Living with someone who does keto is kind of the pits, especially if you’re not doing it too. I started making these chicken lettuce wraps because my partner likes to do keto every January. The funny thing is, we both enjoy these lettuce wraps so much that we’d happily eat these for dinner anytime of the year. I love how it has lots of different tastes and textures going on. Very fresh and light, it’s still filling and a nice change after all the soups and stews we’ve been eating.
It starts with very quickly marinading chicken thighs with soy, fish sauce, garlic and brown sugar. As the chicken marinades, you do the rest of the prep! Toss together a simple cabbage and carrot slaw with some acid, sugar and salt. Then, make a quick peanut sauce with pantry and refrigerator items in a small blender or food processor. Once that’s all done, you quickly pan cook the chicken and dinner is ready! Lay out some fresh lettuce leaves and garnishes like sliced scallions, herbs and chopped nuts and you’re ready to roll!
Substitutions and short cuts for making these chicken lettuce wraps even easier.
It would not bother me in the least bit if you wanted to use a pre-shredded coleslaw mix. Most of the dressings that come with those kits are fairly terrible (with the exception of some from Trader Joe’s), so I’d skip that part and dress or pickle it with ingredients from home. All I’m asking for here is salt, sugar and a vinegar. I recommend apple cider vinegar but really, any kind of acid would work such as rice wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, white distilled or even lemon juice. So if you really can’t be bothered with slicing cabbage and carrots, buy it pre-done.
Are you a die-hard, white meat fan? You can still make this recipe using chicken breasts. I would just get thin, chicken cutlets or cut whole breasts in half, horizontally so they cook quickly. If you have some store-bought marinade like teriyaki you’d rather use, go ahead and use it! Whatever helps you get dinner on the table is fine by me. Oh, and if you don’t have fish sauce, you can always skip it and just use more soy sauce. I do like the depth of flavor that little bit of fish sauce gives but it’s not a deal-breaker!
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Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
for the Chicken + Marinade
- 1¼ pounds (600 g) chicken thighs, boneless, skinless (or use thin chicken breast cutlets)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or white sugar (brown preferably)
- 1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
for the Cabbage Slaw
- 4 cups (258 g) cabbage, finely shredded (about ½ a medium head)
- 1 cup (115 g) carrots, julliened or grated (about 2 medium carrots)
- ¼ cup cilantro or parsley, coursely chopped
- 5 tbsp apple cider, rice wine, white or sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
for the Peanut Sauce
- 1 inch (3 cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- ⅓ cup (100 g) peanut butter, smooth (or any other nut butter you prefer)
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons (35 ml) lime juice or apple cider, rice wine or white vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons (25 ml) honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons sambal or sriracha hot sauce, more or less to taste (optional)
for the Lettuce + Garnishes
- 2 heads butter or bibb lettuce (cored and leaves separated, washed and dried)
- ⅓ cup (50 g) peanuts or cashews, chopped
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup cilantro, coursely chopped, for garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
- lime wedges, for serving
Method
- Marinade chicken: in a medium bowl, add the chicken and all the marinade ingredients. Toss well to combine. Set aside to marinade as you prep.
- Make the slaw: in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the slaw. Toss with tongs or clean hands, massaging the cabbage a bit to break it down slightly. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: in a small food processor or blender, add the fresh ginger. Blend or process briefly until broken down to small bits. Add the remaining ingredients. Blend or process until very smooth. If sauce is too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time to thin. Taste and adjust sauce as desired.
- Cook the chicken: heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and arrange the chicken in one layer in the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes, turning chicken when browned. Cook on second side until browned, about another 5-6 minutes. Cook, flipping to avoid burning, for about 2 minutes more or until chicken is cooked all the way through and nicely browned all over. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into thin slices.
- To serve: arrange the chicken, slaw, lettuce leaves and garnishes on platters or bowls. Pour the sauce into a serving bowl with a spoon. To make a lettuce wrap: place a small amount of slaw onto a lettuce leaf. Top with chicken, sauce and any garnishes desired.
Notes
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These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them. I make something similar with chicken and rice paper wrap. I know these will be a hit at our house!
I love making rice paper wraps and I think this recipe would be perfect to use in rice paper wraps as well!
I love lettuce wraps! They’re such a fresh spin on a meal. I never think to make them at home though, so they’re always a treat!
They’re a great meal to make at home. Enjoy!
These are so delicious and healthy! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for checking them out! I hope you give them a try.
Great recipe! Time efficient as well as tasty!
I’m glad you think so Brian! Let me know what you think if you give these a try. Thanks!
These look delicious! Thanks for the easy to follow recipe. I’m especially excited about the peanut sauce. I had no idea what was in the store bought version, so I’m excited to see that it’s simple to make at home!
So glad you found this helpful! Thanks for checking out my blog!
These look yummy. Pinning to my ‘Recipes’ board
Thanks for checking out my recipe! Hope you like it!
These look delicious! Sharing this recipe with my mom, she usually buys them from a local restaurant, but she would love to make these. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much! Hope your mom likes these!!