Published: · Modified: by RebeccaBlackwell · This post may contain affiliate links
These Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps use rotisserie chicken, or any kind of leftover chicken, to create a quick, intensely satisfying meal that will be on the table in about 15 minutes.
Simply stir pre-cooked chicken into a quick and easy Asian sauce flavored with ginger, soy, chili, garlic, and honey, and serve with crisp lettuce leaves, chili garlic sauce, and roasted peanuts.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps have been a staple meal in our house for years, and, years, and years. I think could eat them every day for a month and still not be tired of them. There's just SO much about these lettuce wraps to love:
- They are super quick. If you have the ingredients on hand, you could be eating chicken lettuce wraps in about 15minutes. Speaking of having the ingredients on hand...
- I almost always do. Have {most of} the ingredients on hand. Aside from the chicken and lettuce, the ingredients are pantry staples for any of us who make dishes with Asian flavors every now and then. And, as for the lettuce and chicken...
- Both can be picked up at most grocery stores as the mood strikes. Often, you can find little packages of "lettuce boats" in the produce section that are simply large Romain lettuce leaves washed and ready to fill. I love these because they are, as I just mentioned, washed and ready to fill. But, a head or two of Romain, iceberg, or butter lettuce works just as well.
What kind of chicken is best for lettuce wraps?
- ground chicken
- any kind of leftover chicken
- roast chicken
- rotisserie chicken
When I first started making Chicken Lettuce Wraps, I used ground chicken. This is still a great option, except it can sometimes be hard to find. So these days I mostly use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken, which also happens to be more flavorful, economical, faster, and easier. 👏
Honestly, if you have any kind of cooked chicken, you're well on your way to eating a plate full of chicken lettuce wraps. Pull the chicken from the bones and dice it into very small pieces. Whisk together the sauce, toss it in, and you're done.
Besides simple roast chicken, here are a few other recipes for which I've used the leftovers to make chicken lettuce wraps:
- Cajun Chicken
- Lemon Rosemary Grilled Chicken
- Paprika Chicken
- Honey Chicken
- Indian Butter Chicken
Or, if you don't have any leftover chicken on hand but happen to have some frozen chicken in the freezer, air fryer frozen chicken breasts will deliver cooked chicken in under an hour, with no thawing required.
Serving suggestions
Top your lettuce wraps with a handful of roasted, salted peanuts, a few chopped scallions and fresh cilantro, and a dollop of Chili Garlic Sauce.
The salty crunch of peanuts and the spicy heat of chili garlic sauce are brilliant over the tangy chicken and cool, crispy lettuce leaves. Just two suggestions:
- The peanuts should be both salted and roasted.
- Select a brand of chili garlic sauce that's spicy without trying to kill you. You want to be able to add enough to taste the chili without burning your face off. This is the brand I like, having tasted many others over the years that were delicious, but requiring a fire hose to cool off your tongue if you dared add more than a drop.
Even using the not super crazy spicy chili garlic sauce, I nearly always make these too spicy. My poor family... 🥵😂
Chili garlic sauce is just so good. I'm obsessed with the stuff, and despite my best intentions, I can hardly help myself from adding too much. If you have a low tolerance for spicy foods, go easy on the chili garlic sauce, and consider using regular sesame oil instead of chili sesame oil for the Asian sauce.
Serve the wraps with extra chili garlic sauce on the side for people like me who can't get enough of the stuff and are willing to put up with a burning mouth in order to pile on as much as they can stand.
Two easy methods for cooking chicken fast
This super simple method for poaching chicken only takes a few minutes and will give you perfectly cooked, flavorful chicken without any of the additives that are often included in rotisserie chicken or any other kind of cooked chicken in the grocery store.
I usually cook some chicken this way after returning from a grocery store run. It takes about 5 minutes to get the chicken cooking. By the time I’ve unpacked the rest of the groceries the chicken is done cooking and ready to be refrigerated.
Besides using poached chicken in these lettuce wraps, I like to use it to make this classic double crust chicken pot pie.
And, if you have an air fryer and want a quick method for cooking raw chicken from frozen, check out this simple recipe for air fryer frozen chicken breasts from Lauren at Healthy Delicious. Her simple method will deliver cooked chicken in under an hour, with no thawing required.
More leftover chicken recipes
- Chicken Enchiladas Verdes {Quick, Easy, and Cheesy}
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Garlic and Mushrooms
- Chicken Tortilla Soup ~ Quick and Easy!
- How to Make Rotisserie Chicken Soup in 30 Minutes or Less
co*cktail Recommendation
Chicken Lettuce Wraps are absolutely delicious with a Pomegranate Ginger Spritzer.Just in case you needed an excuse for a co*cktail tonight.🍸😉
The drink is a refreshing blend of gin, orange liquor, fresh pomegranate seeds, ginger and lime. It's a co*cktail that balance and compliment the spicy Asian flavors in these lettuce wraps.
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📖 Recipe
Yield: 4 servings
Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Rotisserie or Leftover Chicken Recipe}
These Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps use rotisserie chicken, or any kind of leftover chicken, to create a quick, intensely satisfying meal that will be on the table in about 15 minutes.
Simply stir pre-cooked chicken into a quick and easy Asian sauce flavored with ginger, soy, chili, garlic, and honey, and served serve with crisp lettuce leaves, chili garlic sauce, and roasted peanuts.
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons chili sesame oil (use regular sesame oil, or a combination of the two, if you want a less spicy dish)
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 2-4 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (depending on how spicy you like your lettuce wraps) - plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 cups (about 16 ounces) diced cooked chicken (leftover roast, grilled, or baked chicken - OR rotisserie chicken)
- 8 ounces water chestnuts, diced
- 1 bunch of green onions, white and light green parts sliced thin
- 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Large romaine lettuce leaves (plan on 3 per person)
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili sesame oil, peanut butter, honey, and chili garlic sauce to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the sesame oil (or vegetable oil) and diced onion to a large saucepan and set it over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in the soy sauce mixture. Cook, staring constantly, until thepeanut butter is melted and the sauce looks hom*ogenous. Taste and add more salt or chili garlic sauce if you like.
- Add the diced chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in thewater chestnuts and sliced green onions.
- Serve chicken mixture with lettuce leaves, roasted peanuts, cilantro, and additional chili garlic sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 720Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 1930mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 6gSugar: 13gProtein: 43g
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