Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe (Y’All, They’re So Good)

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Filled with tender and juicy chicken and lots of yummy vegetables, this easy chicken lettuce wraps recipe is filling, delicious, and way cheaper than the takeout version. Your family will love it!

chicken lettuce wraps closeup

Alright, so I’ll admit right off the bat that this chicken lettuce wraps recipe isn’t exactly Southern, which is why I added a “y’all” on the end of this post title. That just made it look like it fit better on Southern Plate, didn’t it? I knew you’d agree.

Be careful, they’re addictive!

I’ve developed a raving addiction to these easy chicken lettuce wraps. You see, Ricky and I don’t get to go out much. We’ve actually been out twice without the kids in the past four or five years. What we do instead is pick a night each week and eat a very light supper, then after we send the kids to bed one of us (he usually draws the short straw here) goes to get takeout for our dinner. A Chinese restaurant is very near us and chicken lettuce wraps are one of their signature dishes. This is one of those things that didn’t sound too appealing to me at first but my mother kept insisting that I try them and once I did, I was about as hooked on that as I was the first time I tried poutine.

However, shelling out the money for them on a regular basis got old quickly and last night I just up and decided that I could make these little suckers myself. Never stand in the way of a woman when she “up and decides” to do something. I looked up several recipes online and they all seemed far too complicated for what I felt should be a simple recipe so I just set out to wing it on my own.

We found the finished product to be every bit as good, a little more filling, and a WHOLE lot cheaper than the restaurant version. The perfect main dish, they easily made enough for four people.

Ingredients for chicken lettuce wraps recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Chicken breast
  • Rice sticks
  • Soy sauce
  • Water chestnut can
  • Brown sugar
  • Mushrooms
  • Green onion
  • Head of lettuce

How To Make My Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Cook chicken in skillet.

Place a tablespoon of oil in a skillet (sesame oil works great in Asian dishes) and add your chicken breast. Cook on medium heat, stirring often until cooked through.

I am using 3 boneless skinless breasts, but this is an excellent recipe to use leftover chicken, whether that’s chicken thigh or rotisserie chicken. I’d also keep it in mind for turkey leftovers as well!

Chop up green onion, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and cooked chicken.

Chop up cooked chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and green onion.

Combine soy sauce and brown sugar and mix well.

Add about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce to the brown sugar and stir that up well.

Add all ingredients back into skillet.

Place all of the chopped ingredients back in the skillet that you cooked your chicken in.

Add sauce to skillet.

Then add the sauce. Stir and cook over medium heat just until heated through.

Cook the rice sticks.

Cooking the Rice Sticks

Place about an inch or two of oil into a small pot. Heat on medium heat for several minutes before using.  Check out the video in the recipe card below to see how the rice sticks puff out. 

Break off some rice noodles, make sure they are small enough that they will fit entirely in your pot. You don’t want any part not going into the oil on the first batch because it won’t cook.

As soon as you put them in they will bubble and then PUFF up like this. Remove them carefully to a paper towel-lined plate.

Head of lettuce to make chicken lettuce wraps.

This post is just filled with neat tricks! See this head of lettuce with the stem in the middle?

Hit lettuce on counter to remove the stem.

Tip to Get the Perfect Lettuce Wrap

Turn that head of lettuce over and get a good hold of it and hit it on the counter really hard, right on that stem and it will just pop right out!

Place chicken into lettuce wraps.

Place the chicken mixture on each lettuce leaf and sprinkle the crispy rice noodles on the top.

chicken lettuce wraps recipe

Fold up your lettuce cup and eat it like a taco. This recipe makes enough chicken lettuce wraps for four people to have a couple each.

MY GOODNESS, THESE ARE GOOD! 

Storage

If you have leftover chicken and vegetables, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You’ll want to store the lettuce leaves separately, as they’ll get soggy quickly.

Recipe Notes

  • Traditionally, Asian chicken lettuce wraps are made using ground chicken, so you can definitely substitute the chicken breast for ground chicken or turkey too if you prefer.
  • If your kids aren’t into lettuce tacos, you can easily serve the chicken and vegetables over rice noodles or rice instead.
  • If you want to add more vegetables to your chicken lettuce wrap recipe, add in a cup of finely chopped bell pepper.
  • For some heat, add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or serve with sriracha.
  • If you’re a fan of cilantro, feel free to sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top of these healthy chicken lettuce wraps before serving.
  • Try coconut amino as a gluten-free and soy-free alternative to soy sauce.

Recipe FAQs

Where can I find rice sticks?

Rice sticks aren’t nearly as hard to find these days as they used to be. I just picked these up at the grocery store in the Asian foods section. These add a lot of “coolness” to the recipe if you let your kids watch you cook them. Okay, so I think they’re pretty cool, too!

What lettuce is best for lettuce wraps?

 I recommend using butter lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or romaine lettuce. 

chicken lettuce wraps recipe

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Filled with tender chicken and vegetables, this chicken lettuce wraps recipe is easy, filling, delicious, and cheaper than the takeout version.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken
Servings: 4
Calories: 164kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts can substitute for leftover chicken or turkey - about three cups
  • 3 green onions
  • 8 oz water chestnuts small can
  • 1 cup mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • rice sticks and oil to cook them in
  • head of lettuce to serve them in

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add chicken, cut into pieces, and cook while stirring until cooked through. While chicken is cooking, finely dice mushrooms, water chestnuts, and green onions. Remove chicken from heat after it is done and dice.
    3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 8 oz water chestnuts, 1 cup mushrooms, 3 green onions
  • Combine the soy sauce and brown sugar, stir well. Add chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and green onions back to the skillet. Stir in the sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.
    3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 green onions, 8 oz water chestnuts, 1 cup mushrooms, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • For the rice sticks, place one to two inches of oil in a small saucepot. Heat over medium heat for several minutes. Break off a handful of rice noodles and drop them into the pot, immediately removing them to a paper towel-lined plate when they puff up.
    rice sticks
  • Serve chicken mixture in the lettuce leaves, topped with crunchy rice noodles. Eat like a taco. Repeat as necessary.
    head of lettuce

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 861mg | Potassium: 518mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

You may also like these chicken recipes:

AMAZING EASY Crock Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Oven Chicken Kabobs

Cheesy Chicken And Rice Crock Pot Version

Grilled Chicken Tenderloins- No Grill Needed!

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161 Comments

  1. OH MY GOODNESS! That’s all I can think to say about these. I decided to make them for dinner because they looked easy, but I had no idea I would love them so much. I actually put about 2 tablespoons of bottled Teriyaki sauce on my chicken before I cooked it, just to add it a little extra depth (and because I needed to use up the bottle that was wasting away in my fridge, so why not), and I left out the water chestnuts simply because I forget them when I was at the store. Either way, they were amazing and after the first bite I knew this recipe was a keeper. The only thing I will do different is double the recipe next time. We all ate so much that there were no leftovers for me to take to lunch tomorrow!

  2. Once again, you have given me inspiration for dinner tomorrow night — using leftover grilled chicken!

    Thanks, Christy!

    1. and come to think of it, I’ve got some Hoisin Sauce in the fridge I might use — it’s similar to brown sugar and soy mixed up, and has a little “kick” to it also! :>)

      1. I have been making these for over 20 years, and I always spread a little hosin sauce on the lettuce before putting the chicken on it. We love the flavor it adds.

  3. Just want you to know I made these and they were great. I found your site recently and I love it. Thank You for all the recipes. My husband has been in Iraq for a year and he is coming home for christmas, I am going to make him a few of your recipes when he gets home. Thanks so much

  4. Wow Christy!
    These were great. I just found your site recently and really enjoy it. The only thing I had to do differently in this recipe was to bang on the rice noodles with a meat tenderizer to break them up.
    Just make sure to do this when they are in a bag, ‘cuz the dog won’t eat ’em off the floor when they scatter all over the place!
    Jen

  5. I tried this recipe last night and it was wonderful. It will become a regular at my house. My only trouble was with the rice sticks. They did not break off easily and I had to really saw at it to get a chunck off and then they did not puff up in the oil. Maybe they were old or maybe I’m doing something wrong, but I really did not miss having them at all. Oh, I also don’t like mushrooms but didn’t even notice them in this. I love your website. Where were you when my kids were little?

  6. Just found your site. LOVE IT!!! And I love lettuce wraps. I’m going to try this and see if my picky 2 and 4 year olds will eat them. If not, I’ll have tortillas on hand. I can usually pass anything off as tacos for them to eat.

    Blessings to you and your gift shared on this site!
    -Julie

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