Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
This cookbook review was sponsored by Chef Julia Nordgren, M.D. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps are healthy, low carb Asian chicken lettuce cups that take only a few simple ingredients and 15 minutes to prepare!
I’ve always been a bit of a control freak about what my kids eat. I could control it fairly well at home when they were little by keeping juice and processed food to a minimum, but once they started preschool, it really became a challenge.
There were so many parties and birthday celebrations at school, which meant treats, juice and goody bags filled with processed foods.
I always volunteered as a room parent with like-minded moms, and we planned party menus with homemade snacks and treats that were on the healthier side, but still tasted great.
Try as we might, other parents would bring in packaged foods and cake with blue frosting that the kids always gravitated towards. It was an uphill battle!
My boys are in high school now, and I had to let go of my controlling ways long ago in order to keep my sanity. What can I control? The food that I prepare in my own home. I do my best to make sure that my boys are getting plenty of nutritious fruits and vegetables, and keep processed foods and sugary drinks to a minimum.
These Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps are an example of a healthy, delicious meal that even kids find appealing. Who hasn’t had PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps and loved them?
This recipe is from the cookbook The New Family Table: Cooking More, Eating Together & Staying (Relatively) Sane by Chef Julia Nordgren, M.D.
This cookbook appealed to me because the recipes are healthy, family-friendly and approachable, which promotes cooking at home and eating together on the busiest of nights.
Julia Nordgren’s story is remarkable. She’s a mother of two boys and a pediatrician that wanted to do something about the childhood obesity that she witnessed in her office time and time again.
She put herself through culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America to enhance her medical education, and to fuel her passion to help busy parents put quality food on the table for the health of their families.
This cookbook is a prime example that cooking healthfully is easy — and delicious!
The book is categorized in the following sections: Breakfast, Snacks, Vegetables, Soups, Stew & Makeaheads, dinner, and desserts. This cookbook covers all the bases.
In the cookbook, this recipe is written as Tofu Lettuce Wraps, with a variation for chicken lettuce cups. I opted to substitute the tofu with ground chicken because we prefer it over tofu, but I’ve included information on using tofu in the recipe notes below.
How to make chicken lettuce wraps
These healthy Asian chicken lettuce wraps are fresh, flavorful, and come together in minutes.
Simply heat the oil in a sauté pan, then add the ground chicken. Break up the chicken into small pieces, then add a few tablespoons of water and the hoisin sauce, and stir until combined. Cook 3-5 minutes or until cooked through, and add lime juice, salt and pepper, to taste.
If you’d like your vegetables cooked slightly, remove the chicken from the pan and cook the vegetables in the same pan for 2 minutes, or until softened. I left my veggies raw because I love the crispness!
Assemble your chicken lettuce cups and serve with the scallions, lime, cilantro and Sriracha, if desired.
What type of lettuce is best for chicken lettuce cups?
I prefer to use butter lettuce, which is also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce. Iceberg and romaine lettuces are also viable options for chicken lettuce cups.
Recipe tips and substitutions
The filling may be made in advance and stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The veggies may be substituted with whatever you have on hand!
Use gluten-free or paleo-friendly hoisin sauce if following those diets.
Substitute the chicken with ground turkey, pork, or use tofu for a meatless meal. If using tofu, line a plate with paper towels and put another layer on top. Put a plate on top of the paper towels and add a bit of weight, such as a can of beans. Allow tofu to drain for 20-30 minutes, the remove wet paper towels and pay tofu dry before crumbling and cooking.
More low carb recipes you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or sub with canola, grapeseed or safflower oil
- 1 lb. ground chicken*
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 carrots grated or cut into a fine julienne
- 1/4 head red cabbage thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced thinly
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 head Bibb lettuce also known as Boston or butter lettuce, leaves carefully removed, washed and dried (about 12 lettuce cups)
For serving:
- 3 scallions sliced
- 1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
- Additional lime hoisin sauce or Sriracha
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the ground chicken, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add 2 tablespoons of water and the hoisin sauce, and stir until combined. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. then add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper as necessary. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the vegetables to the same pan and cook the carrots, cabbage and red bell pepper for 2 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chicken mixture and stir to combine. If you prefer your vegetables to be crunchy like I do, you may skip this step and serve them raw.
- Place 3 lettuce cups on each plate, and fill with the chicken mixture, and top with scallions, chopped cilantro and Sriracha or additional hoisin sauce.
Notes
- This recipe was adapted by Tofu Lettuce Wraps from the cookbook The New Family Table: Cooking More, Eating Together & Staying (Relatively) Sane.
- The filling may be made in advance and stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- The veggies may be substituted with whatever you have on hand!
- Use gluten-free or paleo-friendly hoisin sauce if following those diets.
- Substitute the chicken with ground turkey, pork, or use tofu for a meatless meal. If using tofu, line a plate with paper towels and put another layer on top. Put a plate on top of the paper towels and add a bit of weight, such as a can of beans. Allow tofu to drain for 20-30 minutes, the remove wet paper towels and pay tofu dry before crumbling and cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
6 Comments on “Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps”
Since I’ve been trying to cut back on grains, lettuce wraps have been a go-to! And my hubby will even eat them. These sound so flavourful, and I just love any dish with hoisin sauce! Sounds like a great cookbook too!
Lettuce wraps are so crisp and crunchy that I never feel deprived, and the hoisin sauce was a nice flavor boost!
Do families even sit down at the kitchen table together anymore. 😀 Perhaps a recipe like this pretty dish would entice them to enjoy dinner together. I’m with you, I like the veggies raw.
They hardly do unfortunately…everybody is running around too much! The raw veggies make them so crunchy!
Marcie! We are cut from the same cloth, for sure. I cringe every time there’s a birthday “party” at Oscar’s pre-school because I know that means those store-bought cupcakes. I try so hard to make sure they only get healthy eats but it can be so tough to control. Anyway, the boys might be too young to love these lettuce wraps but these are definitely something Etienne and I would enjoy!
It’s so frustrating isn’t it? You do such a great job at home, so they’ll be ok! 🙂 I guess there aren’t a lot of toddlers that would eat lettuce wraps, but yes, you can eat them while they have their mac and cheese! haha