Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps with snappy fresh vegetables and a dreamy Thai-inspired peanut sauce make the ultimate high-protein lunch or dinner. Incorporate your favorite vegetables too!
When the weather heats up, I find myself craving big refreshing salads, and crisp lettuce wraps.
Inspired by my Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps, this chicken version is the ultimate lunch or light dinner.
Stuffed with fresh vegetables and swaddled in a creamy, dreamy peanut curry sauce, they are ready in 30 minutes or less, and are perfect for meal prep too!
Simply whip up a batch ahead of time and take a Tupperware container of the chicken filling to work alongside some fresh lettuce to make wraps for lunch.
Or, enjoy them as a light dinner with any additional side dishes, such as Asian Cucumber Salad.
Let’s chat about the fresh ingredients for this tasty recipe.
Ingredients for Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps:
Avocado Oil: My favorite oil for cooking. You can use sesame oil if you love that classic sesame flavor.
Boneless Chicken Thighs or Chicken Breasts: We need 1.5 to 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts.
I like using thighs because the chicken turns out rich and tender. Breasts work too, though the meat itself is less tender due to its leanness.
Red Onion and Fresh Garlic: Fresh onion and garlic bring a big boost of flavor to the chicken.
Grated Carrots and Purple Cabbage: These tasty snappy fresh vegetables bring vitamins, antioxidants, and color to the meal. Consider adding other kinds of veggies too!
Butter Leaf Lettuce: The wrap portion of the recipe is brought to us by butter lettuce. In case you haven’t used it in the past, it is found in the produce section of the grocery store, typically encased in a plastic box.
Any kind of crisp lettuce leaves work, including romaine lettuce. Still, I find the best lettuce for lettuce wraps is butter leaf lettuce due to its width and easy pliability.
Green Onions: A zing of freshness and subtle onion flavor!
Raw Cashews: Adding a slight crunch elevates the textural experience of the Thai lettuce wraps. I like using raw cashews or roasted cashews, but almonds, pecans, and walnuts work too.
Thai Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
Creamy Peanut Butter (or Almond Butter): The creamy texture and rich peanut flavor comes from no other than creamy peanut butter.
I like using almond butter in this application too for anyone who has a peanut allergy.
Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce: Adding umami flavor and much needed sodium content, we need liquid aminos or soy sauce. Coconut aminos works too for a soy-free option.
Red Curry Paste: Providing an infusing of Thai curry flavor, we need Thai curry paste. I use Thai red curry paste, but green curry paste or yellow curry paste works too.
Pure Maple Syrup (optional): A boost of sweetness completes the flavor profile of the sauce. Brown sugar is a great option too.
Fish Sauce (optional): If you already have fish sauce on hand, I recommend adding a small amount. It adds richness and a classic Thai flavor that is impossible to replicate in any other way. Be careful, a little goes a long way.
Recipe Customizations:
- Use ground chicken, ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey instead of chicken pieces.
- Decrease the amount of curry paste for less spice.
- Incorporate your favorite fresh vegetables. Red bell pepper is great in this application, and I like the idea of adding bok choy or water chestnuts, too.
- Use flour tortillas instead of lettuce to make the wraps if you’d like.
- Omit the pure maple syrup and/or the fish sauce from the Thai sauce recipe.
- Replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or tahini.
- Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice or rice vinegar to the sauce for a little acidity.
- For a little extra heat, add a dash of red pepper flakes.
- Customize the sauce to your liking by adding sweet chili sauce, hoisin sauce, coconut milk, or sriracha sauce.
To save time, replace the cabbage and carrots with one small package of coleslaw mix.
How to Make Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps:
In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the sauce ingredients until well combined. Note: the sauce is very thick, and this is normal. Set aside until ready to use.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or a large pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the fresh garlic and continue cooking another 2 minutes. If the veggies start to turn brown too quickly, lower the stove top to medium heat.
Transfer the chopped chicken to the pot and give everything a stir. Allow the chicken to sit untouched for a few minutes to allow it to brown. Stir well and continue browning for another 1-3 minutes.
Add the cabbage, carrot, and sauce and stir well.
Bring the mixture to a full boil and continue cooking, stirring regularly, until the chicken has cooked through and the vegetables have reached your desired doneness.
Rinse the butter leaf lettuce under cool water, then gently pat the leaves dry with a kitchen towel.
Load up a lettuce leaf with Thai chicken mixture. Sprinkle with chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, and cashews and enjoy! A sprinkle of sesame seeds is lovely here too.
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
And that’s it!
An easy recipe that comes together quickly for a light yet filling meal. It can double as a delicious appetizer too!
For my fellow Thai food lovers, you’ll get a kick out of the bold flavors in these tasty lettuce cups. The creamy peanut sauce is everything here!
If you like high-protein recipes like this that are perfect for the spring and summer, also try these gems.
More Refreshing High-Protein Meals:
- Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps
- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
- Pesto Chicken Salad
- Mediterranean Salmon Salad
- Ground Turkey Tacos
Delicious Thai chicken lettuce wraps for life!
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 cup red onion or yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts chopped
- 1 ½ cups grated carrot
- 1 ½ cups red cabbage thinly sliced
For the Sauce:
- 4 tbsp creamy peanut butter*
- 3 Tbsp liquid aminos or coconut aminos
- 1.5 Tbsp red curry paste**
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup optional
- 1 tsp fish sauce optional
For Serving:
- 1 head butter leaf lettuce
- 1 bunch green onion chopped
- 1/3 cup raw or roasted cashews optional
- 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the sauce ingredients until well combined. Note: the sauce is very thick, and this is normal. Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or a large pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh garlic and continue cooking another 2 minutes. If the veggies start to turn brown too quickly, lower the stove top to medium heat.
- Transfer the chopped chicken to the pot and give everything a stir. Allow the chicken to sit untouched for a few minutes to allow it to brown. Stir well and continue browning for another 1-3 minutes.
- Add the cabbage, carrot, and sauce and stir well. Bring the mixture to a full boil and continue cooking, stirring regularly, until the chicken has cooked through and the vegetables have reached your desired doneness.
- Rinse the butter leaf lettuce under cool water, then gently pat the leaves dry with a kitchen towel.
- Load up a lettuce leaf with Thai chicken mixture. Sprinkle with chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, and cashews and enjoy! A sprinkle of sesame seeds is lovely here too.
Notes
Nutrition
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