

pan of ground chicken

Ingredients in chicken lettuce wraps

To make healthy chicken lettuce wraps, you need a few simple ingredients that you already have at home or can find at your regular grocery store. If you already do a lot of Asian cooking, you probably have these ingredients on hand already.

  • ground chicken
  • sesame oil
  • yellow onion
  • garlic
  • fresh ginger
  • rice vinegar
  • soy sauce
  • hoisin sauce
  • green onion

In order to make these chicken lettuce wraps healthier, we go light on all of the sauces and also use low sodium soy sauce. This is what differentiates our version from restaurant lettuce wraps.

Also, I used to think hoisin sauce was some sort of foreign sauce that I would never be able to find, but truth be told is that you can get it at any grocery store! Just head to the Asian section of your store and you will be guaranteed to find it. It’s an absolute must for this recipe and really gives these lettuce wraps that authentic flavor.

chicken lettuce cups on plate

How to make lettuce wraps

Easy is the name of the game when it comes to making these lettuce wraps. The most difficult part is getting all of your ingredients together and on the counter!

The next hardest part is not eating all of the filling before you actually put it into any of the wraps!

First up, you’ll want to saute your onion in olive oil, eventually adding in the garlic and ginger so that they don’t burn. Once fragrant, add in your ground chicken and cook until almost fully cooked.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare your sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients from sesame oil to hoisin sauce.

Add this sauce to the ground chicken, stirring until well combined, reducing heat so that the sauce thickens. Add in your water chestnuts (my favorite…anyone else?!)

Let simmer for a few minutes before turning off the heat, and serving into lettuce cups. Top with peanuts, green onion, and sriracha.

plate of chicken lettuce cups with peanuts

What kind of lettuce for lettuce wraps

  • Bibb/Butter lettuce – this is my favorite lettuce for lettuce wraps because its soft, buttery, and makes the perfect cup shape. It can be very thin at times so I suggest doubling them up. Butter lettuce is definitely my preference.
  • Romaine lettuce – these long log leaves are also great for lettuce wraps because romaine lettuce is stronger and can hold a lot more. We like to use these for tacos as well. I like to use the sturdy ones closer so look for romaine hearts for a more firm cup.
  • Iceberg – these are also more sturdy than butter lettuce but iceberg lettuce has less flavor and is more watery than any of the other lettuces. I would choose this last, but it will work if you can’t find either butter lettuce or romaine.

Hope you enjoy these healthy chicken lettuce wraps!

If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

  • Paleo baked chicken tenders
  • Barbecue chicken spaghetti squash boats
  • One pan honey mustard chicken
healthy chicken lettuce wraps
chicken lettuce cups on plate
★★★★★ 5 from 33 reviews

Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Healthy chicken lettuce wraps make for an easy and low carb Asian inspired dinner that your whole family will love! One of our favorite clean eating dishes to serve for a crowd!

Prep: 10Cook: 10Total: 20 minutes
Yield 4 cups 1x
Print Pin it Rate

Ingredients

  • 1lb ground chicken
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste/fresh ginger
  • 1.5 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (coconut aminos for GF)
  • 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion, more for topping
  • 1/2 cup diced water chestnuts
  • 1 large head of butter lettuce

*peanuts, sriracha, green onion for topping*

Instructions

  1. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and saute until mostly cooked. 
  2. Add in garlic and ginger for one minute, then add in ground chicken.
  3. Allow chicken to cook almost all the way through, and while chicken is cooking prepare sauce.
  4. In a bowl, whisk together sesame oil, sriracha, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce.
  5. Add in the sauce to the chicken and reduce heat to let simmer.
  6. Stir in diced green onion and water chestnuts and allow sauce to thicken.
  7. Once thickened, remove from heat.
  8. Wash and dry butter lettuce leaves.
  9. Add about 1/3 cup chicken mixture to each butter leaf and add toppings.
  10. Store remainder in fridge for up to five days.
Author: Erin MorrisseyCategory: dinnerMethod: stoveCuisine: AsianDiet: Gluten Free
chicken lettuce cups on plate

Did you make this?

Leave a comment below and tag @erinliveswhole on social media!

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There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Darlene says

    Posted on 2/27 at 4:37 pm

    I made these today to have for my lunches during the week at work.
    Super delicious and easy recipe. I did put in the whole can of water chestnuts because I didn’t know what else I would use them for so they have a nice bit of crunch, which I like.
    Really good recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 2/27 at 6:43 pm

      Hi Darlene, so happy you loved them so much and made them your own!

