Sweet and Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Honey, sriracha, fresh ginger, and garlic, make a sweet, spicy, and savory sauce for these healthy-ish veggie packed sweet and spicy chicken lettuce wraps.
Ingredients for lettuce wraps
- Protein: One pound ground chicken. Thighs would be a little better but breasts work great too.
- Produce: Garlic, pint of mushrooms, one small onion, one red bell pepper, 2-3 carrots, green onions, romaine or iceberg lettuce, and fresh ginger. Get the fresh ginger! Don’t use ground if you can help it. Fresh ginger has a tangy peppery zing that just can’t be replicated with the ground stuff.
- Canned goods: 8 ounce can of water chestnuts. You can omit these if you really don’t like them, but I strongly suggest you try them. They don’t have much flavor on their own but add a necessary crunchy texture.
- Kitchen Staples: Rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil, honey, peanut oil, salt
What kind of lettuce to use for lettuce wraps?
Romaine or iceberg lettuce both work well for this recipe. Iceberg lettuce is a little more delicate and can be difficult to “wrap.” I use it as more like a taco. Romaine lettuce will be more like an open boat.
Equipment needed
- Whisk
- Microplane
- Mixing bowl or large measuring cup
- Knife – I just got this 7 piece chef knife set and block from New West Knifeworks in and they are phenomenal! Sturdy, high quality, and razor sharp.
- Cutting board
- Wok or large sauté pan
- Silicone spatula or my favorite wooden spoon
How to make sweet and spicy chicken lettuce wraps
This one pot meal is fairly easy to throw together for a weeknight dinner. Start by prepping your vegetables. Dice the onion, red bell pepper, and carrots. Slice or dice the mushrooms, depending on your preference. I would keep your carrot dices small since they will cook slower than the onions and peppers. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. I use a microplane for grating ginger. Drain and dice the water chestnuts. Lettuce wilts easily, so I would leave the breaking down of that until right before serving.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
Preheat the wok, and cook the salted chicken, breaking it up as you cook. Once fully cooked, set the chicken aside. In the same heated wok, brown the mushrooms first. Add the onions, red peppers, and carrots until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently as you cook the vegetables. And add in the ground chicken, water chestnuts, half of the green onions, and the sauce. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Reduce the sauce until thicker consistency.
To serve, break up the romaine or iceberg lettuce into individual leaves, and fill with a scoop of chicken and vegetable mixture. Top with the remaining green onions, and you are ready for this delicious dinner!
How to store
You can save leftovers for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. If making this dish ahead for meal prep, put lettuce leaves in a ziploc or container with a damp paper towel to keep them fresh until you are ready to use.
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Sweet and Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha 1 if you want it less spicy
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated (about 1 inch fresh ginger)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Wraps
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pint mushrooms sliced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 8 oz can of water chestnuts diced and drained
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce or iceberg
Instructions
- Prep: Chop your vegetables. Whisk the ingredients for the sauce together and set aside.
- Cook: Heat up 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a wok or large skillet. Salt the ground chicken and cook thoroughly, breaking it up as it cooks. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes over medium high heat until they are starting to brown. Add in the onions, red pepper, and carrots, and cook until onions are turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked ground chicken back in with the water chestnuts and ½ the green onions. Stir in the sauce, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook on low for about 10 minutes until sauce has thickened and reduced.
- Serve: Sprinkle with remaining green onions. Spoon into lettuce and serve.
