Asian chicken lettuce wraps recipe (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
These Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are made with ground chicken, shrimp, crunchy veggies, and a creamy nut butter sauce. Low carb and healthy!
Servings: 8 Servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 large shallot chopped, or yellow onion
- 1.5 tbsp chopped ginger 3 thin slices
- ⅔ cup chopped carrots 1 medium size
- ⅔ cup chopped celery
- 5-6 whole piece canned water chestnuts
- ½ lb. raw 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
Lettuce Wraps Sauce (Dipping and stir-frying):
- 3 tbsp unsalted almond butter or peanut butter
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos or 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp hot sauce optional
- 3-4 tbsp apple juice or water
Serve and garnish:
- 1-2 heads Butter lettuce or a small iceberg lettuce
- 3 tbsp Toasted almond cashew nuts, or peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1 bulb scallion chopped
Instructions
Prep:
- Prepare the garlic, shallot, and ginger. Chop the carrots and celery into small cubes. Drain the chestnuts and roughly chop them. If incorporating shrimp, dice them to bite sizes.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce. Set aside ready to use.
Saute aromatics:
- In a well-heated large skillet or wok, add the oil. Saute garlic, shallot, and ginger over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Browning the meat:
- Add ground chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat is cooked through and broken up to fine small bits, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, keep sauteing until the moisture has almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Your skillet should not be wet and watery to avoid diluting the flavor.
Vegetables:
- Turn heat up to medium-high, add carrots and celery. Season with a pinch of salt. Saute for 1 minute. Add chestnuts and shrimp, if using. Saute for another 1 minute.
Seasoning:
- Add 2 tbsp sauce and stir-fry to coat it all over, about 10 seconds. Keep the sauce minimal so the texture remains crunchy and not soggy or wet. Taste and adjust to season more salt and pepper, if needed.Turn off the heat.
Serving:
- To serve, separate the lettuce into individual leaves and place over a large serving plate. Load each lettuce cup with a few tablespoons of the mixture into the center. Garnish with scallions and nuts. Serve the extra sauce on the side. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Keep the texture of this dish fresh, crisp, and light. It shouldn't be watery or soggy.
- Make sure all ingredients are ready to go before you start stir-frying—this helps a lot!
- If you're using only chicken (no shrimp) and want more meat, stick to no more than 1 lb of ground chicken. For these lettuce wraps, it's all about the balance of textures. Too much meat might make the wraps less crunchy and more dense.
- In places like China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, this dish usually includes shrimp, often mixed with a bit of pork mince. If you opt for only shrimp, use up to 1 lb of raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp.
- If your skillet starts to dry out while stir-frying, just add a tablespoon of oil at a time until it feels right.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 421mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2495IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg