Refreshingly crisp and low carb, these healthy lettuce wraps are delicious and fun to eat! Great for social dining, this easy dish is great as an appetizer or a main course!
Lettuce wraps are a very popular Chinese dish, and for good reason! They are as delicious as they are healthy! For the longest time I didn’t want to try them, since the whole experience just seemed messy. Biting into folded, flimsy leaf of lettuce? Won’ t it just fall apart? I’d rather just eat it with rice.
When I finally tried lettuce wraps for the first time, I was amazed at how well the flavors come together. The lettuce was so crisp and cool, and combining with the hot flavorful meat, the combination blends perfectly. It was so good, I almost forgot about rice… almost. 
Now when the craving hits, I don’t hesitate to pull out this recipe!
This is my take on the Chinese classic, but if you want to make it more authentic, try using hoisin sauce instead of teriyaki sauce. Since the crunchiness of the lettuce is the best part, I’ll sometimes top my wraps with a few more crunchy elements like almonds or wonton strips. I love eating these wraps all on their own, but if you want to serve them with a dipping sauce, ponzu sauce is a great complementary flavor. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even add a little chili sauce to the ponzu for some heat!
Recipe – Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps:
– Rinse your lettuce and gently separate into individual leaves. I find it easiest to work from the bottom instead of peeling away from the top: find the topmost stem on the bottom of the lettuce and cut it off with a knife, then gently pry the leaf off. The leaves can tear quite easily, so be careful! Place the lettuce back in the fridge until ready to serve.
– Prep your veggies by chopping the chestnuts and green onion into large chunks, grating your ginger, and mincing your garlic.
– Add the sesame oil to a wide skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and ground chicken and let cook until the bottom of the chicken starts to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
– Add the chestnuts, onion and ginger to the pan and continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Use a spatula to break the chicken into as many smaller pieces as you can while it cooks.
– Add the liquid ingredients to the pan and let simmer until the sauce has thickened.
– Once the sauce is finished its ready its ready to serve! To preserve the crispness of the lettuce, I like to serve the chicken in one large bowl, then let everyone spoon the chicken onto the lettuce to eat.
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