Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Updated Jun 26, 2025
Chicken lettuce wrap recipe made with ground chicken, mixed veggies, and sautéed in an Asian-inspired peanut sauce. Takes 30 minutes from start to finish!
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Chicken Lettuce Wraps are so good!
I don’t know why lettuce wraps are so good. It’s kind of funny when you think about it, lettuce doesn’t really taste like much. But the crunch is the part that gets me every time.
Asian flavors inspire this chicken lettuce wrap recipe. It has a mix of veggies, ground chicken, and a simple peanut sauce that brings all the flavors together. It’s quick, easy, and yummy.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Chicken Lettuce Wrap Ingredients
- Ground chicken: I love using ground chicken for these lettuce wraps, but feel free to swap in an alternate protein as well: ground turkey, ground beef, or a plant-based option will all work.
- Olive oil: I prefer olive oil, but any cooking oil you have on hand is fine.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic are the big flavors in this dish, but jarred or ground versions can also be used.
- Vegetables: This recipe calls for onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, carrots, and red pepper, but mix and match your veggie blend based on your preferences!
- Peanut butter: Just be sure you go for creamy, rather than crunchy peanut butter.
- Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar is a slightly sweet vinegar and goes well with this sauce, but swap in something like apple cider vinegar.
- Soy sauce: I love the rich, salty flavor of soy sauce, but try tamari instead if you’d like to make your chicken lettuce wraps gluten free.
- Sriracha: Feel free to leave this one out if you’re looking for a milder wrap.
- Toasted sesame oil: You should be able to find this at your local grocery store, but if not, peanut oil or walnut oil will work.
- Bibb lettuce: I think Bibb lettuce makes a great wrap/cup for serving! But butter lettuce or even a head of iceberg work great.
- Garnishes: I usually top my chicken lettuce wraps with sliced green onions and crushed peanuts.
How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Make the Peanut Sauce
Make the Chicken Lettuce Wrap Filling
Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¼ pound ground chicken
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 onion diced
- 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts diced and drained
- 4 ounces mushrooms diced
- 2 carrots diced
- ¼ red pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
For serving
- 1 head Bibb lettuce leaves or butter lettuce
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- Crushed peanuts
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink, 5-8 minutes.
- Add the onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, carrots and peppers and continue cooking until the vegetables soften, 5 more minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 more minute.
- In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
- Lower the heat to low and transfer the sauce to the skillet, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to make sure the chicken mixture is well coated with the sauce.
- To serve, scoop the chicken mixture onto the lettuce. Add peanuts and green onions, if desired.
Notes
- Ground chicken: You can substitute ground turkey, ground beef or even small diced chicken breasts for the ground chicken!
- Vegetables: All the vegetables are optional. You can omit any or all of them or substitute with your favorites.
- Soy Sauce: If you have a soy allergy, try tamari sauce, or liquid aminos, and you can’t tell the difference in taste.
- Peanut Butter: If you have a peanut allergy, you can substitute any nut butter or seed butter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Dice your vegetables into extra small pieces. This is a great way to blend (read: hide) your vegetables in with the ground chicken…but it’s also great way to make sure that every bite is filled with all the textures and flavors of the dish. I usually chop everything by hand, but you can also use a food processor, too!
- Use fresh ginger in your sauce. So much of the flavor in this dish (and many Asian dishes) comes from fresh ginger! So, if possible, avoid using ground ginger and get the fresh stuff, then use a small blender or food processor to really break down the ginger well to make the sauce. I promise, the results will be amazing!
Serving Ideas
- Serve with crunchy Thai salad. These lettuce wraps are already fresh and light, but come summertime, sometimes all you want is more salad… and one of my favorites is a mix of crisp greens and vegetables with my go-to Thai peanut-y dressing. It’s so good, it even makes my kids want seconds of salad.
- Plate your wraps with some brown rice. For a little extra carb-y comfort, I like to plate these wraps with a little brown rice (whether folded up in the lettuce wrap itself or on the side). The texture is a perfect compliment to all this crunchy fresh protein! Plus, it helps to soak up that delicious sauce.
- Repurpose your leftovers as noodle salad. One of my favorite Asian dishes to make is a rice-noodle salad, with a similar, delicious, peanut-y flavoring. This seasoned ground chicken, along with any extra sauce, will mix perfectly with rice or vermicelli noodles for an easy lunchtime or dinner noodle salad.
FAQs
I’d recommend storing all fresh elements like lettuce, green onions, and peanuts separately from your cooked chicken so they retain their crunch and freshness (though both components can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days)! To quickly reheat the filling, either stir it in a pan on medium heat until warmed through, or transfer it to a microwave-safe dish, cover it, and microwave it on high for 1-2 minutes.
While you can freeze your chicken filling, the lettuce cups will lose their texture and crispness when thawed. To freeze your chicken mixture, store it in a sealed, airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and serving with fresh lettuce and toppings.
If your chicken filling turns out too dry, it might be because the chicken was overcooked. To fix this, you can add a splash of chicken broth or water to the mixture and cook it on low heat for a few minutes!
If your peanut sauce is too watery, it could be because your liquid ingredients are overpowering the peanut butter. You can fix this by adding more peanut butter to your sauce, or by allowing the sauce to simmer on low heat for a longer time to help it thicken.
Comments
Delicious! I added diced zucchini to the veggies. Also added some hoisin sauce & brown sugar to the sauce ingredients, and substituted one Tbsp of tahini for one of the peanut butter Tbsp. Made it for dinner and everyone enjoyed it. Will definitely make it a regular! Thank you!
Love how you made the recipe your own!! So happy it was a hit with everyone! Thank you, Audra!!
Super easy to make!
Yay! So happy you think so, Catie!
So delicious and easy to make. Highly recommend! thank you for the recipe
Thank you so much!! You’re so welcome!
Followed this recipe as is and it was absolutely delicious! My son and I loved it! I can’t cook worth a damn but your recipes have upped my cooking game 😆 thank you!
Yay! That’s so great!! You’re so welcome!
Tried this recipe out a few days ago and it was a hit! I switched out the peanut butter for SunButter and I added a tbsp more of rice vinegar and a tbsp more of soy sauce to make the sauce less thick. This recipe will definitely be a regular!
Interesting