Lettuce wraps are the perfect light Asian fare!
We love Asian dishes, and we’ll admit that there’s almost nothing easier than ordering take-out. Unfortunately, we aren’t the biggest fans of all the extra fat, calories, and preservatives that often accompany takeout food. Luckily, our Asian Chicken Wraps lets us savor one of our favorite Asian meals by making it in the comfort of our own home! This is one of our favorite easy, healthy dinners to make on a weeknight because it comes together so quickly and tastes amazing.
Our version tastes just as good as a restaurant’s, but it contains 100% clean ingredients and only 123 calories per serving! We make our Asian Chicken Wraps with crispy chicken, fresh cabbage or lettuce, and a sweet-and-tangy sauce. It really packs in all the flavor you’ve come to expect from Asian fare. It might have a few ingredients on the list, but it’s actually super easy to make. You only need to use one pan for this stir-fry dish, so clean up is a breeze. And, it’s ready in 30 minutes – including prep time. What’s not to love?
Lettuce Wraps are a Great Low-Carb Option
Anyone who’s following a low-carb diet (or, a no-carb diet like Keto or Paleo) will tell you that it’s hard to live without the bread! This recipe really takes advantage of nature’s original wrapper: lettuce. You can use any kind of lettuce, but we find that Napa cabbage works best. It holds together well enough to prevent the fillings from falling out, but it’s not too stiff that it’ll fall apart if you fold it. You could also use romaine lettuce leaves, Bibb, or iceberg lettuce if you prefer.
Skipping the bun means these Asian Chicken Wraps clock in at just 13 carbs per serving. And, these wraps have so much flavor between the stir fry sauce and the dipping sauce. Combine that with the cashews, mushrooms, and lean protein from the chicken and you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything at all!
If you’re not on a low-carb journey and you want to make these wraps a little heartier, try our version of clean-eating whole wheat tortillas! They only have five ingredients (plus water) and feature heart-healthy whole grains. Each tortilla would add 175 calories (and 20 carbs, for those of you counting your macros), but they’re filled with beneficial complex carbohydrates. That means they’ll definitely keep you feeling fuller for longer!
You might also like these 5 Clean Asian Inspired Meals for Take-Out. Who needs to order out for food when it’s tastier and healthier to make it at home? Plus, you get to control the ingredients when you cook at home, which means less sodium and no MSG.
Asian Chicken Wraps
Ingredients
For the Stir-Fry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
For the Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup recipe for ketchup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
For the Chicken
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts cubed into about 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup cashews diced, lightly roasted, optional: 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, diced
- 1/2 cup button mushrooms diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 6 Napa cabbage leaves large, optional: iceberg lettuce leaves
Instructions
For the Stir-Fry Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
For the Dipping Sauce
- Combine the honey and warm water in a medium saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients to the honey & water mix, turn to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes. Place the dipping sauce in a bowl for serving and set aside.
For the Chicken
- Heat the canola oil and sesame oil in a large skillet or wok. On medium-high heat add cubed chicken breast and cook until it has lost its pink color, 8-10 minutes. Drain chicken by pouring off liquid. With the chicken still in the skillet add the, already prepared, Stir-Fry Sauce to the chicken along with water chestnuts, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Stir-fry for approximately 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
- Place approximately 3/4 cup cooked chicken on individual cabbage leaves, drizzle with dipping sauce. Allow everyone to add additional dipping sauce if they wish. Slightly fold the wrap when eating. A little sauce may spill out but no big deal, just add more, there’s plenty to go around. Enjoy!!!
Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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I was wondering if I can make any of this recipe ahead if time?
Sarah, Yes, you can make it all ahead of time. I would just recommend rinsing the cabbage just before eating.
This actually freezes very well also. Been making it for a very long time. (a very similar recipe) It's delicious. Just make sure you use fresh crisp lettuce each time you eat it. I usually make a large batch for the freezer and it's a great 'go to' for a busy night already made. Just heat up. Only have to wash your lettuce, and for the person that didn' t like the cabbage it's great with chinese cabbage, called nappa cabbage. It's lighter and milder than traditional cabbage.
Is there another vinegar that can be substituted for the rice vinegar?
Brenda, White wine vinegar is the best substitute.
This was really good but think it would have been much better with lettuce instead of the cabbage
This ingredient list is WAY too long.
Angela, this was my thought as well. You could likely make this without the dipping sauce. I would also eliminate one of the oils. Simply stir fry and spoon them into lettuce/cabbage wraps. I'm generally wiling to sacrifice some flavor for simplicity.
I've made these several times. They are easy and very, very good.
Christine,
2 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce,
I made these tonight with my ten year old daughter…she didn't really need my help much at all. Delicious and easy and the ingredients are all commonly found in other dishes so I love that too. Thanks!!
If the chicken isn't breaded, how does it get crunchy like that? I make stirfry all the time, but mine doesn't look like a breaded chicken tender like yours does in the picture unless I do something more to it.
Ashley, Try cooking the cubed chicken on medium-high heat and getting it crispy on both sides.
I don't like mushrooms. Like, absolutely cannot STAND them. Is there a substitute you would recommend with similar nutrition values, should I just double the onion, or should I just leave them out altogether? Otherwise this sounds AMAZING.
You can just leave them out altogether. If you would like to use something in their place, you can use zucchini and cook the same way.
wow iloved it
What is stir fry sauce?
Audrey, Underneath Stir-Fry Sauce, you'll find all of the ingredients listed out that make up the sauce. I've just capitalized stir-fry sauce as a title to make that clear. Thanks for checking.
I love how in most places ,the chicken lettace wraps seem to be ground chicken. Like PF changs , do you know how they do that?
Stacey, I'm not sure how PF Changs does it, but you could easily substitute a pound of lean ground chicken for the chicken breasts.
I used ground chicken! This was so good, loved all the flavors. Didn’t make the dipping sauce & added a pinch of crushed red pepper to the stir fry sauce.
Hi: 3 chicken breast is equal to how many pounds/ grams? Thank you
Jessa, Depending on the size of the breasts, approximately 1.50 pounds for three…give or take a few ounces.
Thank you so much. I bought 3 half, with a total weight of 1.2 kilos. (????) Free range chicken they said.
I do appreciate your help.
Will this turn out ok with ground turkey?
Rebecca, Ground turkey should be fine. 🙂
I don’t have access to water chestnuts. Will it ruin the recipe?
Don’t worry about it, it’s still delicious without the water chestnuts.