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These Asian chicken lettuce wraps are fresh, crisp, and so fun to eat. The filling is made with ground chicken, chopped shrimp, crunchy vegetables, and water chestnuts, then spooned into cool lettuce cups with a creamy peanut-style sauce on the side.
They’re easy enough for dinner but special enough for sharing. Each bite is juicy, crunchy, and refreshing — exactly the kind of dish I love for warm-weather meals or a fun appetizer spread.
What makes these chicken lettuce wraps different
This recipe is inspired by 蝦鬆 / xia song, a Chinese and Taiwanese banquet-style shrimp lettuce cup known for its light, airy, crumbly-crisp texture. I turned that idea into a chicken lettuce wrap, while keeping the same fresh, juicy, and crunchy bite.
- Chicken + shrimp filling: Ground chicken gives the filling body, while chopped shrimp adds fresh savory flavor and a light, bouncy bite. The shrimp is optional, but it makes the texture more interesting.
- Crunch in every bite: Carrot, celery, and water chestnuts add freshness, sweetness, and juicy crunch.
- Flavor built in layers: Garlic, shallot, and ginger build flavor from the start, so the meat tastes savory without needing a thick sauce.
- Sauce on the side: A little sauce seasons the filling, and the rest is served for dipping so the lettuce cups stay crisp.
- Lettuce choices explained: Butter lettuce is soft and easy, while iceberg gives the crispest Chinese-style cup. I’ll show you the best options so you can choose what works for you.
Main ingredient notes
- Ground chicken: I like using ground chicken with a mix of white and dark meat. It gives the filling more flavor and keeps the chicken from tasting dry, especially since lettuce wraps should taste juicy, fresh, and easy to eat.
- Shrimp: Shrimp makes this recipe different from many chicken-only lettuce wraps. It adds savory flavor, a light, bouncy texture, and a little extra bite. That chicken-and-shrimp mix gives the filling more texture contrast, which makes these wraps so satisfying.
- Carrot, celery, and water chestnuts: These add freshness, flavor, and crunch. The carrot brings a little sweetness, celery adds a clean, fresh bite, and water chestnuts give that juicy-crisp texture you expect in Chinese-style lettuce wraps.
- Garlic, shallot, and ginger: These aromatics build the flavor base. They are especially helpful if you make the filling with only ground chicken, since chicken can taste plain without enough aromatics.
- Peanut-style sauce: This sauce is creamy, savory, and lightly sweet. I like using apple juice to thin the sauce because it adds a gentle sweet-tart fruitiness that feels brighter than water. It keeps the sauce light and works especially well for a fresh, warm-weather lettuce wrap.
- Lettuce: Butter lettuce is soft, easy to fold, and works beautifully if you double up the leaves like I did in the photos. Iceberg lettuce gives you the crispest bite and is often used for Chinese-style lettuce cups, but it takes a little more time to separate and trim into cup shapes. We’ll cover the best lettuce options in more detail below.
Tip
Easy protein swaps: You can use all ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey. For chicken or turkey, choose a mix with some dark meat if possible. It gives the filling better flavor and keeps the texture juicier.
How to make Asian chicken lettuce wraps
The key to good chicken lettuce wraps is texture. The filling should be juicy and flavorful, but not wet. It should also have enough crunch so each bite tastes fresh inside the lettuce cups.
Step 1: Prep everything small. Finely chop the garlic, shallot, and ginger so they blend into the filling. For the carrot and celery, pulse them a few times in a food processor until they are cut into small cubes. Don’t over-process them—we still want texture and crunch. Roughly chop the water chestnuts by hand since they are more delicate. Dice the shrimp into small bite-size pieces.
Step 2: Build the flavor base. Start with garlic, shallot, and ginger in a well-heated skillet or wok. These aromatics give the filling its first layer of flavor, which is especially helpful when cooking with ground chicken. The final flavor comes from three parts: the aromatics, the chicken-and-shrimp filling, and the creamy sauce.
Step 3: Cook off the chicken moisture. Add the ground chicken and break it into small bits as it cooks. Smaller pieces season more evenly and crisp up better than large chunks. Once the chicken is cooked through, keep sautéing until the extra moisture has almost evaporated and the meat looks more crumbly with a few lightly browned edges. This step is worth the extra minute because it gives the chicken better flavor and keeps the filling juicy, not watery.
