Healthy Asian chicken lettuce wraps with rice, chicken and a few simple ingredients are a perfect weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
Kids love foods they can assemble themselves. It’s one reason tacos are such a big hit. My kids also love DIY poke bowls, pork bao and anything that let’s them choose their own adventure at mealtime. Lettuce wraps are no different. Flavorful fillings, fresh vegetables and rice are laid out family-style and everyone makes their own. My kids like grilled steak lettuce wraps, but on a rainy weeknight, these Asian chicken lettuce wraps are easy to make inside with a saute pan.
Ground chicken (or turkey) can be pretty plain. Add a punch of flavor with garlic, ginger, scallions, brown sugar, soy sauce, and my favorite: fish sauce. Fish sauce is one of those ingredients that doesn’t sound or smell great on it’s own, but added to your favorite Asian dishes, it brings a whole new layer of flavor. If you haven’t tried it, fish sauce is an intense, salty sauce made from anchovies, salt and water. I’m never without a bottle in my house! (Though I once dropped it and broke a whole bottle all over the floor…)
To top these lettuce wraps, add your favorite fresh herbs and vegetables as toppings: cucumbers, scallions, sesame seeds, chili garlic sauce, Thai basil, cilantro – the possibilities are endless.
Want more easy chicken dinners your kids will love? Try these:
- Chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce
- Moroccan chicken skewers
- Angel hair pasta with chicken, white wine and garlic
- Moroccan chicken tagine
- Roast chicken with root vegetables
- 2 Tbsp. canola oil
- 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 3 cups cooked sushi rice (from about 1½ cups dry)
- 1 head Bibb lettuce, leaves washed and separated
- 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- a few sprigs of cilantro
- a small handful of basil leaves, preferably Thai
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- Chili garlic sauce or sriracha, optional
- Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until frangrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook until chicken is browned and cooked though, about 5 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and fish sauce and stir. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce coats the chicken.
- To serve, put some rice in a lettuce leaf and top with some of the chicken. Add toppings of your liking.
Leave a Reply