Refreshing, light, and somehow also hearty…These are some of the qualities that make the spicy Thai lettuce cups such an out-of-this-world meal! Whether it’s a fun communal dinner, a romantic meal for two, or easy meal prep for the week, lettuce cups are easy to make and VERY fun to eat!
Ready to try it? Here we go!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups diced onion
- 3 lbs ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black paper
- 1/4 teaspoon umami seasoning (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 10 green onion stalks (half for the chicken mixture and the other half for garnish)
- Sauce
- 1/2 cup garlic chili sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 1/2 juiced lime
- Lettuce Cups and Garnish
- 10 Romaine lettuce leaves
- Lemon wedges for garnish
Directions
- Heat skillet with olive oil.
- Start with onions, sautéing until soft and translucent (approximately 10 minutes).
- Add ground chicken, s/p and umami and stir until cooked through (approximately 10 minutes).
- Mix in minced garlic and lemongrass paste.
- Stir in shredded cabbage until slightly wilted (approximately 5 minutes).
- Next, stir in shredded carrots (approximately 3-4 minutes).
- Chop the white ends off the green onion and add half to the mixture. (Set other half aside)
- Once mixture is cooked, cover and set aside.
- For the sauce, grab a medium or large mixing bowl.
- Combine chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and peanut butter.
- Vigorously stir contents together with a fork until sauce is smooth.
- Stir half the sauce into the chicken mixture and save the other half for dipping.
- Rinse lettuce and fill each one with mixture.
- Sprinkle other half of green onions over the top.
- Serve with lime wedges and extra sauce for dipping and enjoy!
- Store lettuce and chicken mixture separately in air-tight containers for 3-4 days.
Notes
Being basically no sugar and no grain, the flavor from this sauce comes with a “kick” from the chili garlic sauce. That’s why I recommend only using half the sauce for the mixture and letting people control the spiciness by dipping. But if you like it spicy, feel free to add more to the mixture!
If ground chicken isn’t your thing, sub in ground pork, ground turkey, ground beef or even ground vegetable protein!
Hi there! My name is Gina Grad and I’m a Los Angeles-based broadcaster and longtime comfort food appreciator. I’ve been on the radio here in SoCal since 2006 but since I’m originally from Kansas City, I’ve been eating the best casseroles, stews and one-pot meals the Midwest has to offer over the course of my entire life.
Looks delicious and i can even have it with all my rheumatoid arthritis food restrictions…the only change would be tamari instead of soy sauce, Thanks Gina 😊
Tamari is great! And coconut aminos work well too! Enjoy!! xoxo
Love this! Please keep them coming.
Will do! Thank you!!xoxo
I made the sauce on your lettuce wraps into a salad dressing and made those as a salad…. SO GOOOOOD!
Just add more stuff until it looks right. Lol. It’s my go to dressing now. Oh, I added sesame oil as well.
Perfecto!! xoxo,gg
Hi Gina! Loving anything NSNG that helps my Asian food cravings. I’m having the same issue you are in regard to dairy and being stagnant in my weight loss. It’s so hard because cheese is the best! Keep the dairy-free recipes coming and update us on your progress once you cut dairy. Excited to make this. Thanks!
I will do that, Stacy!! xoxo, gg
Delicious and easy! Perfect recipe for food prep. Thank you!
You’re so welcome!! xoxo, GG
Hi Gina, thanks for all the great recipes! I made the Spicy Thai Lettuce Cups last weekend and wow, they were good! I thought for sure 3 lbs of chicken would leave leftovers for days but between me, my husband, and my dad we ate almost the entire batch for dinner! My husband is the one that recommended your website after he heard you on the Adam Carolla Show and now I’m hooked… All your recipes sound so good, I can’t wait to try them all. You must write a cookbook soon! Keep up the good work, can’t wait to see what you make next!
This actually made me tear up, Hannah! I’m so glad you and the family enjoyed them!! xoxo, GG
I made these last weekend and they are so good. We had a lots of yard work to do so I made the meat filling in the morning and put them in the crock-pot to stay warm so we just grabbed a lettuces wrap when we needed bite to eat. I love this recipe and it is super easy.
I’m so happy to hear this, Lori!! Thank you!! xoxo, GG
I made these right after listening to Eat Your Feelings on ACS. Both my son and husband said they only had time for a quick bite. Before I knew it, they tore through the whole dish!
When I made them in the past I only found recipes with packet or premade sauce. This was so fresh and light. Thank you!
This made my DAY, Amanda!! xoxo, GG
Delicious!!!
Made these last night for my wife and I after she tasked me with making dinner a couple nights a week. I have never really cooked before but am an avid ACS listener so I ran to your site for help. You did not disappoint!! These turned out amazingly delicious, were easy to make and my wife (who loves to cook) was super impressed. Thanks for putting this site together and following your passion. I will definitely be coming back to try more recipes.
This absolutely made my DAY, Ben!! I’m so happy!! xoxo, gg
My family is a big fan of these. We’ve been making them at least twice a month since I heard the eat your feelings they were featured on. My kids usually gobble them up and we rarely have leftovers. Last night they came out a bit too spicy for the kids so today I added more cabbage and shredded carrots then put them in egg roll wrappers and made them into egg rolls. Definitely not Vinnie approved but the one I ate was amazing and my kids and wife destroyed the rest. 10/10 would cheat on my belly again.
I like your style, Bill!! Xoxo, GG
I have been trying a lot of your different recipes over the last week or so. I have liked them all so far but this one was my favorite! I did have to substitute the peanut butter with almond butter due to an allergy but it still tasted delicious! Thank you for all of the amazing recipes!
I love it, Becca, and I’m glad the almond butter worked out!! xoxo, GG
Any substitutes for umami seasoning?
You really don’t need it…it’s just a fun little salty, earthy kick. Leave it out and you’ll be just fine! xoxo, GG