These Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Wraps are an easy family dinner! Ground Chicken, Carrots, and cashews are quickly cooked in a ginger, sesame, soy sauce! Yum!
Get ready for your tastebuds to start singing with these Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Wraps that are such a fun and flavorful dinner! Ground Chicken, Carrots, scallions, and cashews give a meaty and crunch texture. The ginger, garlic, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and Soy Sauce are a harmonious blend of BIG flavor!
Not everyone needing low-carb? No problem, just add some steamed white rice to bulk up the wraps and round out this meal.
Do you meal plan your dinners? It makes weeknights so much easier! Check out my Meal Planning Theme Night Recipes. These Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a great recipe to add to your International Wednesdays!
Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Families
This is one of those fantastic recipes that’s perfect for meal prep. You can make 100% ahead of time, reheat in just a few minutes, and enjoy quickly on busy weeknights! Not only that, but it’s a fun dinner that you can eat with your hands.
Dinners that come together in 20-30 minutes on the weekend can save you hours of agony during the weekdays. That’s because with you are under the gun at the end of a busy day and the kids are screaming they are starving, let’s face it, things take longer. Right?
So dinners like this one are my go-to. I also love my make-ahead Black Bean Taco Bowls or Korean Beef Taco Bowls. Or how about Easy Tex Mex Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Chicken or even this Easy One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake with Zucchini. These are just a few!
Want more tips for making busy family dinners easier? Click here for my Free Printable 5 Simple Steps to Easy Family Dinners!
Simple Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh Garlic and Ginger – I love to buy several heads of garlic and a large root of ginger and then mince and store in the freezer for use whenever I need them! You can also find them pre-minced in the produce section. You can use powder if you cannot get fresh.
- Sweet Chili Sauce – This is a sweet sauce with flecks of red chile in it, but it’s not hot, it mostly sweet and a little tangy. You can find this in the asian ingredients aisle. You can also create your own using 2 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 3 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a teaspoon of sesame oil, and a pinch of salt.
- Soy Sauce – I used regular Soy Sauce, but you can also use light soy sauce, low sodium, or Gluten Free. If you don’t have Soy sauce, you can add Worcestershire sauce or beef, chicken, vegetable, stock or broth.
- Sesame Oil – Sesame Oil is really for flavor and a little goes a long way. If you don’t have it, just eliminate it altogether. Or you can substitute with another deep umami ingredient, such as oyster sauce.
- Sriracha – This sauce is where the heat comes in, but the amount in this recipe is not enough to add significant heat. You can increase the amount as desired.
- Cornstarch – This is used as the thickener for the sauce.
- Ground Chicken, white meat – you can use turkey or beef as well. I always keep ground chicken in the freezer for easy dinners. It will last the freezer for up to 6 months in an airtight container or packaging. Check out all of my tips on Prepping and Storing Chicken for Easier Dinners.
- Roasted Cashews, Unsalted – Salted will work, but just check your overall salt content and flavor to ensure it’s not too salty. You can reduce the amount of salt with less soy sauce.
- Scallions – Also known as green onions. You can sub in chives or just leave out.
- Carrots, large – You can also buy shredded carrots to save time.
- Head of Romaine lettuce – Romaine is perfect because it’s always available and has lots of sturdy leaves. Butter lettuce is also great for this. You can also use iceberg lettuce, but it can be more difficult to peel the leaves off in one piece.
Simple Equipment for Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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For this recipe, the sauce is easily made in a blender. All ingredients are added and blended into a smooth and creamy sauce. You could also use a food processor for this, such as this mini food processor.
You will also need a small pot to cook the sauce and a medium pot with lid for the rice.
Finally, to cook the veggies and chicken, you need a large skillet/frying pan. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.
Prep Steps for Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Wraps
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)
As mentioned earlier, you can make this entire recipe ahead! But if you’re splitting up some tasks for the weekend and finishing the cooking on the night you enjoy this, then here are the steps.
First, prep the lettuce and cashews. Cut the end of the Romaine lettuce head off so that the leaves are loose. Rinse the leaves and dry off with a towel. Chop the Cashews.
Next, make the sauce in a blender. Peel and rough chop the garlic and ginger. Add these plus the rest of the sauce ingredients to the blender. Blend until no large bits. Pour into a small sauce pot and bring up to a simmer on Medium heat, stirring constantly as it starts to thicken, 2-3 minutes. Once thickened, turn off the heat and let sit or store in the fridge.
You can also prep the carrots and the scallions ahead, but I like to prep them while the rice and chicken are cooking (see below).
COOK YOUR RICE, CASHEW CHICKEN, AND VEGGIES
Get the rice cooking first and then start the chicken. Preheat a large frying pan/skillet on High Heat and cook the ground chicken according to the instructions. It takes about 10 minutes. During the last minute, add the chopped cashews. Transfer the chicken and cashews to a plate.
