Asian Garlic Sesame Chicken Lettuce Cups | Swanky Recipes (2024)

This homemade version is inspired by PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps and it’s now made with a tastier Asian sauce that boosts a better flavor. They are so easy to make at home and can be ready in 25 minutes! At only 100 calories per serving cup, you’ll be making this Asian Lettuce Wrap recipe over and over again for years to come!

If you’re looking to try a new Asian recipe or eat healthier this year, then try these Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups. Everyone raves how delicious my garlic sesame sauce is! I use this same sauce in a number of my Chinese-American-inspired recipes on the blog. It’s a family favorite to make with baked chicken but I just love how easy it is to use ground chicken with this honey garlic soy sauce.

I always keep chicken wraps on hand for a quick weeknight dinner. I even make it with a side of Vegetable Fried Rice or quick cream cheese Rangoon. Plus, if making extra meat, it can be stored in an airtight container and reheated for lunch the following day.

How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1. Cook the chicken. In a skillet, break up the meat with a spatula and stir the chicken to cook; about 6-9 minutes.
2. Make the sauce. Whisk together soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.
3. Combine and cook. Pour the sauce into the skillet. Coat chicken in sauce, stirring occasionally. Simmer sauce to thicken it.
4. Serving. Scoop chicken into prepared lettuce cups. Top with diced green onions, and sesame seeds.

Chinese Lettuce Wrap Ingredients

• CHICKEN: Use ground chicken or ground turkey. Using this type of meat adds texture and is incredibly convenient when making dinner for the family. Note that it will cook much faster than breasts. Ground chicken may be a little harder to find in some grocery stores than ground turkey.
• SOY SAUCE: I prefer Kikkoman soy sauce for its bold taste and well-rounded flavor.
• HONEY: Adding a little sweetener such as honey to the sauce adds a delicious taste to an otherwise savory dish.
• SEASONING: Rice vinegar, ketchup, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, green onions, and sesame seeds.
• LETTUCE: Opt to use a type of lettuce that is sturdy. Iceberg lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and butter lettuce are all great choices.

A Healthy Chicken Recipe

Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of my favorite meals are made in under 30-minutes and right now I can’t get enough of these Garlic Sesame Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups. I make these as a healthy alternative to Chinese take out that we normally order. At the start of the New Year, I decided I wanted to focus on healthier homemade recipes by recreating some of my favorite Asian restaurants inspired recipes and these Chicken Lettuce Wraps were at the top of my list.

This Asian Lettuce Wrap recipe is easy to control with healthier ingredients like ground chicken, and honey in place of processed sugar. Plus, this recipe is SO easy to adapt to your dietary needs or personal taste preferences.

Lettuce Wrap Sauce

THE SECRET SAUCE RECIPE: The secret to makinga delicious and flavorful Asian sauce isn’t that hard.My sauce recipe starts with a combination of soy sauce and honey. It’s my favorite flavor combination when it comes to making homemade Chinese American fusion recipes.

ADDITIONAL FLAVORING: From here, I like to add a little ketchup, a lot of minced garlic,rice vinegar, and sesame oil.To give it a little kick, I add red pepper flakes.

To bring this dish together, I always add a generous amount of sesame seeds and green onions.Asian dishes are just not the same without freshly diced green onions and they perfectly complement the garlic sesame sauce on these gluten-free lettuce wraps.

KETO CHICKEN WRAP ALTERNATIVE

To make this recipe even healthier, A few readers have suggested using sugar-free maple syrup in place of the honey and granulated sugar in this recipe. Next, replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos (found in the soy sauce aisle) to keep these keto chicken lettuce wraps on track.

Meal prep these copycat P.F. Chang healthy chicken wraps ahead of time. Pack the ground chicken next to lettuce that’s wrapped in a paper towel in your meal kit lunch box. I like to make a double batch of chicken lettuce wraps on Sunday and portion it out for lunch throughout the week. It makes bringing lunch from home so much more convenient.

Tips

The key to creating a savory lettuce wrap starts by combining soy sauce and honey. Ground chicken works just as well as ground turkey for this recipe. Ground turkey is much easier to find in the grocery store. Be aware that ground chicken can quickly overcook and turn rubbery. Once the ground meat is cooked and combined with the garlic sesame sauce it cooks down, thickens, and coats the ground chicken.

Variations

If you want a bit of crunch add water chestnuts! (Viewer recommendation!)

Serving Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups

• Serve the chicken in lettuce – Finally, add a scoop or two of the Garlic Sesame Chicken to a bibe of butter or green leaf lettuce. TIP: If the lettuce leaf is falling apart, just use two!
• Add some heat- For added heat, try fresh peppers such as habanero, jalapeno, or serranos. For extra hot heat, use red chili peppers. Just 1-2 small chili peppers is enough hot spice for the whole chicken skillet recipe. Dried red pepper flakes or hot sauce is also a good alternative that most people already have in the pantry.
• Meal Prep – Add a few scoops of filling to a meal prep container. Don’t forget to pack a few bibs of lettuce, too. To keep the lettuce from wilting, I like to wrap it in a paper towel and store it in a ziplock bag.
• Make it a meal – Serve this Chinese Lettuce Wraps as a main meal or with Vegetable Fried Rice, plain steamed white or brown rice, or 15-minute Vegetable Lo Mein.

Try these Korean Chicken Lettuce Wraps or these Crack Chicken Lettuce Cups next!

updated 6/2021