Asian Lettuce Wraps

Crisp, fresh and loaded with flavor, these handheld Asian lettuce wraps are outrageously delicious and perfect for a light lunch. No fork required!

Jan 10, 2023

Inspired by a very popular appetizer at P.F. Chang’s, today’s lettuce wraps pack a lot of deliciousness into a simple leaf of lettuce. What I love most about this recipe is the combination of the savory chicken filling and the crisp, fresh crunch of the lettuce wrap.

Iceberg lettuce, also known as crisphead or head lettuce, is typically the type of lettuce served with these Asian wraps. The cupped-shape leaf makes a perfect vessel for holding the ground meat filling and tasty sauce.

From a nutritional standpoint, iceberg lettuce usually gets a bad rap in that it doesn’t deliver the same nutrient punch that darker lettuce greens (think romaine, red leaf lettuce, or spinach) provide. And while that’s true, iceberg lettuce does supply a nice dose of vitamin K and folate along with some potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A.

Of course, I’m always looking for simple ways to boost the nutritional attributes of recipes and the choice of lettuce for these wraps is one way to do it. I chose bibb lettuce (also known as butterhead or Boston lettuce) for today’s wraps. Just like iceberg lettuce leaves, bibb lettuce leaves offer a similar cupped shape for holding the filling and sauce. They’re also tender and very flexible, which makes the wrapping process super easy.

Bibb lettuce photo by Mae Mu from Unsplash. Iceberg lettuce photo by Zsuzsanna Kálló-Helmeczi from Pixabay.

So, let’s look at the nutritional differences between bibb and iceberg lettuce. I did a quick nutrient analysis for the recipe serving size of two medium-sized bibb lettuce leaves and compared it to two iceberg lettuce leaves. The nutrient difference that really stuck out was the vitamin A content. Two iceberg lettuce leaves provided about 4 percent of the daily need for vitamin A for adults. While that’s not too shabby, we can do better. Two bibb lettuce leaves supplied about 7 percent of vitamin A needs. That’s an impressive amount of vitamin A for just two leaves of bibb lettuce.

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient and plays an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, and immune system integrity. This vitamin is found in a variety of foods including fish (salmon, herring, and tuna), dairy products, eggs, and organ meats. It’s also present in certain orange, yellow, dark green, and red fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, mangoes, red peppers, kale, and broccoli.

As a general rule of thumb, when it comes to lettuce, darker colors mean greater nutritional value. That being said, if you like iceberg lettuce, enjoy it. It does offer beneficial nutrients. Its mild flavor makes it a great choice for those who don’t enjoy the slight bitterness of some darker lettuce greens. And given today’s increasing food prices, iceberg is typically the most economical option when it comes to buying lettuce.

To your health,

Darlene

ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 2 lettuce wraps

Prep: 20 minutes

Ready: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

12 medium-sized bibb lettuce leaves
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts

Lettuce wrap filling

2 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil
2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup diced onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 can (8 ounce) peeled and sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground chicken breast
1/4 cup gyoza sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup sliced green onion, tops and bulbs

Lettuce wrap sauce

1/3 cup gyoza sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

DIRECTIONS

Rinse and pat dry whole lettuce leaves, taking care not to tear them. Refrigerate leaves until ready to use. Roughly chop peanuts and set aside.

To prepare lettuce wrap filling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add gingerroot and red pepper flakes and sauté 30 seconds. Add onion and continue to sauté 2 to 4 minutes, allowing onions to soften slightly. Add carrots, water chestnuts, and garlic and sauté an additional 2 to 4 minutes. Add ground chicken and continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. To the chicken mixture, add gyoza sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir mixture well and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add green onions and continue to cook until onion slices begin to wilt, about 1 minute.

To prepare lettuce wrap sauce, whisk together gyoza sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, water, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl or measuring cup.

To prepare one serving, take two lettuce leaves and fill each one with 1/3 cup ground chicken filling. Drizzle each wrap with 1 tablespoon lettuce wrap sauce and top each wrap with 1 teaspoon chopped peanuts.

Cook’s notes: If you’re wondering what gyoza sauce is, check out my Unrolled Egg Roll Bites recipe post. And, if you’re looking for chili garlic sauce, this is the brand I use.

Nutrition Information per Serving

241 Calories, 10 g Total fat, 2 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 48 mg Cholesterol, 500 mg Sodium, 17 g Total carbohydrate, 2 g Dietary fiber, 11 g Total sugars, 9 g Added sugars, 21 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 35 mg (2%) Calcium, 1 mg (6%) Iron, 446 mg (10%) Potassium