While the chicken cooks, peel the carrots; cut into 2 inch long matchsticks. Slice a tablespoon of scallion green tops for garnish. Cut remaining scallions in 1 inch pieces.
To the same pan used for the chicken, add ½ tablespoon olive oil, carrots and scallions. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often. Add back the Cashew Chicken and HALF of the sauce. Stir and cook for 2-3 min.
Spoon some cashew chicken into the lettuce leaves, drizzle a little sauce, and garnish with the sliced scallions.
Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe FAQS
Can I freeze the chicken filling?
Yes, you can freeze the chicken, carrot, and scallion filling in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 5 months. I do want to note that while the chicken will thaw and reheat with a perfect texture, the carrots will not be the same. The carrots will absorb the moisture and when they thaw and reheat will become a bit mushy. That said, if you know in advance you are making this to freeze it, then simply cook your carrots only slightly so that they still have quite a crunch to them. This will help prevent them from getting too mushy.
How can I make this vegetarian?
Yes! You can substitute the ground chicken with any of the following proteins: extra firm tofu, lentils, black or white beans, chickpeas, quinoa, or any combination of these. You could also replace with more veggies, such as mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini, or any combination of these.
What can I serve with this Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe?
You can add some white fluffy rice to this to round out the meal. Asian Sesame Slaw is a delicious complimentary side dish for this.
Is this recipe considered Keto?
First, for any dietary concerns, make sure to always consult your medical professional. While I do have a Certification in Nutrition and Healthy Living, I am not a dietitian or medical professional. In terms of this recipe being considered Keto chicken lettuce wraps, I will say that you need to look at all of the ingredients. There are sugars in the chicken filling and the sauces. While this recipe has lower carbs from the replacement of a tortilla with lettuce wraps, I cannot claim that this falls into keto recipes.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
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Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!
Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tablespoons Ginger, fresh (about 1 inch of the root)
- ¼ cup Sweet Chili Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
Other
- 1 pound Ground Chicken, white meat
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil ½ for chicken, ½ for veggies
- ½ cup Roasted Cashews, Unsalted
- 6 Scallions
- 2 Carrots, large
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- PREP LETTUCE & CASHEWS. Cut the end of the Romaine lettuce head off so that the leaves are loose. Rinse the leaves and dry off with a towel. Chop the Cashews.
- MAKE SAUCE. Make the sauce in a blender. Peel and rough chop the garlic and ginger. Add these plus the rest of the sauce ingredients (sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, water, cornstarch) to the blender. Blend until no large bits. Pour into a small sauce pot and bring up to a simmer on Medium heat, stirring constantly as it starts to thicken, 2-3 minutes. Once thickened, turn off the heat and let sit or store in the fridge.
Cooking Steps
- COOK CHICKEN. Preheat a large frying pan/skillet on High Heat. Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil and the ground chicken, breaking it up and spread into a single layer. Let sit to sear for 5 minutes. Once the bottom is browned, stir and cook for another 4-5 minutes. During the last minute, add the chopped cashews. Transfer the chicken and cashews to a plate.
- PREP VEGGIES. While the chicken cooks, peel the carrots; cut into 2 inch long matchsticks. Slice a tablespoon of scallion green tops for garnish. Cut remaining scallions in 1 inch pieces.
- COOK VEGGIES. To the same pan used for the chicken, add ½ tablespoon olive oil, carrots and scallions. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often. Add back the Cashew Chicken and HALF of the sauce. Stir and cook for 2-3 min.
- Spoon some cashew chicken into the lettuce leaves, drizzle a little sauce, and garnish with the sliced scallions. Enjoy!
Notes
-
Can I Freeze The Chicken Filling?
Yes, you can freeze the chicken, carrot, and scallion filling in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 5 months. I do want to note that while the chicken will thaw and reheat with a perfect texture, the carrots will not be the same. The carrots will absorb the moisture and when they thaw and reheat will become a bit mushy. That said, if you know in advance you are making this to freeze it, then simply cook your carrots only slightly so that they still have quite a crunch to them. This will help prevent them from getting too mushy. -
How Can I Make This Vegetarian?
Yes! You can substitute the ground chicken with any of the following proteins: extra firm tofu, lentils, black or white beans, chickpeas, quinoa, or any combination of these. You could also replace with more veggies, such as mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini, or any combination of these.
Linger says
Cashew and Chicken in a lettuce wrap is a fabulous idea. This sauce looks like it is to die for. Sweet chili sauce is one of my favorite and it pairs so well with everything else in this recipe. Such a great beginning of the year recipe for me.
Linger says
Cashews and Chicken is such a wonderful combination in lettuce wraps. And this sauce looks like it is to do for. But of course Sweet Chili Sauce is one of my favorites. What a great recipe to start out the new year for me. Thanks so much.