Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
These chicken lettuce wraps with peanut sauce are the kind of weeknight dinner that checks every box – fresh, fast, and genuinely fun to eat. Grilled chicken thighs, crisp colorful vegetables, and a creamy, savory homemade peanut sauce all get loaded into cool lettuce cups for a meal that’s ready in about 30 minutes. It’s naturally gluten-free friendly, high in protein, and endlessly customizable, making it a perfect weeknight dinner for families with different tastes and preferences.
“Mom, hold my lettuce wrap!”
Eating lettuce wraps can get messy and I will never forget feeding this meal to my young kids.
My oldest doesn’t love getting dirty and after the juices from her first lettuce wrap streamed down to her elbow, she requested that I hold the lettuce wrap and she would just take bites. I obliged because when a four-year-old is happily eating lettuce wraps…well, you make it work. 😜
This is one of those recipes that I come back to when I want something fast, fresh, and fun. The balance of crisp lettuce, juicy chicken, and flavorful peanut sauce hits every time. It’s a huge win with kids and adults alike. It’s…
🥜 Quick & fresh: A flavorful dinner loaded with protein and produce that’s on the table in 30 minutes.
🧑🍳 Fun & interactive: Everyone builds their own wrap, which makes this a huge hit with kids and adults alike.
🥕 Colorful & crunchy: Carrot ribbons, cucumber, and bell peppers make every bite crisp and vibrant.
🍯 Irresistibly saucy: The homemade peanut sauce is creamy, savory, and so good you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.
⏱️ Prep-ahead friendly: Make the peanut sauce a day ahead and your weeknight dinner practically assembles itself.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring these lettuce wraps to the table. Don’t be intimidated by the list; many of these items are pantry staples! You’ll need: peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, chicken, olive oil, carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, green onion, bibb lettuce, peanuts, and cilantro.
- Lettuce: I recommend using bibb or Boston lettuce, but you can also use iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce, though the wraps will be slightly different. I recommend using two layers of lettuce to help contain ingredients and peanut sauce!
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Cooking methods: While the recipe is written with grilled chicken, you have many options for cooking the chicken. You can use pan-fried chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken, or sous vide shredded chicken.
- Shortcuts: If you wanted to save some time, you could use a premade peanut sauce. There are lots of great options out there, though I do think homemade is best!
- Feeding kids without pressure: I would recommend serving the grilled chicken lettuce wraps family style and let everyone make their own. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, rice, and/or bread and butter. Wraps can be tricky for kids to eat (and messy!), so if it’s easier you could also turn it into salads that can be eaten with a fork.
- Variations: These wraps would also be excellent with crispy tofu if you’re looking to add in a vegetarian option.
Fresh Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
These chicken lettuce wraps quickly became a family favorite! It’s packed with flavor, colorful vegetables and an incredible peanut sauce.
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce:
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 clove garlic
Lettuce Wraps:
- 1 lb. chicken thighs (skinless, boneless)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 cups carrot ribbons (or matchsticks)
- 1 cups sliced cucumber (or matchsticks)
- 1 cup thinly sliced bell peppers (or matchsticks)* red yellow or orange
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 1 head bibb lettuce
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In an blender, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey and garlic and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat grill over medium-high heat. Drizzle chicken thighs with olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill over direct heat for about 5 minutes per side, then transfer to indirect heat (so it’s not over flames) and continue to cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees F. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then thinly slice.
- Meanwhile, prep lettuce wrap ingredients and arrange on plates or a large platter.
- Assemble lettuce wraps. Top lettuce with chicken and veggies, and drizzle with peanut sauce. Top with garnishes if desired.
Notes
Storage: Store components separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Reheat chicken gently in the microwave or a hot skillet. Keep peanut sauce separate – it thickens in the fridge but loosens right up with a splash of water.
Ingredients: Boneless skinless chicken thighs are recommended here — they stay juicy and flavorful on the grill. Chicken breasts also work, just watch the cook time carefully so they don’t dry out. Bibb or Boston lettuce is ideal for wrapping, but iceberg or romaine will also work well.
Prep ahead: The peanut sauce can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge. You can also slice all the vegetables ahead of time so dinner comes together even faster.
Tools: An immersion blender or regular blender makes the peanut sauce silky smooth in under a minute.
Serve with: These wraps pair beautifully with white rice, cauliflower fried rice, steamed edamame, or frozen spring rolls or dumplings for a more complete meal.
FAQs
The consistency of your peanut sauce will vary greatly depending on the type and brand of peanut butter that you use. You do want the peanut sauce to be drippy and drizzle-able so if it is too thick, you can add water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a drippy consistency.
Yes! Swap regular soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos and this recipe is naturally gluten-free. Everything else in the recipe is already gluten-free.
Serving Suggestions
You may need to add a side or carb to this meal, here are a few ideas:
- Rice (use a rice maker for the easiest and most perfect rice, we love ours!)
- Frozen appetizers like spring rolls, egg rolls, or dumplings
- Steamed edamame
- Cauliflower fried rice
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
This post may contain affiliate links. They do not add any charge to you, but I will make a very small commission from them. I only link to products I use and recommend. Thank you for your support!