Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps are an easy and healthy low-carb meal that can be ready in about 30 minutes. These wraps are filled with seasoned chicken, crisp veggies and herbs, crunchy peanuts, and a sweet peanut sauce.
Try some other lettuce wrap recipes next. These Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps, Taco Lettuce Wraps, or Beef Lettuce Wraps are all simple to make and lip-smacking delicious.
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These wraps are light and healthy, fresh-tasting, and brimming with so many great textures. From the crisp lettuce to the crunchy nuts on top and the smooth peanut sauce finishing everything off, you will love this meal!
These wraps are an easy meal to make for a quick weeknight dinner. The chicken only requires a few spices and a grill or grill pan (or George Foreman-style electric grill), there are only a few veggies to chop, and the peanut sauce is as easy as adding everything to a blender and pressing the start button.
Peanut sauce
Before we get too far, I’ll say right up front that this peanut sauce is far from an authentic Asian sauce. It’s definitely more on the sweet side and perhaps is more of a peanut dressing. Either way, we’re obsessed with this sauce; it’s indulgent, rich, and a little tangy! The sauce is intentionally sweet to complement all the raw crunchy veggies. The flavor is milder than a lot of peanut sauces and complements the flavors in the chicken delightfully.
Although the sauce is sweet by design, you can always tweak it to your preference and make it less sweet (by adding less honey). Alternatively, you can add more spice (increase cayenne pepper, add red pepper flakes, or add in some chili sauce).
And the sauce is very easy to make. It’s as simple as putting the ingredients in a good blender (I like the Blendtec® blender for its quality and power) and letting it rip.
Chicken tips
- Slice breasts in half before grilling: Slice and/or pound your chicken breasts into evenly thick pieces before grilling. That way they’ll cook quicker and evenly. They’ll also be the perfect size when diced for these Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
- Generously oil your grill grates. I do this by rolling up a few paper towels, drenching them in oil (canola or vegetable), and while using tongs, I rub the drenched paper towels along the grill grates. Doing this will contribute to a beautiful sear, and ensure the chicken doesn’t stick to the grates.
- Let the cooked chicken rest: Chicken needs to rest, tented with foil, for 5-10 minutes before cutting in. This helps the juices redistribute inside the chicken, rather than leaking out.
- Turmeric tip: Turmeric has a brilliant yellow/orange color and will dye your hands, table, cutting board, and even your kids the same bright color, so don’t use it on surfaces you don’t want to be scrubbing forever after making this meal.
Not grilling the chicken? If you don’t have the grill fired up, then I recommend sautéing it instead. To sauté the chicken, cut it into small bite-sized pieces and toss with all the seasonings. Add oil to a large skillet and sauté until chicken is cooked through and registers 165 degrees F. Timing will vary depending on the size of the chicken but should take around 5-7 minutes. Once cooked, allow to cool, and then dice the chicken into even smaller pieces.
I also tested these wraps with rotisserie chicken. While we definitely preferred the texture and seasonings of the grilled chicken, it was still pretty tasty with warmed, diced rotisserie chicken (especially when you consider how fast it came together).
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wrap veggies
- Lettuce: I recommend using butter (Boston) lettuce. It has a nice flavor, a good amount of crispness, and rolls up nicely.
- Carrots: Use a bag of matchstick carrots if you’re in a hurry. I love the flavor and crispiness of whole carrots, so I use them to make my own matchstick carrots. However, that takes an extra few minutes, so use whatever method you have time for.
- Cucumbers: I highly recommend using Persian or English cucumbers since they’re much crispier than regular cucumbers. In these wraps, crispiness is important.
- Red pepper: Any sweet bell pepper works; red, orange, or yellow. You can even leave out the pepper and use extra carrots or cucumber if you prefer.
- Other ideas: If you want to try a different combination of veggies, try very thinly sliced red cabbage, thinly sliced kale (or kale slaw), or broccoli slaw.
