These easy Thai-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps are bursting with bold flavor and fresh ingredients. They can be enjoyed as a main dish or served as an appetizer. Healthy food has never tasted so amazing!

Looking for more 30-minute meals? Try this Kung Pao Shrimp, Spaghetti Pie, or Thai Quinoa Salad!

Three Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps on a plate next to the pan of the chicken mixture and loose butter leaves on the counter.

Why I love this recipe:

  • Bold Flavors – I love Thai-inspired recipes because they include fresh ingredients and bold flavors!
  • Healthy – Packed with fresh vegetables, protein, and a homemade sweet sauce that’s lower in sodium than store-bought. These Thai Lettuce Wraps will leave you satisfied and energized.
  • 30-Minute Meal – I love recipes that are still made from scratch that I can have on the table quick! Try this Spring Roll Bowl or Lemon Chicken Pasta!

How to make Thai-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Cook Chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add chicken, garlic, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.

Ground chicken, garlic, onions, salt, and pepper in a stainless steel pan, all browned together.

Add Veggies: Add the carrots, cabbage, and green onions, cooking an additional 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Ground chicken with shredded carrots, cabbage, and green onions dumped on top.

Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine the sweet chili sauce, ginger, chunky peanut butter, and soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Stir until smooth.

A small bowl with sweet chili sauce, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper to make a thai lettuce wrap sauce.

Combine: Add to pan along with chopped cilantro. Stir until blended in and heated through.

The chicken filling for an easy Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe, ready to be spooned into lettuce leaves.

Serve: Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves and enjoy these Thai ground chicken lettuce wraps!

A close up image of a Thai Lettuce Wrap, ready to enjoy.

What is the best lettuce for lettuce wraps?

You can use any type of green leafy lettuce for lettuce wraps, but popular types of lettuce include Boston bib lettuce and romaine hearts. The great thing about lettuce wraps is that they are easily modifiable when it comes to the filling and the wrapping.  Cabbage leaves would also be a yummy substitute.

Make Ahead Instructions:

All of the veggies can be chopped ahead, and the sauce can be made 2-3 days in advance. This is a great recipe for meal prep, as leftovers will keep in the fridge for several days and taste great reheated.

Recipe Variations:

  • Vegetables: This recipe is easily adaptable to use what you have in your fridge. Add other chopped veggies, like celery, bok choy, bean sprouts, shredded Brussels sprouts, zucchini, or summer squash. Sauté the veggies until tender when you add them to the skillet. If you add a lot of extra veggies to this recipe, you may want to make a little more sauce.
  • Meat: Substitute the chicken for ground turkey or pork.
  • Vegetarian: Substitute the meat for tofu, or leave it out completely, adding extra veggies instead.

More Lettuce Wrap Recipes:

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Recipe

A close up image of a Thai Chicken Lettuce Wrap, ready to enjoy.
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 25 minutes
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Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil (vegetable or canola oil)
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/2 sweet onion , chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup carrot , shredded
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded cabbage
  • 3 green onions chopped

For the sauce

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
  • 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce (found in the Asian section of the grocery store)
  • 1 Tablespoon chunky peanut butter , or smooth
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • crushed red pepper flakes , to taste
  • Boston Bib lettuce , or romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add chicken, garlic, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.
  • Add the carrots, cabbage, and green onions, cooking an additional 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  • In a small bowl, combine the sweet chili sauce, ginger, chunky peanut butter, and soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Stir until smooth. Add to pan along with chopped cilantro. Stir to coat.
  • Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves and enjoy!

Notes

Ground Chicken: Substitute ground turkey.
Vegetables: This is a great recipe to throw in any leftover veggies from your fridge, like chopped celery, bok choy, bean sprouts, shredded Brussels sprouts, zucchini, or summer squash. Sauté the veggies until tender when you add them to the skillet. If you add a lot of extra veggies to this recipe, you may want to make more sauce.
Vegetarian: Substitute the meat for tofu, or leave it out completely, adding extra veggies instead.
Make Ahead Instructions: All of the veggies can be chopped ahead, and he sauce can be made 2-3 days in advance. This is a great recipe for meal prep, as leftovers will keep in the fridge for several days and taste great reheated.
Gluten-free Adaptations: use gluten-free sweet chili sauce, and soy sauce.

Macros Recipe Adaptation

None.

Per Serving Amount

181 grams

Macros

323kcal, Fat: 17g, Carbs: 17g, Protein: 23g (serves 4) | MFP: Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps (TBFS Macros)

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 23gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 680mgPotassium: 760mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 2715IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg

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I originally shared this recipe in January 2014. Updated January 2018 and May 2023.

This post contains affiliate links.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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4.98 from 228 votes (134 ratings without comment)
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mary
10 years ago

Sounds like a great recipe. I would suggest substituting the canola oil with coconut oil as it is much better for your body than canola oil.
Will try it soon
Thanks for posting

Hannah
10 years ago

Liked this a lot! Only change, I made was to use Sriracha instead of red pepper. Wasn’t super spicy, could have been hotter for my taste but my sister is a bit of a spice wimp.

Debbie Keady
10 years ago

any tips on cutting up the chicken in little bits?

Lauren Allen
10 years ago
Reply to  Debbie Keady

Hi Debbie,
You could try chopping the breasts into large chunks and then sticking them in your food processor. Just pulse 3-4 times until you get small little bits of chicken.

Becky Newton
10 years ago

We really liked these! If you didn’t want to go carb free you could totally serve this over brown rice. We found that it could have used an extra chicken breast to make the meal go farther, and there is plenty of sauce that would of covered it. Thanks for sharing, we enjoyed it!

Lauren Allen
10 years ago
Reply to  Becky Newton

Thanks for your comment Becky! Glad you liked it!

monica
10 years ago

Very good! Quick & easy too.

monica
10 years ago

These were very good! Quick & easy too.

April G
11 years ago

These are amazing! I was also looking for a different “chicken” recipe. I made these for my husband on Friday evening and – as I type- I am standing in my kitchen on Sunday evening making them again! They are so delish

Lauren Allen
10 years ago
Reply to  April G

I’m so glad you and your husband liked them! Thanks for your comment!

Kathleen
11 years ago

Oh yum! This sounds so fantastic! I’m so making these, when my husband goes out of town because he won’t eat them. They look to healthy. Rotten man.

Lauren Allen
11 years ago
Reply to  Kathleen

Hahaha I hear ya, my husband would call it bird food! But they really are filling and delicious!

Jessica
11 years ago

WOW these look amazing! I can’t wait to try them out, thanks for sharing!!

Lauren Allen
11 years ago
Reply to  Jessica

Thanks Jess! They are tasty! I just loooovvvveee lettuce wraps! 🙂

Sarah
11 years ago

YUM Lauren! Those look amazing. I love chicken recipes that are a little bit different like this one, cause we eat a lot of the basic chicken dishes and lately I am just not in the mood for the same old!

Lauren Allen
11 years ago
Reply to  Sarah

Thanks Sarah! Hope you like them 🙂

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