Takeout-Style Chicken Lettuce Wraps
The restaurant appetizer, rebuilt as a proper dinner. Savory ground chicken with mushrooms and crunchy water chestnuts in a light hoisin-ginger sauce, scooped into cold, crisp lettuce cups. High protein, low carb, and on the table in 20 minutes.
Method
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Brown the ground chicken, breaking it up, for 5 minutes.
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Add the mushrooms, garlic, and ginger and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the mushrooms have given up their water and it cooks off.
💡 Tip: Cook until the pan is dry again. Watery filling collapses lettuce cups. -
Stir in the water chestnuts, hoisin, soy, vinegar, and sriracha and cook for 2 minutes until glossy. Fold in most of the scallions.
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Serve the hot filling in a bowl alongside the chilled lettuce cups, topped with the remaining scallions. Scoop and eat.
💡 Tip: Assemble at the table, not ahead. Filled cups go soft fast.
Notes
Butter lettuce makes the best cups, sturdy, cupped, and crisp. Romaine hearts and iceberg both work too.
Water chestnuts are the non-negotiable crunch. Diced, not sliced, so they scatter through every bite.
Finely diced mushrooms cook into the chicken and stretch the filling with almost no calories.
Keep the lettuce cold and the filling hot. The contrast is the whole experience.
Nutrition Information
| Calories | 344kcal |
| Total Fat | 16g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 20g |
| Protein | 30g |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which lettuce holds up best?
Butter lettuce is the classic, its leaves are naturally cup-shaped and flexible without tearing. Iceberg gives maximum crunch, romaine hearts are the sturdiest for scooping generous portions.
Is this a full meal or an appetizer?
As written it is dinner for four with over 30g of protein each. The restaurant version is an appetizer portion with a fraction of the chicken and a lot more sugar in the sauce.
Can I make the filling ahead?
Yes, it keeps 4 days and reheats well in a skillet. Store the lettuce separately, washed and dried, and it stays crisp.
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