Chicken Lettuce Wraps

When we’re out to eat and I love something that we tried, my first thought is, “I have to make this at home!” Chicken Lettuce Wraps appear on a lot of appetizer menus. I’ve been meaning to make them for awhile, but just haven’t gotten around to it. When I finally did, I combined all my favorite parts of the different chicken lettuce wraps that I’ve tried in the past into one. I think it’s a winner.

First of all, chicken and mushrooms are always a great pair. To give flavor and aroma, I added garlic, ginger and green onions. There’s crunch, fresh flavors, and a sweet and salty sauce. I think the secret to the sauce is the addition of sweet chili sauce. I’m not too fond of blazing heat in my mouth, but you can certainly add some heat if you’d like. The rice noodles are a surprising addition that makes it so much better. Noodles make everything better, don’t they? To balance out the hearty, saucy filling, the crunchy, sweet and fresh carrots and jicama do the job just right. Wrap it all up in my favorite lettuce – butter leaf, and you’ve got yourself an appetizer that will amaze your friends or are really delicious dinner option too. You can make the meat filling in advance, then simply reheat it and serve it with the lettuce, carrots and jicama. 

Ingredients:

1-2 Tablespoons oil for sautéing

4 oz shiitake mushrooms, chopped

1 lb ground chicken

2 oz (about 2 cups dry) rice noodles

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

1 (8 0z) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

1/2 medium jicama, cut into thin matchsticks (3/4-1 cup)

1 head butter lettuce

1-2 Tablespoons sliced green onions

Sauce:

3 Tablespoons soy sauce (I like Tamari)

2 1/2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions:

Prep all the ingredients first. Pour boiling water over the rice noodles and allow to stand for 3 minutes and then drain. Set aside. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the mushrooms. Instead of shiitake mushrooms, you can use any kind of mushrooms that you like. Cook for about 3 minutes on medium high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the meat is mostly cooked through. Add the garlic, the white part of the green onion and the ginger. Mix to combine and cook for another minute. Add the rice noodles and the chopped water chestnuts and mix to combine. Pour in all the sauce ingredients, mix to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until the sauce thickens.

Place some carrots and jicama into a leaf of the butter leaf lettuce and top with a scoop of the chicken filling. Serve immediately. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Olga Klyuchits

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 14 -16 wraps

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1-2 Tablespoons oil for sautéing
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms chopped
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 2 oz about 2 cups dry rice noodles
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 8 0z can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 medium jicama cut into thin matchsticks (3/4-1 cup)
• 1 head butter lettuce
• 1-2 Tablespoons sliced green onions

Sauce:

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce I like Tamari
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

 

• Pour boiling water over the rice noodles and allow to stand for 3 minutes and then drain. Set aside. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes on medium high heat.
• Add the ground chicken and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the meat is mostly cooked through.
• Add the garlic, the white part of the green onion and the ginger. Mix to combine and cook for another minute.
• Add the rice noodles and the chopped water chestnuts and mix to combine. Pour in all the sauce ingredients, mix to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until the sauce thickens.
• Place some carrots and jicama into a leaf of the butter leaf lettuce and top with a scoop of the chicken filling. Serve immediately.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!