They’re fun, crunchy, healthy, and super kid-friendly too. These Crunchy Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a win-win for dinner.
With many of the recipes I write, I try to keep in mind the pickiest eater I know…that includes those who won’t eat vegetables or taste new ingredients. I also think about those who only stock basic pantries and don’t want to buy special new ingredients for a weeknight dinner.
And so, these chicken lettuce wraps are for them. No they aren’t authentic. Authentic ones usually have water chestnuts or other vegetables those picky eaters aren’t willing to taste. (Side note: water chestnuts don’t really have a distinct taste. They simply add crunch, but that’s a discussion for another time.)
Lots of recipes for chicken lettuce tacos use ground chicken. We’re going to change it up and make it look a little more familiar (and perhaps prettier) by using finely diced chicken cutlets instead–like mini chicken bites.
Start by sautéing an onion
and garlic…
Add the chicken and cook through (it won’t take so long when the pieces are this small), then add the sauce ingredients.
You can enjoy the chicken plain with lettuce, or with rice,
and/or with some sliced carrots and/or peppers added for crunch!
It’s yum, fun, vibrant, and healthy and everyone will love this.
Does someone in your house not want lettuce? Or perhaps you need to make it a little more portable? Roll up the chicken into a wrap and serve with teriyaki sauce for dipping.
Crunchy Chicken Lettuce Tacos
Ingredients
- 1¼ lbs chicken cutlets, cut into small dime size chicken pieces
- 1-2 tbsp oil
- 1 very large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp white or rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp Frank's hot sauce
- ⅛-¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp white sugar
Serving Ideas:
- whole leaf romaine lettuce
- 1½ cups white rice (1 packet microwave rice)
- thinly sliced carrots and/or peppers
- roasted broccoli
- teriyaki sauce
Instructions
- To make it easier to cut the chicken into small pieces, cut first into thin strips, then dice across.
- Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, black pepper, and sugar.
- Add chicken. Stir continuously until the chicken is white and you don’t see visible raw pieces. Add sauce. Cook a few more minutes, stirring until sauce bubbles and chicken gets coated well with the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Add to lettuce cups and crunch away! You can also add rice to your lettuce wraps, or top chicken with carrots and/or peppers for extra crunch. It also tastes great with roasted broccoli.
- You can also enjoy this chicken burrito-style in a wrap. Place rice and chicken in the middle of the wrap. Wrap by rolling the bottom quarter of the wrap up. Fold in the right and left sides and roll the bottom up tightly flattening the wrap to a rectangle. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add closed wrap and heat for 1 minute on each side. Slice and serve with teriyaki sauce.
Looks like a yummy recipe! Definitely will have to try it! Love the photos too!!
Deliciously simple!!! Was easy to make, and very flavorful.
Thank you.
What can I substitute the hot sauce with if my family doesn’t like spicy?