Welcome to another minimal effort, BIG flavor dish! This quicker-than-takeout sesame tofu is baked to crispy perfection and coated in a drool-worthy, sweet + spicy + garlicky sauce. It might have you questioning whether you’ll ever be ordering takeout …
Welcome to another minimal effort, BIG flavor dish! This quicker-than-takeout sesame tofu is baked to crispy perfection and coated in a drool-worthy, sweet + spicy + garlicky sauce. It might have you questioning whether you’ll ever be ordering takeout again!
Pair with rice and steamed veggies for a simple, 30-minute meal that’s vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened. Let’s make it!
Recipe Inspiration
This recipe is inspired by Sesame Chicken, which is commonly found in Chinese restaurants in the US and Canada (source).
Of all the small plate recipes, one of the easiest to prepare and one of my personal favorites is Chicken Lettuce Wraps. The crisp lettuce leaves hold a saucy ground chicken and vegetable mixture and every bite is full of freshness and bold flavor! If you love to make Asian-inspired recipes as much as I do, then you might already have a lot of these ingredients at home, which makes this recipe simple, easy to prepare, and satisfying in every bite!
Ingredients Needed For Chicken Lettuce Wraps
This recipe includes 3 simple elements: a sauce, the chicken and vegetable filling and a dressing drizzled on top. The dressing is optional, but highly recommended :)
Ground Chicken – ground chicken is a very lean meat with not a lot of fat, but it comes to life with this delicious sauce poured on top. You can easily sub the chicken for ground turkey or ground pork if you prefer.
Vegetables – I kept things simple with some chopped water chestnuts and a diced red bell pepper. You can find the water chestnuts usually in the International food aisle.
The Sauce – the sauce is the star of the show in these lettuce wraps! It’s made with a simple mixture of asian sauces, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and a little bit of fresh ginger and garlic.
Peanut Lime Dressing – when you order chicken lettuce wraps in a restaurant it’s often served with a dipping sauce, but we decided to pair ours with a half portion of our fav creamy Peanut Lime Dressing! You only need a little bit drizzled on each lettuce wrap and it adds great depth of flavor to these tasty wraps.
What Lettuce Is Best For Lettuce Wraps?
You can use a variety of different types of lettuce for chicken lettuce wraps including bibb lettuce, butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce or even romaine lettuce. We opted for these cute iceberg lettuce boats that we caught on sale, and the chicken filling fits perfectly inside each one. Bibb lettuce will wrap nicely around the filling and looks beautiful plated, but it can also be on the pricier side.
Ingredient Substitutions
I love recipes that you can easily customize with ingredients you already have in your fridge or pantry. Here are few suggestions:
Ground turkey – ground turkey also works well in these lettuce wraps. It’s leaner than beef and tastes great with the sauce! Just make sure you buy 93% lean ground turkey and not ground turkey breast which has almost zero fat in it. You definitely don’t want to make that mistake.
Vegetables – you can easily add or swap out the vegetables with some of your own favorites like diced onions, green bell peppers, or chopped baby bella mushrooms. Just make sure to dice them up into smaller bite size pieces so they fit nicely in the lettuce wraps.
Dressing & Toppings – we paired these lettuce wraps with our creamy peanut lime dressing, which worked beautifully, a few green onions and peanuts for extra texture; but feel free to skip the dressing and top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds or a little sriracha if you wanna add some spice!
What to Serve With Chicken Lettuce Wraps
You can have chicken lettuce wraps as an appetizer or your main dish, but they also taste great paired with some coconut rice, a quick & easy vegetable lo mein, sesame cucumber salad, crispy rice noodles, or this simple cold peanut noodle salad. The noodle salad uses the same sweet & tangy peanut lime dressing so you can easily just make a full batch of the dressing and drizzle it on both!
How To Store Leftovers
If you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers, be sure to store the chicken filling and the lettuce separately. You can store the chicken filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Then store any extra lettuce in a food storage bag in the fridge for up to 4 days as well.
First, make the sauce for the chicken lettuce wraps. In a small bowl combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, fresh grated ginger and minced garlic. Set the sauce aside.
Next chop the red bell pepper and water chestnuts into similar size pieces. Then slice the green onions and give the peanuts a rough chop. Set veggies and nuts aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the cooking oil. Once oil is heated, add the ground chicken, crumble and cook until browned.
Add the red bell pepper and water chestnuts to the skillet. Saute for two minutes.
Pour the prepared sauce mixture into the skillet and mix well. Cook for two more minutes to allow the sauce to soak into the chicken and vegetables.
Remove from heat and top with green onions and chopped peanuts. Serve 1/3 cup of the chicken and vegetable mixture inside each lettuce wrap and drizzle a little of the peanut lime dressing on top. Enjoy!
How To Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps – Step By Step Photos
Start by making the sauce for the chicken. In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger, and 2 garlic cloves minced. Stir well and set aside.
Dice one red bell pepper. Drain and dice one 8oz. can of water chestnuts. Slice 2 green onions and give the peanuts a rough chop. Set these ingredients to the side.
Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once oil is hot, add 1 lb ground chicken, crumble, and cook until browned.
Mix in diced bell pepper and water chestnuts into the skillet and saute for 2 minutes.
Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet and mix well. Continue to cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add 2 sliced green onions and 1/4 cup chopped peanuts. Feel free to reserve some of the green onions and peanuts to add on top of the individual lettuce wraps.
Next, make the peanut dressing. In a small bowl combine 1.5 Tbsp natural style peanut butter, 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 lime, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp neutral oil. Mix well.
