There’s a popular chain restaurant that serves chicken lettuce wraps that I adore. Sure, I’m sure they’re full of soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, and maybe MSG, but wow are they good! We don’t eat out all that often, and when we do I certainly don’t obsess over the details of the meal, especially when we are spending time with friends and just enjoying their company.
This week I had a craving for those delicious chicken lettuce wraps, and thought I would give it another shot making them at home. I had made them at home before using another recipe, and they were just ok. This time, I made up my own recipe and was very pleased with the results.
They got the approval of my six year old and semi-approval from my three year old. He took three bites of just the filling with no lettuce, so I won’t complain. He doesn’t really eat anything these days. Maddening!
Chicken lettuce wraps are usually made with hoisin sauce, which is delicious, but full of additives and ingredients that I try to avoid. I did buy a bottle of organic hoisin sauce so I could bring it home and mimic the flavors in it. Traditional hoisin sauce contains miso, which is something that I don’t normally keep in my kitchen. Not that it’s a “bad” ingredient or anything, I just don’t cook with it often. I wanted to keep all of the ingredients things that most people would have in their homes.
Now make these “clean” chicken lettuce wraps soon! It’s a fast and flavorful weeknight meal that comes together in under 20 minutes.
- bibb lettuce for serving
- 1-2 T. expeller pressed coconut oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 8oz. water chestnuts, chopped into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup wheat free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 T. real maple syrup
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- 1 T. molasses
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 T. fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 T. water
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add ground chicken, carrots, green onions, water chestnuts, and garlic and stir fry together, breaking up chicken, until chicken is no longer pink.
- Mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup.
- Pour about half of the sauce over the chicken mixture and bring to a low boil to slightly thicken sauce and have it incorporate with the chicken. Taste and add more sauce to your liking.
- Fill lettuce cups with chicken mixture and serve immediately.
- The extra sauce can be used as a condiment to serve with the wraps if more sauce is needed.
- If you can find a clean organic Hoisin sauce, feel free to also use that as a condiment.
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