Earlier this month, I traveled to San Luis Obispo with the family to explore new restaurants and wineries. I love trying new restaurants to get inspiration for quick and easy recipes I can share on Just One Cookbook. One of the dinners we had was at Novo Restaurant & Lounge in downtown SLO. We ordered an amazing spread of appetizers and absolutely enjoyed their Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wrap. After we came home from the trip, I made several wraps in a row until I was perfectly satisfied with the recipe. Today, I couldn’t wait to share this amazing Thai Chicken Lettuce Wrap with you!
Why You’ll Enjoy This Recipe
It’s easy, simple, delicious, and super fast to whip up. It’s a perfect appetizer to serve at your next get-together. Makes a healthy, low-carb meal that can easily be adapted to a vegetarian or vegan meal. Protein substitutions are a cinch, so this recipe makes for a fun create-your-own meal.
Inspiration for This Lettuce Wrap
I’ve had duck and squab lettuce wraps many times when dining in Chinese restaurants. I always loved the fragrant sautéed mixture with crispy fried noodles served in the lettuce cup. As you bite into the lettuce cup, you taste refreshing, cool iceberg lettuce, which blends perfectly with the warm, flavorful, moist meat mixture. At Novo, their interpretation of the lettuce wrap was slightly different. Served with sides of julienned carrots and daikon, fresh mint, and cilantro on butter lettuce, they offered a variety of protein choices, including tofu, steak, or prawns. You could also top your wraps with either Thai chili sauce or fish sauce. It was so simple, yet the combination of the herbs and vegetables was so refreshing and flavorful. The spicy Thai chili sauce is the perfect dip; it makes these wraps even more irresistible. I realized I could easily make the same dish at home very quickly with the ingredients I had in the fridge. For my protein, I used boneless chicken breast instead since it’s my children’s favorite meat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For my version of Thai chicken lettuce wraps, the ingredients list is simple:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast For the marinade: Freshly ground black pepper, salt, garlic cloves, green onion or scallion, and a teaspoon of cornstarch. Vegetables: I used daikon and carrots, but you can also use red cabbage or cucumber. Olive oil for cooking – substitution of coconut oil or vegetable oil works too. Butter lettuce for the wraps: As fresh and crisp as possible! For garnish: Peanuts (optional, of course), mint, and cilantro Sweet chili sauce. Store-bought or try my homemade sweet chili sauce.
How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wrap
Marinate the chicken breasts. Cut up all the veggies while waiting for the flavors to be absorbed, Cook the chicken, let it cool slight and then cut it into small cubes. Serve up your chicken and veggies in the lettuce wraps; drizzle with sweet chili sauce and then garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.
Trust me, once you have these lettuce wraps, you can’t resist eating just one!
Easy Substitutions and Recipe Tips
Do you have a group of people coming over that will require catering to different diets? Here are some tips:
Use tofu (pan-fried or grill) or mushrooms! Smoked tofu is a great option too. Try prawns or shrimp or crabmeat. Don’t have sweet chili sauce? Sriracha sauce or chili oil would work too! Cut your vegetables into thin slices so they are easy to eat. Allergy note: Do you have peanut allergies? Leaving peanuts out of this recipe is fine! Chopped cashews or crispy shallots will make a tasty substitute and can be found at most Asian grocery stores.
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