Step 4: Add the vegetables briefly. Add the carrots and celery and cook them just long enough to release a little moisture while still keeping their crunch. This keeps the filling fresh and crisp.
Step 5: Add shrimp and water chestnuts near the end. Shrimp cooks fast, so watch the heat and timing here. Keep the pan hot enough to stir-fry quickly, but don’t let the shrimp sit too long in the skillet. Once the shrimp just turns opaque, it’s done. This keeps it tender and bouncy. The water chestnuts add that juicy crisp bite that makes lettuce wraps so fun to eat.
Step 6: Use the sauce lightly. Stir in just enough sauce to season the filling. The goal is to season the filling, not cover everything in sauce. Serve the extra sauce on the side so each lettuce wrap stays crisp and easy to eat.
Step 7: Serve in lettuce cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of filling into each lettuce leaf and garnish with scallions and chopped nuts. If the lettuce leaves feel thin or soft, double them up so they hold the filling better. This also gives the wraps more crunch and helps keep them from falling apart.
Best lettuce to use for lettuce wraps
The best lettuce for chicken lettuce wraps depends on the texture you like. Look for leaves with a slightly deeper cup shape so they can hold the filling more easily. Some leaves are crisp and sturdy, while others are softer and easier to fold.
- Iceberg lettuce: This gives you the crispest bite and is closest to Chinese banquet-style lettuce cups. The leaves are sturdy and refreshing, but they take a little more time to separate and trim into cup shapes.
- Butter lettuce: This is the easiest option. The leaves are soft, naturally cup-shaped, and easy to fold around the filling. If the leaves feel thin, double them up so the wraps hold together better.
- Romaine hearts: These are crunchy and sturdy, but they are more boat-shaped than cup-shaped. They work well if you want something easy to hold.
- Green or red leaf lettuce: These look pretty and have soft, flexible leaves. They work in a pinch, but they are usually less sturdy than iceberg or butter lettuce.
Asian chicken lettuce wraps recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 large clove garlic 2 tbsp finely chopped
- 1 large shallot or yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 3 thin slice ginger 1.5 tbsp finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot ⅔ cup chopped carrots
- 1 medium stalk celery ⅔ cup chopped celery
- 5-6 whole canned water chestnuts drained
- ½ lb. raw white shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp Avocado oil
- ½ lb. ground chicken
- ¼ tsp coarse salt or more to taste
- ⅛ tsp white pepper or more to taste
Sauce (Dipping and stir-frying):
- 3 tbsp unsalted peanut butter or almond butter
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 pinches sugar skip if using coconut aminos
- 2 tsp hot sauce optional
- 3-4 tbsp apple juice or water (to thin the sauce)
Serve and garnish:
- 1-2 head Butterhead lettuce iceberg lettuce, or romaine lettuce
- 3 tbsp Toasted almond cashew nuts, or peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1 scallion chopped
Instructions
PREP
- Aromatics: Finely chop the garlic, shallot, and ginger. Set them aside so they are ready to use.
- Vegetables: In a food processor, pulse the carrot and celery a few times until they are diced into small cubes. Do not over-process them. We want some crunch in every bite, but the pieces should be small. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
- Chestnuts and shrimp: Drain the water chestnuts and roughly chop them. Dice the shrimp into small bite-size pieces.
- Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients, from the peanut butter to the apple juice. Stir until smooth. The sauce should be creamy but still pourable, not too thick.
Sauté the aromatics
- Preheat a large 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat until it feels warm when you place your palm about 2–3 inches above the surface. Add the oil, then sauté the garlic, shallot, and ginger with a pinch of salt until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Brown the chicken
- Add the ground chicken. Season with salt and white pepper. Sauté until the meat is cooked through and broken into small bits, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and keep sautéing until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes. The skillet should not look wet or watery, or the filling will taste diluted.
Add the vegetables
- Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Add the carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 1–2 minutes, until the vegetables release a little moisture but still keep their crunch.
Add the shrimp and water chestnuts
- Add the water chestnuts and shrimp. Keep tossing and scooping for about 1 minute, or until the shrimp just turn opaque.
Season the filling
- Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce and stir-fry briefly to coat everything, about 10 seconds. Keep the sauce minimal so the filling stays crunchy and does not turn soggy or wet.
- Taste and season with more salt and white pepper, if needed. Turn off the heat.
Serve
- Separate the lettuce into individual leaves and arrange them on a large serving plate. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each lettuce cup.
