You don’t need to go to your favorite Asian restaurant for some delicious lettuce wraps! These Copycat Chicken Lettuce Wraps are full of robust flavors and served on a crunchy lettuce leaf. The chicken mixture derives its savoriness from soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, and rice vinegar. Each bite has a variety of textures from the chicken, the chopped veggies, and the fresh lettuce. Make Copycat Chicken Lettuce Wraps for a yummy appetizer, or even as a main course!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, plus more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 (8-ounce) carton white button or cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- onions, optional, to taste, finely diced,
- bell peppers, optional, to taste, finely diced
- carrots, optional, to taste, grated or finely diced
- 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
- 1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced, divided
- 2 small heads butter lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed and dried
- red pepper flakes or hot sauce, optional, to taste, for serving
Directions
Step 1 –Whisk together 3 tablespoons of the hoisin sauce, the soy sauce, the rice vinegar, and the sesame oil in a small bowl. To make the sauce more thick and glossy, optionally whisk in the cornstarch.
Step 2 –Heat 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil starts to shimmer.
Step 3 –Add the ground chicken and cook until it is no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes. Make sure to break the chicken up into small pieces while you are cooking it.
Step 4 –Move the cooked chicken to a clean bowl and set it aside.
Step 5 –Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil in the same pan until the oil starts to shimmer.
Step 6 –Add the mushrooms, the onions, the bell peppers, and the carrots.
Step 7 –Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 8 –Add the water chestnuts, the garlic, and the ginger, and cook, about 30 seconds.
Step 9 –Return the cooked chicken to the pan with the vegetables and add 1/4 cup of the scallions.
Step 10 –Add the sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling and warmed, about 30-60 seconds.
Step 11 –Taste and add the extra hoisin sauce, as needed.
Step 12 –Place a large spoonful of the chicken mixture onto the middle of each of the lettuce leaves and top with the remaining scallions and the red pepper flakes.
Step 13 –Gently roll or fold the lettuce to enclose the mixture without cracking the lettuce.
Step 14 –Serve!
