This post may contain affiliate links.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps bring that fresh, savory, crave it again takeout flavor right to your kitchen, with juicy diced chicken and crisp veggies tossed in a sticky stir fry sauce and tucked into cool lettuce cups. I started making these as a lighter dinner the girls could build themselves, and now it is our favorite hands on, interactive meal. They come together faster than our Asian lemon chicken.
Prepping every ingredient before you start is the secret, since this fast stir fry comes together in just minutes once the pan is hot.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 8 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 18 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 175kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, fresh, and lightly sweet with a crunchy, crisp finish
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a quick weeknight stir fry like our honey garlic chicken
Quick Answer
Whisk together a quick stir fry sauce, then cook diced chicken until done and set it aside. Saute carrots, red cabbage, water chestnuts, and mushrooms until tender crisp, add the chicken back with the sauce and scallions, and toss to coat. Spoon the warm filling into crisp bibb lettuce cups and serve with a spicy dipping sauce.
Jump to:
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- They taste just like takeout. A simple stir fry sauce of soy, oyster sauce, and brown sugar gives the chicken that savory, sticky restaurant flavor you crave.
- They come together fast. Once the pan is hot, the whole stir fry cooks in under ten minutes, making this a perfect quick weeknight dinner.
- Crisp lettuce keeps it light. Cool, crunchy bibb lettuce cups replace heavy tortillas or bread, so the meal feels fresh and light.
- Water chestnuts add the perfect crunch. Diced water chestnuts give the filling that signature snappy texture that makes lettuce wraps so addictive.
- It is interactive and fun. Everyone gets to build their own wraps at the table, which makes this a hit with kids and a great party appetizer.
- The dipping sauce takes them over the top. A quick spicy dipping sauce adds a tangy, customizable kick that makes each bite even more crave worthy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They deliver all the takeout flavor in a fresh, light package.
- The whole stir fry cooks in under ten minutes.
- They are a fun, interactive dinner everyone builds themselves, like our caprese chicken wraps.
Key Ingredients
Fresh ingredients and a few pantry sauces make these flavorful wraps. Here is what each one does.
- Chicken breast: diced small so it cooks fast and soaks up all that savory stir fry sauce.
- Soy and oyster sauce: the savory, umami packed base of the sticky stir fry sauce.
- Water chestnuts: the secret to that signature snappy crunch in every bite.
- Carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms: add fresh color, texture, and a tender crisp bite.
- Bibb lettuce: the cool, crisp cups that hold the warm filling, much like the fresh wrap in our caprese chicken wraps.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make these wraps your own with a few easy swaps.
- Use ground chicken or ground turkey in place of the diced chicken for a faster filling.
- Add a drizzle of sriracha or a spoonful of chili crisp for more heat.
- Swap in any crunchy veggies you like, such as bell pepper, edamame, or bean sprouts.
- Serve the filling over rice or noodles to turn it into a rice bowl instead of wraps.
- Love an easy Asian dinner? Try our Asian lemon chicken next.
How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Make the stir fry sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the dark soy sauce, white wine, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Make the dipping sauce. In another bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, sugar, white vinegar, hot mustard, chili sauce, and green onion. Adjust the mustard and chili sauce to your preferred spice level.
- Cook the chicken. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the diced chicken, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook until just done, about five to seven minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables. Wipe out the pan, add the remaining oil over medium high heat, then add the carrots, red cabbage, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until tender crisp, about three minutes.
- Combine. Add the chicken back to the pan, pour in the stir fry sauce a little at a time until you reach the color and flavor you like, add the scallions, and toss to combine.
- Serve. Spoon the warm filling into crisp bibb lettuce cups and serve with the spicy dipping sauce on the side.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Prep everything first. This stir fry moves fast, so have all your ingredients chopped and sauces mixed before you turn on the heat.
- Dice the chicken small. Small, even pieces cook quickly and soak up the most sauce in every bite.
