Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you’re looking to achieve some of your favorite Asian flavors at home, Thai chicken lettuce wraps are an excellent option that you can adjust to fit your favorite flavors and fillings. They’re a lighter, more carb-conscious way to cook up your favorite dishes than some of your other Asian food home cooking options. 

When you’re ready to begin exploring delicious Chinese food and other Asian home cooking options, like Thai chicken lettuce wraps, trust Fly By Jing for your ingredients and the recipes that make it easy to get started. We don’t just deliver on great spices and oils, like chili crisp and mala spice, but we also provide the context and history that really showcase what makes these flavors so special. We believe that Asian food should be accessible and personal, and Thai chicken lettuce wraps are an excellent recipe to try today. 

What Are Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps?

As the name would indicate, Thai chicken lettuce wraps utilize lettuce, rather than noodles or dough, to share great fillings and flavors. In addition to delivering an excellent combination of textures from the crunchy lettuce and healthy fillings, the lettuce wrap is a dish best known for its balance of flavors, as well. 

They’re light, thanks to the lettuce, but pack an incredible punch of flavors that can be adjusted to fit your tastebuds! Enjoy a combination of acidity, a hint of sweetness, and delicious umami tastes that you can find in so many great Asian dishes. You can also add in your favorite vegetables, substitute out other meat or meat alternative options like tofu, and embrace great spices and herbs that deliver bold flavors without making the meal too heavy. 

They’re versatile, make a great use for the vegetables in the back of the fridge, and can be adjusted to fit your spice preference with ease. Getting started on your next batch of Thai chicken lettuce wraps is easy, and they’re guaranteed to be a hit at your next dinner party or celebration with friends. 

The History of Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Like many Asian dishes, Thai chicken lettuce wraps represent both a classic history of Asian flavoring and cooking, as well as the Asian immigrant experience. They have been adopted by some of the largest commercial Asian dining organizations due to their healthier status and easy adaptability. 

The truth is, however, even though they have evolved for more American dining experiences, they can also trace much of their history to Chinese cooking as an alternative ingredient to the heavier noodles, dumplings, and rice options. Lettuce wraps can largely be followed back to China but have since appeared through Southeast Asia, finding popularity in countries like Thailand, where dishes like the Thai chicken lettuce wrap evolved. 

Their success in the United States can be attributed to large-scale Chinese food chain restaurants looking to offer lighter and more low-carb options and the need for less thick or sweet sauces when cooking Asian fare. It’s still changing and growing as a dish today. 

How to Make Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps at Home

Making your own Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps at home is fun and easy. You can adapt it to fit your preferred flavor profiles and toppings and adjust the herbs and spices you use to match the other dishes being served. Here’s what you’ll need to know about cooking Thai chicken lettuce wraps today. 

Ingredients

Ground Chicken: While chicken is one of the most common fillings for Thai lettuce wraps, you can substitute out your favorite meats or tofu options or load up on vegetables instead. 

Soy Sauce: Some recipes for Thai chicken lettuce wraps will actually call for both light and dark soy sauce. The dark soy sauce helps to add a richer, slighter sweeter flavoring, so adjust your recipe accordingly. 

Onion and Garlic: Onions and garlic are used to flavor your chicken and boost the other great tastes in the dish. 

Preserved Vegetables: Sui mi ya cai is a type of preserved vegetable ingredient that adds a boost of sweet and savory umami flavoring to many great Sichuan dishes. You can find them in most Asian markets and in online shops. 

Pantry Staples: In addition to soy sauce, Thai chicken lettuce wraps also call for some other Asian pantry staples, like hoisin sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, and rice vinegar. These ingredients will show up in many of your favorite Asian cuisine dishes, so if you’re looking to begin cooking Asian recipes at home, you’ll want to have them on hand. 

Oil: When you cook Asian food at home, a neutral oil is essential. Neutral oils, like canola and peanut oil, have much higher flashpoints, so you can cook your ingredients at a higher temperature. They also don’t overpower the other flavors from the dish. 

Lettuce: When you’re ready to make your lettuce wraps, you have a few different lettuce options to pick from. Bibb lettuce or another butterhead lettuce is usually a good choice for big, leafy greens that pair well with your chicken filling. 

Vegetables: Like dumplings and noodles, lettuce wraps can be adjusted to fit your preference for fillings and flavors. Good vegetable combinations pair well both with your chicken flavors and for texture. 

Some recommended vegetable choices for your lettuce wraps are bean sprouts, red cabbage, carrots, and cucumber slices. 

Rice Noodles: While lettuce wraps are a great option for low-carb dinners that embrace all the best in Asian flavoring, you can absolutely add rice noodles if you want! Rice noodles add another great texture to the dish and can absorb up the sweet and savory sauces that go with your chicken. 

Peanuts: Peanuts are another option for your lettuce wrap flavors. They can be part of a marinade and add a sweet and salty taste with a hint of crunch. 

Recipe

Once you have all of your favorite ingredients and fillings prepared, cooking your dish is easy and straightforward. Here’s what you’ll want to know about putting Thai chicken lettuce wraps together at home!

Step 1: Heat your wok with oil and add garlic and onion. Once fragrant, put in your chicken and preserved vegetables. If you’re looking to add some heat to your dish, you can put a hot chili into the wok at this stage, adjusting for spice preference. 

Step 2: Stir in all of your sauce ingredients, including soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer and keep on heat for two to three minutes. 

Step 3: Add your vegetables into the wok as cooking time indicates, and then heat until the vegetables are soft. 

Step 4: Assemble your lettuce wraps! This is the fun part. Spoon a little bit of your chicken and fresh vegetables onto each of your prepared lettuce bowls. Add desired toppings, like sesame seeds or cilantro. You may also want to have some oils or sauces on the side, like sriracha, for a hint of spice. 

It’s important to remember that there are many different ways to create your favorite chicken lettuce wraps at home. You can marinate your chicken in advance, pair your dinner with many different types of vegetables, or adjust your lettuce wraps to either serve as appetizers or main courses for your next celebration. There’s no wrong way to make these great recipes, so adjust and experiment until you find the flavors and textures you love. 

Thai chicken lettuce wraps also pair well with a lot of easy and delicious sides and vegetable options, too, which makes them a great choice for dinner parties or cocktail hours. Serve them with radish or zucchini salads, pineapple fried rice, Thai papaya salad, and more. 

In Conclusion

Whether you’re just starting out on your Asian home-cooking adventures or you’re an old pro at creating great dishes at home, Thai chicken lettuce wraps are an excellent dish to try next. They’re delicious, versatile, and much lighter than other Asian meals, which can be rice or noodle heavy. You can enjoy this great recipe even if you’re looking to follow a healthier diet and fill it with many sweet and savory vegetable options, like carrots, cucumbers, and cabbage, to fit your preferred flavors and the seasonal harvest. 

And when you’re ready to begin with Thai chicken lettuce wraps or other delicious Asian dishes that utilize all the best flavors, Fly By Jing has what you need. We carry bold, flavorful ingredients and provide the recipes that make it easy to begin taste-testing them all at home. Try out Thai chicken lettuce wraps and share your favorite flavor and ingredient options today! 

Sources: 

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps | Host The Toast

Next Post Chicken Lettuce Wraps | The Woks of Life

The Difference Between Lao Chou and Sheng Chou (Dark and Light Soy Sauce) | The Spruce Eats