Quick and easy chicken lettuce wraps for your weeknight dinner. Pick up the ingredients on your way home and dinner is ready within 20 minutes.
Chicken Lettuce wraps
I was introduced to lettuce wraps a little less than 8 years ago when I made Japanese Yakiniku wraps. I liked it pretty much, but being a carb lover I appreciated it more with carbs.
A couple of years ago and while me and the hub were trying PF Chang's for the first time, we ordered their famous lettuce wraps. I almost inhaled the entire appetizer by myself. It was delicious with its sticky sweet and salty sauce.
In my previous life, that is before my last visit to my doctor, I did not care much about consuming less carbs. But life happens and I have to behave as I get older. So I am pretty much scooping everything with lettuce.
One day I remembered these tasty wraps and I have found that they are very popular and easy to make. Looking at the nutritional values of many recipes to find that these babes have a lot of sugar for the new me.
A healthier chicken lettuce wraps
Ok, so why is this big load of carbs in one wrap, this was to the mere fact that all the recipes used hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is a thick, tasty glaze/sauce used in many Asian recipes. I love this stuff so much, but seems that I will have to cut back on using it.
Searching here and there and trying the health store aisles, I was able to substitute with a handful of ingredients that you'll probably find in your kitchen. The only ingredient that you'll have to look a little deeper for is the sugar free maple syrup. My guess is you can use any sweetener you like.
How to make healthier PF Chang's chicken lettuce wrap
- Start by sauteing onions in a mixture of olive oil and sesame oil until fragrant.
- Add garlic and continue to stir for another 30 seconds.
- Add the ground chicken breaking it apart and stirring for 5 minutes until mostly cooked.
- Add ginger, almond butter and all the spices along with your sweetener. Mixing well to combine.
- Stir in the water chestnuts and green onion then keep cooking for about 1 more minute.
- Season with salt and pepper then turn heat off. Spoon chicken into lettuce leaves and serve garnished with more chopped green onion.
What type of lettuce to use for wraps
Anything you like or have and do not make an extra trip to the store so you can get a specific type. Mostly butter lettuce is used but you can use romaine and green leaf as well. I do not recommend using iceberg lettuce though as they are less flavorful and hard to manipulate.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Better and healthier than PF Chang's version, these chicken lettuce wraps are a great quick and easy weeknight dinner. Use leftovers for lunch the next day.
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Chicken lettuce wraps
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
- 1 (180g) onion, chopped.
- 2 large garlic cloves.
- 1 pound ground chicken.
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger grated.
- 1 Tablespoon natural almond butter.
- 3 Tablespoons Tamari. Note1
- 4 teaspoon rice wine vinegar.
- 1 teaspoon sweetener of your choice. Note2
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha or any hot sauce optional.
- Pinch Chinese five spices.
- 1 can (8oz) canned water chestnuts, drained and chopped.
- 2 stalks green onions chopped.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground.
- 1 head butter lettuce.
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, add olive oil and sesame oil then sauté onions until translucent.
- Add garlic and keep cooking for 30 seconds.
- Add the ground chicken breaking it apart. Cook for almost 5 minutes until the chicken is almost done.
- Add the next 7 ingredients stirring well to combine.
- Add the chestnuts and green onion and continue to cook for another 1 minute.
- Stir in salt and black pepper and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Spoon in lettuce leaves and serve garnished with more green onion.
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