      Reply
  2. Ann says

    Posted on 2/23 at 7:55 pm

    These were SO good! Like, can’t stop thinking about them, good! I followed the recipe exactly and I’m so glad I did. Thank you for sharing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 2/27 at 6:29 pm

      Hi Ann, so glad you loved them! 🙂

      Reply
  3. catie says

    Posted on 10/20 at 10:59 am

    This recipe is one of my absolute favorites! It is now a staple and I have these lettuce wraps for a whole week at least once a month. Love it!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 10/21 at 6:21 pm

      Hi Catie, so happy you love them SO much!!

      Reply
  4. Christi says

    Posted on 7/28 at 9:59 am

    This recipe is absolutely delicious! I added diced red pepper for more veggies!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 7/29 at 3:32 pm

      Hi Christi, so happy you loved them and great idea!!

      Reply
  5. Ashlin says

    Posted on 7/24 at 1:35 pm

    Super easy and quick to make, not to mention DELICIOUS!! We make this at least once a week! Leftovers are rare with this one!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 7/25 at 12:05 pm

      Hi Ashlin, so glad you loved them!!

      Reply
  6. Scarlett says

    Posted on 4/15 at 3:59 pm

    So good and easy to follow!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 4/18 at 5:54 pm

      Hi Scarlett, so glad you liked them!!

      Reply
  7. Sarah Krull says

    Posted on 4/13 at 7:55 pm

    These chicken lettuce wraps are amazing! I followed exactly first time but reduced to half the sriracha the second time. Perfect level of spice for me. Hubby added more on his. Thanks Erin 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 4/18 at 5:52 pm

      Hi Sarah, so glad you both loved them!!

      Reply
  8. Meaghan says

    Posted on 2/9 at 10:55 am

    I think i’ve made over 30 ELW recipes and this is in my top 3 for sure. It is incredible, so easy and so delicious. My boyfriend and i consumed all of it in one sitting. Fabulous.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 2/9 at 2:39 pm

      Hi Meaghan, ahh thank you soo much for your support! That is so amazing to hear!! So glad you both loved these too!!

      Reply
  9. Sarah Dillon says

    Posted on 1/25 at 8:12 pm

    Amazing!!! Made during the Madeline moves challenge and they were great! I added minced garlic because I didn’t have fresh and just as tasty!!! 🥰

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/26 at 12:07 pm

      Hi Sarah, so happy you loved them and did the challenge!!

      Reply
  10. Emily Spadaro says

    Posted on 12/12 at 8:37 am

    I have made this a dozen times, it’s a go to meal prep staple for me!!! Sooo flavorful 😍

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 12/12 at 10:13 am

      Hi Emily, I am so happy you loved them so much!!

      Reply
  11. Reeves Coward says

    Posted on 11/17 at 7:45 pm

    The Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps are very flavorful and easy to reheat.
    We added some red pepper flakes to add heat to taste! Yum!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 11/18 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Reeves, so happy you loved them and great addition!

      Reply
  12. Michelle says

    Posted on 8/9 at 6:39 am

    A very nice recipee. I think that the low sodium soy sauce would be essential, I just used regular dark soy sauce and it was waaay to salty (my own fault). I added something to sweeten it a little (my own personal preference) but it’s a solid recipee, would be quite nice over rice as well.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/9 at 5:11 pm

      Hi Michelle, so happy you loved them and made them your own!

      Reply
  13. Nicole says

    Posted on 7/26 at 9:52 am

    SOOO delicious! Made them multiple times now. The most recent time, I doubled the water chestnuts because I love the texture and it came out just as great!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 7/27 at 2:43 pm

      Hi Nicole, I am so happy you love them so much and great idea! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Katelyn says

    Posted on 6/22 at 8:01 pm

    Love how easy and healthy these are to make. The perfect dupe when you’re craving PF Changs lettuce wraps!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/22 at 8:35 pm

      Hi Katelyn, so happy you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  15. Leanne says

    Posted on 6/17 at 5:51 pm

    Love these! Part of the weekly rotation now. I find I crave them if I skip them one week!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/21 at 2:17 pm

      Hi Leanne, so glad you loved them!!

      Reply
  16. Rachel says

    Posted on 6/15 at 8:21 pm

    This is one of my go-to easy, healthy and delicious meals – my boyfriend and I LOVE it and it comes out perfect every time!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/16 at 7:44 pm

      Hi Rachel, so glad you enjoyed the wraps!!

      Reply
  17. Faith Simon says

    Posted on 6/14 at 1:12 pm

    So easy and a favorite in my house! I would recommend buying extra lettuce for leftovers. I also add bean sprouts to mine

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/14 at 4:20 pm

      Hi Faith, so happy you love them so much!!

      Reply
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I’m Erin. Creator of Erin Lives Whole, a food blog with delicious and easy healthy recipes that will leave you feeling good. We’ve got everything from wholesome baked goods to comforting savory dishes. I can’t wait to see what you whip up! Read More...

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