Description
These Sweet and Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps offer a flavorful, healthy, and quick-to-make dish featuring ground chicken cooked with a blend of vegetables and a tangy, spicy sauce. Perfect for a light lunch or dinner, the wraps combine crunchy lettuce with a savory-sweet filling that’s both satisfying and refreshing.
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha (or 1 tablespoon for less spice)
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
Cooking Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (divided)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated (about 1 inch piece)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 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 water chestnuts, diced and drained
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 heads romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce leaves for serving
Instructions
- Prep: Chop all the vegetables including mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, carrots, and green onions. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha, toasted sesame oil, and honey to create the sauce. Set the sauce aside.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken, season with salt, and cook thoroughly, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the Vegetables: In the same pan, add the remaining peanut oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to brown. Then add diced onions, red bell pepper, and carrots. Cook for about 5 more minutes until the onions become translucent.
- Combine and Simmer: Return the cooked ground chicken to the pan along with the diced water chestnuts and half of the sliced green onions. Pour in the prepared sauce, bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and reduces.
- Serve: Sprinkle the remaining green onions on top of the filling. Spoon the warm chicken and vegetable mixture into fresh lettuce leaves and serve immediately as wraps.
Notes
- For milder flavor, reduce the amount of sriracha to 1 tablespoon or omit entirely.
- Romaine lettuce provides a sturdier wrap while iceberg offers crispiness.
- This recipe can be made gluten-free by substituting soy sauce with tamari.
- Leftover filling can be refrigerated and reheated for up to 2 days.
- Adjust honey quantity to increase or reduce sweetness according to preference.