- Do not overcook the veggies. Cook them just until tender crisp so they keep their fresh crunch.
- Add the sauce gradually. Pour it in a little at a time so the filling is perfectly coated and not soggy.
- Use sturdy bibb or butter lettuce so the cups hold the warm filling without tearing, then serve with extra sauce like we do with our garlic parmesan wings.
- Serve right away while the filling is warm and the lettuce is cold and crisp for the best contrast.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a fun, interactive meal. Set out the warm filling, a stack of crisp lettuce cups, and the spicy dipping sauce, and let everyone build their own wraps right at the table.
They make a fantastic light dinner or a crowd pleasing appetizer. Serve them with a side of steamed rice or fried rice to make the meal heartier, or alongside an easy starter like our whipped feta dip for a party spread.
Round out an Asian inspired dinner by pairing them with our Asian lemon chicken or a simple cucumber salad. Any leftover filling is delicious the next day spooned over rice or noodles for a quick lunch.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps FAQs
Bibb or butter lettuce is best because the leaves are soft, pliable, and cup shaped, so they hold the filling without tearing. Romaine hearts or iceberg cups also work well if that is what you have on hand.
Yes. Ground chicken or ground turkey makes a great, even faster filling. Just brown it, breaking it into crumbles, then continue with the vegetables and sauce as directed.
Absolutely. Make the filling and both sauces up to two days ahead and store them separately in the fridge. Reheat the filling and spoon it into fresh lettuce cups just before serving so they stay crisp.
They are a lighter meal, packed with lean protein and fresh vegetables and served in crisp lettuce instead of bread or tortillas. You can lighten them further by trimming the sugar in the sauce or adding extra veggies.
They pair well with steamed or fried rice, an Asian cucumber salad, egg drop soup, or dumplings. For a party, serve them with other appetizers and let guests assemble their own.
Store the filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, keeping the lettuce separate. Reheat the filling in a skillet or microwave and serve in fresh lettuce cups for the best texture.
For another quick and savory chicken dinner, try our Asian lemon chicken next.
For a no cook lunch, try our Mexican vegetarian lettuce wraps.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
For the chicken mix sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce**
- 1 tablespoon white wine***
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3 cracks fresh black pepper
For the chicken mix
- 3 tablespoons Mazola corn oil divided
- 1/2 pound chicken breast small dice
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/4 cup diced water chestnuts
- 1/2 cup mushroom* chopped
- 3 scallions sliced, green part only
For the spicy dipping sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared hot mustard
- 1 tablespoon spicy chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon green onion sliced, green part only
Serve with bibb lettuce cups
Instructions
For the chicken mix sauce
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl, whisk to combine, set aside. Make this first.
For the chicken mix
- Prepare all ingredients ahead of time, this cooking process is very fast. In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the Mazola corn oil to the pan. Add the chicken, season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix to combine. Cook until just done, about 5-7 minutes depending on the size of your chicken cubes. Once the chicken is done cooking, take it out of the pan onto a plate and set aside.
- Wipeout any excess juices from the pan, return the pan to the stove at medium-high heat. Once hot, add the remaining oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots, red cabbage, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, toss everything with the chicken mix sauce, add a little of the sauce at a time until you get the color and flavor you like, there might be a little sauce leftover, that's okay.
- Add the scallions to the pan and toss to combine. Serve with bibb lettuce cups and spicy dipping sauce.
For the spicy dipping sauce
- Add everything to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add more or less hot mustard and chili sauce for your preferred spice level.
Video
Notes
- Bibb lettuce is the best lettuce for this recipe but you can use iceberg if you need, see my tips above.
- I do not recommend storing assemble wraps.
- You can use use rotisserie chicken, cooked chicken breast, or bagged cooked and diced chicken for this recipe.
- This dipping sauce is optional, but highly recommended, we like to drizzle it over the top of the wraps.
- You can easily double this recipe to serve more people.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