Quick Tip
When choosing lettuce for these wraps, look for a type with large leaves and a flexible texture that will roll easily. Romaine lettuce, for instance, has a thick rib in the middle and it cracks when bent. Iceberg is a better choice because the leaves are more flexible and round like a tortilla. I recommend butter lettuce because it’s even more flexible. When you’re at the grocery store, look for lettuce that will make a good tortilla substitute! Cabbage will work as well, but it has a different flavor and is so firm that it needs to be blanched first.
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wrap toppings
The toppings for these lettuce wraps are simple, but pack in even more flavor and texture. Add whatever you’d like! Listed below are our three “must-have” additions:
- Chopped peanuts or cashews: I like getting roasted and salted nuts for these wraps. They add the perfect finishing touch and replace the need for salt.
- Fresh cilantro: Chop right before serving or just grab a few full stems and add them right on top.
- Fresh lime: I usually serve these wraps with a few lime wedges on the side so everyone can add a few squeezes of fresh lime right before eating. I intentionally didn’t add lime juice to the sauce because I planned for it here.
More low-carb recipes:
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Turkey Meatloaf
- Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Caprese Salad with Basil Dressing
- Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Lettuce Wraps
- 3/4 of 1 pound (~13 ounces) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, ground turmeric
- salt and pepper
- 12 large Boston or Butter lettuce leaves
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced into matchsticks (~1 cup)
- 1 and 1/4 cup matchstick (julienned) carrots
- 1 and 1/4 cup matchstick (julienned) Persian or English cucumber (~2-3 Persian cucumbers)
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped peanuts
- Fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro, for topping
Peanut sauce/dressing
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons water
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons each: rice vinegar, low sodium soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon each: pepper, cayenne pepper
Instructions
- SAUCE: To a small powerful blender jar (I use a mini Blendtec/twister jar) add 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 3 tablespoons honey (See Note 1), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons water, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, depending on your preference for heat), and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth and refrigerate while preparing everything else.
- CHICKEN: Remove fat and halve breasts lengthwise if they are thick. Pound chicken to get the pieces uniformly thick throughout. (You can pound them with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy frying pan.) Pat both sides of the chicken with paper towels. On one side of the chicken, drizzle 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and rub it in. Sprinkle on half of the salt, half of the pepper, half of the turmeric, and half of the cumin. Gently press in the spices and then flip the chicken to the other side. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and spices.
- CHICKEN CONT.: Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill for medium-high heat (400-450 degrees F on an outdoor grill) and generously oil the grates (Note 2). Cook on the preheated grill until the chicken is golden and no longer pink in the center, about 4-5 minutes per side (or until the chicken registers 165 degrees F). Remove, cover with foil, and let stand for 5-10 minutes. When cooled slightly, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. To saute the chicken instead, see Note 3.
- VEGGIES: Prep veggies while chicken is cooking: Slice a bell pepper into small matchstick-sized pieces, cut matchstick carrots (or use prepared matchstick carrots). Cut the cucumber(s) into matchstick pieces. If you aren't using salted nuts, add a pinch of salt to the veggies. Finely chop the peanuts.
- ASSEMBLY: Wash and completely dry 12 lettuce leaves. Divide the cooked chicken evenly among the 12 lettuce leaves, followed by the veggies and peanuts. Add fresh cilantro and lime wedges to plates. Drizzle sauce generously over the wraps and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks delish cannot wait to have my 2 girls help me make these! 😉
Hope you love them!
Hello, are these 138 cal or each wrap or all together?
Hey Nicole, the calories are per wrap! 🙂
I have been making these for some time now. My husband who at first raised an eyebrow to lettuce wraps loves them just as much as the rest of us. I always add brown rice and thinly sliced red cabbage!
Yay! So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed these; thanks so much for the comment Kristal! 🙂
So good!
So happy to hear that 🙂
I tried this recipe and absolutely LOVED it. I could not believe how much I enjoyed the peanut sauce since I am not the biggest peanut fan myself. Now I find myself wanting to put it with other food too!!????
So glad you loved these! 🙂
So delicious! I’hv been made this before but was not fully satisfied. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed!