This delicious Gluten-Free Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe is a healthier version of the classic PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Full of flavor and made without gluten, dairy, and no msg!
Chicken lettuce wraps are the perfect low-carb meal or appetizer that can be made in under 30 minutes! This healthier version is made with cleaner ingredients than you'll get at a restaurant and is guaranteed gluten-free since you are making it at home. The filling is made of organic ground chicken, diced mushrooms, onion, water chestnuts, garlic, green onion, and black pepper. It's then coated in a delicious salty-sweet homemade "hoisin sauce" and served in a cup of lettuce.
For more healthy dinner recipes, check out my Baked Honey Dijon Mustard Chicken Thighs, Orange Maple Glazed Salmon, and Gluten-Free Orange Chicken.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Guaranteed gluten-free: It can be difficult getting takeout when you are celiac or gluten-free. You always have to double-check for any sneaky ingredients that may contain gluten, and even then it's hard to avoid cross-contamination. Making this chicken lettuce wrap recipe at home guarantees, no gluten.
Healthier ingredients: A lot of takeout is full of MSG and unhealthy ingredients. This recipe uses fresh, clean ingredients to make healthy chicken lettuce wraps you can feel good about serving your family and friends.
Easy and quick to make! These lettuce wraps can be made in under 30 minutes! They are great to make in advance for meal prep, appetizers, or a quick weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Filling
- Ground Chicken: If you can't find ground chicken you can also use ground pork, ground turkey, ground beef, diced chicken breast, or chicken thighs.
- Olive Oil: A healthy option to sauté the vegetables until tender. You could also use avocado oil or coconut oil.
- Minced Garlic and Green Onion: These aromatics enhance the flavor of the filling. Sprinkle a few extra green onions on top of assembled wraps for garnish.
- Mushrooms, Onion, Water Chestnuts: The diced mushrooms, onion, and water chestnuts give the filling a crunchy texture and boost in flavor.
- Black Pepper: A little flavor and spice to help season the filling.
- Butter Lettuce: The three varieties of lettuce that I recommend are butter lettuce leaves, green leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce.
Sauce
- Coconut Aminos: This is a great gluten-free soy sauce substitute. Tamari is another gluten-free option that would work if you can tolerate soy.
- Blackstrap Molasses: Blackstrap Molasses is my secret ingredient which serves as the hoisin sauce replacement. One tablespoon is all you need.
- Sesame Oil: Adds a toasted nutty flavor.
- Rice Vinegar: The acid helps balance the flavors. You can also use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Chili Garlic Sauce: Adds a spicy tang. Look for a brand without sugar.
- Ground Ginger: Ground ginger adds a warm spicy flavor. Fresh ginger works too!
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, molasses, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, and ground ginger. Set the bowl aside.
- Add the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Sauté the diced onion, mushrooms, and garlic for 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables soften, and the onion starts to become translucent.
- Cook the chicken. Add the ground chicken and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. As the chicken finishes cooking, drain any excess liquid from the pan as needed. Stir in the chestnuts and green onion.
- Add the chestnuts and green onion. Drain any excess liquid from the pan if needed, then stir in the chestnuts and green onion.
- Add the sauce. Pour the sauce on top of the chicken mixture, and stir until well combined, evenly coating the chicken and season with black pepper. Continue cooking the mixture for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and serve.
- Serve. Place a large spoonful of chicken mixture onto a butter lettuce leaf. Garnish with extra green onion.
Substitutions and Variations
- Paleo: For a paleo option swap the rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar, and omit the chili garlic sauce if needed.
- Vegan: Instead of ground meat you can use extra firm tofu, water drained.
- Garnish: For an added extra crunch try adding mung bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, or cashews, to the top of the lettuce wraps.
Storage and Serving
To serve: Once made, serve the filling right away with the lettuce on the side for assembling.
To store: Store any leftover lettuce chicken filling in an airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store leftover lettuce separately in the refrigerator to keep the lettuce crisp.
FAQ
Do not assemble the wraps before serving. When entertaining, I store the chicken mixture in a small bowl with a spoon and place the lettuce wraps folded neatly onto a platter for guests to serve themselves. This will allow the lettuce to stay crisp and not soggy.
The lettuce you use is important because it needs to provide a firm structure for the filling. I recommend green leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce leaves, or romaine lettuce.
If you can't find ground chicken at your local grocery store, you can make it at home with uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs in a food processor with an S blade. Run the processer until the chicken is ground finely. Another option is to use ground turkey, ground pork, ground beef, or dice chicken breast or thighs into small pieces.
They are gluten-free but are not made in a dedicated gluten-free kitchen.
Blackstrap molasses is more bitter but offers vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin B6. It also contains less sugar compared to other molasses varieties.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Paleo Option)
Ingredients
For The Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and diced
- 3 green onions, sliced
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For The Sauce
- 6 tablespoons coconut aminos, or tamari, (108 grams)
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (15 grams)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger powder
To Serve
- 1 head butter lettuce
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, molasses, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, and ground ginger. Set the bowl aside.
- Add the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Sauté the diced onion, mushrooms, and garlic for 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables soften, and the onion starts to become translucent.
- Cook the chicken. Add the ground chicken and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. As the chicken finishes cooking, drain any excess liquid from the pan as needed. Stir in the chestnuts and green onion.
- Add the sauce. Pour the sauce on top of the chicken mixture, and stir until well combined, evenly coating the chicken and season with black pepper. Continue cooking the mixture for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and serve.
- Serve. Place a large spoonful of chicken mixture onto a butter lettuce leaf. Garnish with extra green onion.
Notes
-
- Paleo: For a paleo option swap the rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar, and omit the chili garlic sauce if needed.
-
- Vegan: Instead of ground meat you can use extra firm tofu, water drained.
-
- Garnish: For an added extra crunch try adding mung bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, or cashews, to the top of the lettuce wraps.
- To serve: Once made, serve the filling right away with the lettuce on the side for assembling.
- To store: Store any leftover lettuce chicken filling in an airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store leftover lettuce separately in the refrigerator to keep the lettuce crisp.
- Use Blackstrap Molasses: Blackstrap molasses offers vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin B6. It also contains less sugar compared to other molasses varieties.
Heidi Preston says
Our new favorite recipe! You know when you try something new and it instantly becomes a classic? This is that! It is absolute, lick the bowl perfection and full of healthy ingredients to boot! Thank you, Rebecca!
Rebecca Taig says
Thank you Heidi!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Becca