- Garnish with scallions and chopped nuts. Serve the extra sauce on the side. These lettuce wraps are best served warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Keep the texture of this dish fresh, crisp, and light. The filling should not be watery or soggy. Make sure all the ingredients are prepped and ready before you start stir-frying. This makes the cooking much easier.
- If you are using only chicken and no shrimp, use no more than 1 pound of ground chicken. These lettuce wraps are all about the balance of textures. Too much meat can make the filling dense and less crunchy.
- In places like China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, this dish often includes shrimp, sometimes mixed with a little minced pork. If you want to make a shrimp-only version, use up to 1 pound of raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp.
- If the skillet starts to feel dry while stir-frying, add 1 tablespoon of oil at a time, just enough to keep the ingredients moving easily.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Make-ahead, storage, and reheating
Chicken lettuce wraps work well for prep-ahead meals, but keep everything separate until serving so the lettuce stays crisp.
- Make-ahead: Chop the garlic, shallot, ginger, carrot, and celery 1 day ahead. Pack them separately and store in the fridge. I like to chop the water chestnuts on the day of cooking for the best texture.
- Storage: Store the cooked filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the lettuce, sauce, nuts, and scallions separate.
- Reheating: Warm the filling gently in a skillet or microwave. Add a small splash of water only if the filling looks dry.
- Serving leftovers: Spoon the filling into fresh lettuce leaves right before serving. Do not store assembled lettuce wraps, or the leaves will soften.
What to serve with chicken lettuce wraps
These Asian chicken lettuce cups are light enough for an appetizer but satisfying enough for dinner. To make it a fuller meal, pair them with rice, noodles, or a crisp vegetable side.
- For a rice pairing: Serve with Panda Express fried rice or Golden fried rice to make the meal more filling.
- For noodles: Garlic chili noodles add a savory, spicy side that pairs well with the fresh lettuce cups.
- For something cool and crisp: Asian cucumber salad keeps the meal light and refreshing.
- For a vegetable side: Chinese garlic green beans add a garlicky, crisp-tender side that keeps the meal fresh and balanced.
- For appetizers: Rice paper egg rolls or Rice paper dumplings are great if you’re serving these lettuce wraps for a party or family-style meal.
FAQs
Yes. You can use all ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey. For chicken or turkey, choose a mix with some dark meat if possible so the filling has better flavor and stays juicy. I recommend using no more than 1 pound of ground meat so the filling still tastes light and crisp.
Cook off the extra moisture from the ground chicken before adding the vegetables. Use only a small amount of sauce in the pan, and serve the extra sauce on the side. Keep the lettuce, filling, sauce, nuts, and scallions separate until serving so the lettuce stays crisp.
More Asian chicken recipes
If you love these chicken lettuce wraps, here are a few more easy Asian chicken dinners to try next:
- Healthy chicken and broccoli: A classic chicken-and-vegetable dinner with tender chicken, crisp broccoli, and a savory garlic sauce.
- Moo goo gai pan: A lighter Chinese chicken stir-fry with juicy chicken, mushrooms, and crisp vegetables.
- Panda Express mushroom chicken: A takeout-style favorite with tender chicken, mushrooms, and zucchini in a savory sauce.
- Taiwanese three cup chicken: A bold Taiwanese classic with juicy chicken, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and basil.
Sounds so yummy! Thoughts on using ground turkey instead of chicken/shrimp?
Hi Sherryl, yes ground turkey sounds great. If you can, use ground turkey thighs or 50% breast and 50% thigh meat. :))
delicious easy and fast!
Thanks so much, Melanie! So happy to hear :))
What a great, fresh, and EASY meal! I’m all about easy these days!
Simple, crunchy, and oh so delicious! Best dinner EVER!
I LOVE lettuce wraps. Your recipes looks fantastic!
Love love love all the flavors in this! I love a good lettuce wrap and this is definitely something I’ll have to try out.
I forget about water chestnuts, but what an amazing flavor and texture they add especially in dishes like this! This is such a great meal and easy enough to make during the week too!
I LOVE the little “bowls” of iceberg lettuce! This is such a good idea and I never think to use iceberg – definitely doing this this week! Thanks!
Made the lettuce wraps tonight. Ttey were fantastic. I did have a “tight” head of lettuce, so the cups/wraps were a bit torn and messy, but the flavors, and crunch were spot on. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.
This was crunchy and delicious!