These Thai chicken lettuce wraps are ready in under 30 minutes and packed with sweet, savory, and spicy flavor. Made with ground chicken and crisp veggies for a fresh dinner!

Overhead shot of Thai chicken lettuce wraps filled with ground chicken and veggies on a platter with sweet chili sauce.

Thai Ground Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Thai chicken lettuce wraps are one of my favorite ways to put together something healthy, tasty, and quick for a light lunch or an appetizer. When paired with other Asian-inspired recipes like pineapple fried rice these wraps are perfect for dinner, too.

Like my P.F. Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps or cashew chicken lettuce wraps, these are easy to make and fun to eat. They’re always a hit with the whole family!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Quick and easy. They’re one of the best 30 minute meals that work for busy weeknights, as ladies’ night or party appetizers, and fun Asian-inspired dinners.
  • Customizable. There are plenty of ways to switch up the ingredients to suit your tastes and preferences. Omit the spice, add additional veggies or some peanuts.

Ingredient Notes

Flat lay of ingredients including ground chicken, onion, lime, garlic, soy sauce, cilantro, sweet chili sauce and a head of bibb lettuce.

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Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Ground chicken: This is lean meat so you won’t have a lot of excess grease to worry about.
  • Olive oil: Used to cook the ground chicken and onions so they don’t stick to the pan.
  • Cabbage coleslaw mix: Adds a great crispy crunchy texture as well as some color to the dish.
  • Herbs and spices: Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, chopped cilantro
  • Aromatics: Chopped onion, minced garlic, and fresh ginger. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • Saucy goodness: Thaw sweet red chili sauce (which I usually pick up at Trader Joe’s), soy sauce, and lime juice for a sweet, savory, and spicy combination.
  • For serving: Lettuce leaves plus sweet chili sauce and green onions for garnish.

Best Lettuce for Wraps

Butter lettuce or Boston Bibb lettuce are my recommendations as they have bright green, wide leaves.

You can also use Romaine lettuce, which is a bit stiffer and not as pliable but works great as a boat for these Thai chicken wraps. Iceberg lettuce is another option.

How to Make Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

In just a few steps and under 30 minutes, this lettuce wraps recipe will be ready to enjoy!

Ground chicken cooking in a skillet with onion, garlic, coleslaw and sauce.
  • Brown the chicken. Cook the onions in a large skillet over medium heat in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Then, stir in the chicken and cook until no longer pink and lightly brown. Drain any excess fat and season with salt and pepper.
  • Toss in remaining ingredients. Add the coleslaw, garlic, ginger, chili sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add extra chili sauce, lime juice, or salt and pepper to taste.
  • Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with cilantro and scoop out the filling into washed and dried lettuce cups. Garnish with green onions and enjoy!

Expert Tips

  • Wash each lettuce leaf. You want to do this separately to ensure each leaf is rid of any dirt. Make sure they’re completely dry before using them.
  • Clean out your fridge. Thai chicken lettuce wraps are flexible and can be made with whatever veggies you have in your fridge.
  • Eat them immediately as the lettuce will start to wilt with the heat from the filling.
  • Use leftover chicken. Although traditionally made with ground chicken, there’s no reason you can’t use leftover shredded chicken instead.
Side view of lettuce wraps on a white plate, showing the texture of the ground chicken filling.

More healthy dinner ideas include egg roll in a bowl, Asian chicken salad and Ramen noodle cabbage salad.

More Lettuce Wrap Recipes

Thai lettuce wraps on a plate.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

5 from 5 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
These Thai chicken lettuce wraps are ready in under 30 minutes and packed with sweet, savory, and spicy flavor. Made with ground chicken and crisp veggies for a fresh dinner!
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Ingredients 

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • Kosher salt , to taste
  • Ground black pepper , to taste
  • 1 cup cabbage coleslaw mix
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger , or 1/2 teaspoon ground
  • ¼ cup Thai sweet red chili sauce , plus more to taste (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce , or olive oil
  • ½ lime , juiced
  • 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • Crushed red pepper flakes , to taste

For serving: Butter or Bib Lettuce, Sweet chili sauce, Sliced green onions

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped onions and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 pound ground chicken and cook until lightly brown. Drain excess fat. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Stir in 1 cup coleslaw, 1 Tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons ginger, 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and juice of 1/2 a lime. Cook 2 minutes. Add more chili sauce, lime, salt, or pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro.
  • Serve in lettuce cups. Sprinkle green onions over the top.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Chili sauce: I love buying mine at Trader Joe’s to keep it easy. You can also find in the Asian section of your local grocery store. 

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 469mg, Potassium: 746mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 158IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Nuts: Add some chopped peanuts or a different kind of nut like cashews or walnuts for added crunch.
  • Veggies: If you don’t have any coleslaw mix, julienne your own veggies like carrots, and cabbage, or switch it up and use red bell peppers.
  • Add-ons: Pile on some diced avocados and enjoy it with peanut sauce or natural almond butter for dipping or drizzling on top.
  • Different meat: For a change in the chicken mixture, try using ground turkey or ground pork instead. Or skip the meat altogether and use tofu for a vegetarian version.
  • Darker greens: For even more nutrients, swap the lettuce for kale leaves or collard greens.

Recipe FAQs

Are these Thai chicken lettuce wraps gluten-free?

Due to the soy sauce in the ingredients, they are not gluten-free as listed. However, a simple replacement of the soy sauce for either coconut aminos or tamari will make the entire recipe gluten-free.

How much filling should I put in each Thai chicken wrap?

You can just eyeball it! There’s no exact amount. Depending on how big your lettuce leaves are and what ratio of leaf to filling you like, you can decide how much to add. Start with one large spoonful and go from there.

How do you cut lettuce for wraps without tearing it?

Start by slicing off the bottom stem of the head of lettuce, which holds the leaves together. Then cut the head in half vertically. Gently peel away each leaf, taking care not to tear the tender edges—especially if you’re using butter or Bibb lettuce.

Can I make these ahead of time?

I don’t recommend assembling these ahead of time as they will get soggy quickly and most likely fall apart.
You can, however, make the filling a few days ahead of time and keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to assemble, heat the filling on the stovetop (or even the microwave if you’re feeling extra hungry) and get to stuffing!

How to store leftovers?

Once assembled the wraps should be served immediately. However, you can freeze the filling for later.