These Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps with a Spicy Peanut Sauce come together in 30 minutes and are bursting with flavor. The perfect healthy lunch or dinner option – each bite is packed with spiced chicken, crunchy veggies and peanut sauce. You’re going to love it!
If you’re looking for more lettuce wraps try out my Greek Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Tzatziki, Healthy Bahn Mi Lettuce Wraps or my Classic Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps.
Easy & Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
I don’t know about you, but snacks like these Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a great way to bring some life to the menu in the dead of winter. Yes, they are SO delicious to make in the summertime, and enjoy out on the patio with a refreshing beverage. But they are also perfect for when I’m a little tired of the hot and heavy foods we eat all winter.
Thai food is often light in the sense that there isn’t a lot of density to the food. It’s not overly creamy, cheese, or full of carbs. And that’s why I love it so much! It’s low carb but also SO flavorful. Thai food is the perfect way of showcasing how incredibly delicious simple and fresh foods can be.
These Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps use lean ground chicken that’s seasoned perfectly with just a hint of clove and tons of garlic and ginger. And then there’s the peanut sauce! Who doesn’t love peanut sauce?! It’s nutty, spicy, a little sweet, and the perfect sauce for these light wraps.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you need to make these delicious Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Keep in mind that the exact amounts and recipe instructions are below in the recipe card.
For the Chicken Filling:
- Ground Chicken: This recipe also works well with ground turkey or shrimp.
- Olive Oil: Or your favorite cooking oil.
- Ground Cloves: This little bit of spice makes a world of difference in the flavor of the chicken. It’s earthy and slightly sweet.
- Ginger: I highly recommend using fresh ginger, and lots of it! It provides that distinctive flavor for Thai food.
- Garlic: The same goes for garlic…always use fresh when possible!
- Sea Salt
For the Peanut Sauce:
- Peanut Butter: You can use creamy or chunky for this recipe. It all depends if you want pieces of peanuts in the sauce.
- Tamari: Or coconut aminos. You can also use regular soy sauce but the recipe will then contain gluten.
- Cilantro: A staple Thai food ingredient! The more the better when it comes to this cuisine.
- Honey: This sauce benefits from a little sweetness (especially if you use all-natural peanut butter that doesn’t contain added sugar.)
- Lime: This is another ingredient that’s very popular in Thai food. That little bit of citrus elevates all of the other flavors.
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes: Use more if you want the sauce to be a little spicier.
To make the Lettuce Wraps:
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Mini Red Bell Peppers: You can also use yellow or orange peppers, too.
- Green Onions: Thin-sliced red onions would also work.
- Cilantro
- Lettuce: You can use Boston Bibb lettuce or Butter lettuce.
- Sriracha: This is an optional topping to add a little heat!
What Lettuce Should I Use For Lettuce Wraps?
I like to use Bibb or Butter lettuce for this recipe. You want lettuce leaves that are large and won’t break when you fold them up. Iceberg lettuce would not work well for this recipe, but you could use Romaine as a substitute if needed.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
Here are some different variations and substitutes that you can use for this recipe. That’s the joy here – the recipe is so versatile!
- Meat substitutes: You can use ground turkey or ground beef for this recipe, too. If you’d like to use seafood you could use shrimp.
- Vegetable substitutes: Some other vegetable options you can use are picked red onions, jalapeno peppers, or radishes.
- More sauces: Try adding some of my other sauces like a drizzle of Thai Chili Ginger Sauce or Boom Boom Sauce.
How to Make Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
The steps are very simple for this healthy appetizer. Here’s what you need to do:
First, make the peanut sauce. Simply combine the peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. You can also do this ahead of time and store the sauce in the refrigerator.
Then, cook the chicken. You can do this right on the stovetop. It’s going to smell delicious with the cloves, garlic, and ginger!
The last step is to assemble the lettuce cups. Take one leaf of lettuce and add some of the cooked chicken. Then add some vegetables and garnish with the sauce and green onions. Feel free to add more sauces or toppings as you’d like!
Tips for Making Thai Lettuce Wraps
Here are some helpful tips to follow when making this recipe.
- Serve them hot or cold. This recipe can be enjoyed while the meat is hot or it can be served just warm or chilled.
- Don’t put the ingredients in the lettuce too far in advance. You don’t want the lettuce to wilt and this will happen if you build the wraps and then let them sit for awhile.
- How to thin out the peanut sauce: Don’t worry if your peanut sauce seems very thick. You can add a little water to thin it out.
Serving Suggestions
You can eat these on their own or serve them with some other fun recipes. Here are some suggestions.
- Asian-Inspired Chicken Wings: Serve these with my Asian Baked Chicken Wings for a flavorful and unique meal.
- Summer Rolls: Use the peanut sauce two ways and make these Summer Rolls alongside the Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
- The best Thai Soup: I think pairing these wraps with my Thai Chicken Noodle Soup is the ultimate healthy meal that is loaded with flavor!
Can These Be Made in Advance?
While I don’t recommend building the wraps ahead of time, you can make the other components of the recipe.
You can easily make the peanut sauce and brown the chicken before you want to serve the lettuce wraps. They can be stored in the fridge. And then you can choose to reheat the chicken or not.
Keep in mind the peanut sauce might thicken up after being chilled, so you may need to thin it out with some water.
How to Store Leftovers
Again, I don’t recommend storing any leftover constructed lettuce wraps. But you can easily keep the ingredients separate and just build them when you’re ready to eat!
The sauce and ground chicken can be stored in separate air-tight containers for up to 5 days.
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Description
These Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps are made with chicken, fresh ginger, cilantro, fresh vegetables and slathered in a Spicy Peanut Sauce. It’s a quick, easy and insanely delicious recipe that’s done in just 20 minutes!
Scale
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Spicy Peanut Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos or tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, diced
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Lettuce Wrap:
- 2 carrots, cut into 1” long matchsticks
- 1/2 cucumber, cut into 1” long matchsticks
- 6 mini red bell peppers, sliced
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced
- 1 head of butter or boston lettuce, torn off into individual lettuce cups
- optional: sriracha sauce for topping
Instructions
- To make the Spicy Peanut Sauce: In a small bowl, add peanut butter, coconut aminos/tamari, fresh cilantro, raw honey, lime juice, fresh ginger, garlic clove, and red pepper flakes. Using a whisk, mix all the ingredients until the sauce is smooth. Set aside.
- Cook Chicken: Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add olive oil to the pan along with garlic cloves and minced ginger. Saute for 30 seconds and add ground chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken, frequently stirring, until there’s no more pink, approximately 6-8 minutes. Add in the ground cloves and sea salt. Stir the mixture and set aside.
- Assemble the Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Using one lettuce cup add 1/4 cup of the ground chicken mixture, a few cucumbers, a few carrots, and a few red pepper slices. Top with 1 tablespoon of the Spicy Peanut Sauce and garnish with green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 lettuce cups
- Calories: 387
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 545 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg
Keywords: lettuce wraps, chicken lettuce wraps, thai lettuce wraps, low carb lunch ideas
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