Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Name: Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoons Olive or Avocado Oil; 1lb Ground Chicken; 1 Small Onion, diced; 2 Cloves Garlic, minced; 1 Medium Red Pepper, diced; 8oz Water Chestnuts, drained and diced; 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce; 4oz (1/2 Cup) Hoisin Sauce; 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar; 1 Tablespoon Freshly Grated Ginger; 1 Tablespoons Sriracha, optional; 2-3 Green Onions, chopped; 2 Tablespoons Peanuts; 1 Head of Butter Lettuce

By Elizabeth Waterson // Jun 17, 2020 (Updated Oct 25, 2025) // 1 Comment

Jump to Recipe·5 from 1 review

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This Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe is a quick and easy dinner that is full of flavor. Step-by-step photos help you make this tasty dinner recipe.

chicken lettuce cup mixture in a cream skillet next to a plate of butter lettuce, a cup of chopped peanuts, and a cup of green onions on a grey surface

I am always looking for dinner in 30 minutes during the week. I love this recipe because my whole family loves them.

Full of flavor, chicken lettuce wraps are in our dinner rotation.

This is also a fun appetizer for a party, I don't know anyone who doesn't love these tasty lettuce cups. Another appetizer we all adore is this Tomato Caprese Skewers Recipe.

close up of chicken lettuce cups on a white and brown speckled plate on a grey surface

Let's get to the recipe

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Ingredients
Instructions
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Ingredients

For this easy dinner you will need:

Oil. I like to use olive or avocado oil, you only need a little bit to help cook the chicken.
Ground Chicken. Ground chicken breast will be drier than using ground chicken thighs. You could use ground turkey or ground pork if you wanted.
Onion. You'll just need one small one finely diced or use half a larger onion.
Garlic. I like to use two cloves minced, I usually buy a jar of pre-minced garlic to make it easier.
Red Pepper. You don't always see red pepper in a chicken lettuce cup recipe but I like the color, texture, and ease of sneaking in another veggie.
Water Chestnuts. Make sure to drain them and dice.
Soy Sauce. I like to use low sodium. I am sure you could use coconut aminos but I never have.
Hoisin Sauce. This sauce helps bring all the classic flavor.
Rice Vinegar. Not to be confused with white vinegar, rice vinegar has a more delicate and sweet flavor.
Freshly Grated Ginger. I like to buy the grated frozen ginger from Trader Joe's, they come in frozen cubes so you can just whack it in.
Sriracha. I like to add a little heat to my cups. You don't have to add this.
Green Onions. I stir in some green onions and leave extra for topping.
Peanuts. I love the crunch and flavor the peanuts add, but if peanuts are not your cup of tea feel free to leave them out, they are just a topping.
Lettuce. You'll need something to hold the chicken mixture. My favorite is butter lettuce but romaine works too!

I find with the flavorful sauce I usually don't season with salt and pepper but you can if you'd like!

Instructions

We'll start with browning the ground meat, I prefer chicken but you can use ground chicken, turkey, or pork, keep in mind ground chicken and turkey needs to reach 165F/ 74C but ground pork and beef needs to be cooked to 160F/ 71C. I use my internal thermometer from Thermoworks, a Thermapen MK4 to check I reach the temperature.

Over medium heat in a large skillet add the oil to warm then add the chicken and cook until just browned.

cream enameled cast iron skillet with bronwed ground chicken on a grey surface

Add the finely diced onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes, just until the onion softens and becomes translucent.

cream cast iron skillet with ground chicken, garlic and onion in on a grey surface

Add the chopped red pepper and cook for another 3 minutes, making sure to stir everything together a few times.

red peppers added to ground chicken, garlic, and onion mixture in a cream skillet on a grey surface (

Whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and sriracha, then set aside.

pyrex glass measuring cup with sauce for chicken lettuce cups on a grey surface

Add the sauce and chopped water chestnuts to the chicken mixture and let cook together for 5 minutes or so, stirring so everything is evenly coated in the sauce.

water chestnuts and sauced added to ground chicken mixture in a cream colored skillet on a grey surface

At this point your meat should be fully cooked but I like to just double check the ground chicken is at least 165F. Add half of the green onions on top.