Serve chicken filling inside lettuce with a drizzle of the peanut lime dressing and enjoy!
What’s that? You’re craving kimchi but don’t want to run to the store or wait a week for it to ferment? We’ve got you. This QUICK kimchi-inspired slaw combines cabbage, apple, and carrot in a tangy, optionally spicy dressing.
It’s the perfect companion…
What’s that? You’re craving kimchi but don’t want to run to the store or wait a week for it to ferment? We’ve got you. This QUICK kimchi-inspired slaw combines cabbage, apple, and carrot in a tangy, optionally spicy dressing.
It’s the perfect companion for all your favorite Korean (and Korean-inspired) dishes, including bibimbap and Korean-style cauliflower wings. Plus, it’s ready in 20 minutes with just 10 ingredients. Let us show you how it’s done!
This Ramen Noodle Salad is something we ate often when I was growing up and I still love it just as much today. Why? Because it’s light, fresh, filling, uses simple and inexpensive ingredients, and holds up well in the fridge so you can eat the leftovers for days (less cooking, more eating!). Keep this recipe bookmarked because it’s going to get you through those long hot days of Summer!
What is Ramen Noodle Salad?
This Ramen noodle salad is simply a mix of finely shredded cabbage, chicken, carrots, green onion, almonds, and …drum roll… uncooked instant ramen noodles for a little extra CRUNCH! The salad also features a simple light dressing that has Asian inspired flavors, like ginger, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. A lot of people call this salad Chinese Chicken Salad, but it’s not an authentic Chinese recipe, so we’re rebranding it with a more accurate name, Ramen Noodle Salad.
What Kind of Cabbage to Use
This salad is usually made with Napa cabbage, which has a slightly lighter and more delicate texture than regular green cabbage, but it’s totally flexible. Napa cabbage was a little on the expensive side when I was at the store this week so I swapped it out for some green cabbage and added a little purple cabbage for color. You can use all green cabbage if you want, or if you want to take an even bigger short cut just use two bags of pre-shredded coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots) instead of shredding your own. …But freshly shredded always tastes better. ;)
What Else Can I Add?
I love salads because you can add so many different things to them and this Ramen Noodle Salad is no exception! Here are some other fun ingredients you can add to the ramen noodle salad, if you have them on hand:
Mandarin oranges
Sesame seeds
Cashews
Avocado
Cucumber
Edamame
Peanuts
Shredded broccoli stems
HOW TO STORE THE LEFTOVERS
If you plan to meal prep this ramen noodle salad (highly recommend), you have a couple of options. If you want the ramen noodles to stay super crunchy, don’t stir them into the salad before storing. Simply sprinkle them over each serving just before eating. I kind of like the way the ramen soaks up the flavor of the dressing over time, but you do you! The almonds will also soften slightly as the salad is refrigerated. The salad will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
Make the dressing first. Whisk together the salad oil, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, and toasted sesame oil. Set the dressing aside.
Shred the cabbage as finely as possible. Shred the carrot and slice the green onions. Crush the instant ramen noodles (discard the seasoning packet or save it for another use).
Place the cabbage, carrot, green onion, almonds, crushed ramen noodles, and shredded chicken in a large bowl. Pour the prepared dressing over top. Toss the salad until everything is evenly combined and coated in dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
How to Make Ramen Noodle Salad – Step by Step Photos
Make the dressing first. Whisk together ¼ cup neutral salad oil, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp honey, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. Set the dressing aside.
Shred about six cups of cabbage for the salad. You can use green cabbage, purple cabbage, Napa cabbage, or any mix of the above. Shred the cabbage as finely as possible.
Shred one carrot and slice four green onions.
Shred about two cups of cooked chicken breast. We used a rotisserie chicken, but you could cook your own chicken breast or even use canned chicken breast.
Place the shredded cabbage, carrot, green onion, and chicken in a bowl. Crush one 3 oz. package of instant ramen noodles (discard seasoning packet or save for another use). Add the crushed ramen noodles and ¼ cup sliced almonds to the bowl. Pour the prepared dressing over top.
Toss the salad well until everything is evenly mixed and coated in dressing.
Serve the ramen noodle salad immediately or refrigerate up to four days. Always give the salad a good stir just before serving to redistribute the dressing.
Who loves all things sushi but feels a little intimidated by making sushi at home? (Slowly raises hand.) Solution: this quick and easy salmon sushi bowl! It’s our take on the satisfaction of sushi without the need for sushi-grade fish or assembli…
Who loves all things sushi but feels a little intimidated by making sushi at home? (Slowly raises hand.) Solution: this quick and easy salmon sushi bowl! It’s our take on the satisfaction of sushi without the need for sushi-grade fish or assembling rolls! We’re into it.
Just 9 ingredients required, friends. Let us show you how it’s done!
How to Make Salmon “Sushi” Bowls
These EASY salmon “sushi” bowls come together with just three required components, plus a few optional add-ons to step up the sushi vibes!
Is it just us or does it seem like cucumbers repel any dressing you add to them? Not so fast! After some research and testing, we learned that smashing cucumbers helps the flavors stick around. Smashed cucumber salad to the rescue!
This Asian-inspired …
Is it just us or does it seem like cucumbers repel any dressing you add to them? Not so fast! After some research and testing, we learned that smashing cucumbers helps the flavors stick around. Smashed cucumber salad to the rescue!
This Asian-inspired take is super fresh, crunchy, savory, a little spicy, and full of ginger and sesame flavor. Plus, so EASY — just 10 ingredients, 1 bowl, and 10 minutes required.
