Chicken Lettuce Wrap with Peanut Sauce (video)
Easy and flavor-packed chicken lettuce wraps with a delicious sesame and peanut dipping sauce! If you enjoy this chicken dish at restaurants, be prepared to be blown away with this recipe! The filling is made with juicy chicken thigh, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and plenty of garlic! And the dipping sauce is so easy to make! Plus, this is a one-pan recipe so less dishes to clean up at the end of the day! It’s also a great recipe for those on a low-carb diet!
My Chicken Lettuce Wraps Video Tutorial
Watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step video instructions and watch me put together these peanut chicken lettuce wraps! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website emailing list and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!
Ingredients for Peanut Chicken Wraps
You’ll love the variety of delicious fillings and ingredients I use for these easy chicken lettuce wraps with peanut dipping sauce! Here are the main ingredients you’ll need:
- Chicken Thighs: I prefer to use diced chicken instead of ground chicken, which is used in most recipes. I find the texture is so much better and the chicken is juicier!
- Mushrooms: you can use almost any variety of mushroom for this recipe! White, cremini, portabella and shiitake are great options.
- Red Bell Pepper: use sweet red bell pepper for the best tasting filling.
- Water Chestnuts: these are typically sold in the ‘Asian Specialty’ section of grocery stores and they come canned. You can purchase these whole or presliced, too.
- Bamboo Shoots: these also come canned and can be find whole or sliced.
- Cashews: I love the flavor of cashews for the filling but feel free to use peanuts, almonds or macadamia nuts here, too!
- Peanut Sauce: I use a premade peanut sauce as the base for my dipping sauce.
- Ginger & Garlic: for making the peanut dipping sauce.
- Soy Sauce, Sesame Seed Oil & Rice Vinegar: for making the sauce.
What Chicken to Use For Lettuce Wraps
These chicken lettuce wraps are all about the filling! I make mine with a mix of chicken and loads of veggies! Let’s talk about the chicken. Most lettuce wrap recipes and restaurant dishes use ground chicken or turkey meat. I like to use diced chicken thigh or chicken breast instead. I love the texture of the diced chicken versus the ground meat and the flavor is so much better!
How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps Filling
My chicken lettuce wraps filling recipe is made with a large variety of veggies, which add both texture and flavor! I add sweet red bell pepper, sweet onion, grated carrots, mushrooms, cashews, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.
- Sauté the diced chicken in a large frying pan and seasoning lightly with salt. The chicken needs to be cooked all the way through; sauté for about 7 to 8 minutes until it’s well cooked. Remove the chicken from the frying pan and keep it warm on the side.
- Next, sauté the mushrooms in the same frying until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the pan.
- Then fry the bell pepper, carrots and onion until the onion is translucent and the pepper tender.
- Bring back the chicken and mushrooms to the pan and add the diced water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, a few tablespoons of chopped cashews and a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro. Add half of the prepared dipping sauce to the pan and use a spatula to toss all the ingredients together. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes.
The Peanut Dipping Sauce
These chicken lettuce wraps wouldn’t be the same with this incredible and easy, homemade sesame and peanut dipping sauce. I make the sauce with a combination of soy sauce, peanut sauce, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, honey and cilantro. My favorite premade peanut sauce is by the brand Tang. It’s a delicious sauce that’s perfect for this recipe. Don’t want to use a peanut sauce? Just add a few tablespoons of plain peanut butter instead!
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk together. Use half of the sauce to season the chicken lettuce wrap filling and the other half as a dipping sauce.
How to Serve Lettuce Wraps
Once you have the chicken filling and the dipping sauce ready to go, it’s time to put together some lettuce wraps! I usually buy 2 small heads of leafy lettuce. Just about any variety of soft lettuce will work, even iceberg lettuce! Wash the lettuce thoroughly and then sort the leaves. You want to use medium-sized leaves that aren’t torn. Save the smaller leaves for a salad for later!
For each chicken lettuce wrap, add a few tablespoons of the filling directly onto the leaf. Top the leaves off with more chopped cashews and chopped cilantro. Gently wrap the lettuce around the filling, then dip into the sauce and enjoy!
More Recipes
Enjoyed this easy and delicious chicken recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re bound to enjoy!
- Mango Chicken Curry – aromatic, creamy and delicious coconut mango curry with juicy chicken! This dish is a must-try!!
- Asian Chicken Salad – the best ever version of this restaurant classic, with my homemade teriyaki chicken!
- Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry – delicious chicken stir fry with homemade sauce and loads of veggies!
- Spinach Chicken Salad – you’ll love this easy salad with juicy chicken, avocado, cheese and pears!
- Avocado Chicken Burritos – my favorite chicken burritos, made with loads of cheese, avocado and juicy chicken!
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Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce (video)
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
- Cooking oil
- Salt, to taste
- 6 to 8 white mushrooms, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 1 cup diced water chestnuts; drained
- 1 cup diced bamboo shoots; drained
- 1/2 cup chopped cashews, divided
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 small heads of lettuce
For Dipping Sauce:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 to 3 tbsp peanut sauce or peanut butter
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
- 1 tbsp grated or pureed ginger
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp honey or agave syrup
Instructions
Making the Filling:
- Prepare the chicken first: Dice the chicken into small, pea-sized pieces. Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the diced chicken. Season the chicken lightly with salt and fry for 7 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is browned all over and cooked thoroughly. Transfer the cooked chicken into a large bowl and set aside; keep warm.
- Into the same pan, add in the mushrooms. Add more oil if necessary and fry the diced mushrooms for 6 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms are well browned. Transfer the cooked mushrooms into the same bowl as the chicken.
- Next, add in the bell pepper, carrot and onion; add more oil if needed. Saute the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat, until the pepper is soft and the onion translucent.
Making the Sauce:
- While the fillings are cooking, prepare the peanut dipping sauce. Combine the soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, peanut sauce, garlic, ginger, honey and cilantro in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk vigorously until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Bring back the chicken and mushrooms to the pan and add the diced water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, a few tablespoons of chopped cashews and a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro. Add half of the prepared dipping sauce to the pan and use a spatula to toss all the ingredients together. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes.
Serving Lettuce Wraps:
- Wash the lettuce thoroughly and sort the lettuce leaves, leaving whole, medium-sized leaves for the chicken wraps. Add a few tablespoons of the chicken filling onto each leaf, then top with more chopped cashews and chopped cilantro. Dip the wraps into the sauce and enjoy immediately. Assemble the wraps as you are enjoying them; do not store assembled wraps. Keep the lettuce and filling separately.
Hi Tatyana! 🙂
A nice and tasty recipe to enjoy out on our patio!
Definitely going to try your version of a peanut sauce.
I’m into dips & sauces, a fun food for me! 😊
Have a nice day! 🌷
Hi Dalila! Thank you so much! The dip is so delicious! If you want it to be spicy, you can also add hot mustard to the mix! Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