Fresh, simple, and delicious. Those are all qualifiers for a weeknight summer dinner.
Sesame chicken lettuce wraps are the perfect meal as the weather warms up. Hot meals are amazing, yet as the calendar turns to June and the temps rise to the high 80s who really wants to spend too much time over a hot stove or turn the oven on?
What, no hands raised?
At the same time, very few of us want 100% cold meals.
That’s where lettuce wraps come in. They are the perfect compromise. You have cold, crisp lettuce (or cabbage if you prefer) and warm ground chicken mixed with simple flavors that can be cooked in a skillet in about 15 minutes
Lettuce wraps have been one of my go-to summer meals for years. When I was in my early 20s my cousin Ashley introduced me to the world of lettuce wraps when I was visiting her in Kansas City at Blue Koi, a simplistic and fresh Chinese restaurant. My life has never been the same since, seriously, as far as the culinary world goes, my life has forever been changed.
These sesame chicken lettuce wraps bear little resemblance to the ones from Blue Koi that won me over, yet the are still divine. Yes, you heard me right, divine. They are more simplified which is 100% what I am about. Plus who can argue with a meal that is on the table in about 15 minutes?
These wraps are definitely tasty on their own but normally you want a bit of something else to eat with them.
Sides
A simple side dish or two definitely helps stretch the budget and rounds the meal out. Sides can be a simple as a bowl of white or brown rice, cooked in your Instant Pot (<—–Hello time-saving tip!). Better yet, cook rice a day or two ahead and transform it into egg fried rice while your chicken is cooking.
If you have just a bit more time on your hands and feel like hot food (which sometimes you still do in the summer), make a pot of sizzling rice soup. To save time, simply add cooked rice instead of making fried rice cakes. Sure it won’t sizzle but, the taste is still there.
Bulk it Up
To bulk this recipe up a bit, and add extra vegetables to the meal, try adding a cup of chopped carrots. They are a great addition and only take a few extra minutes.
Scramble a few eggs, breaking them into small pieces and voila you have extra protein to stretch the meal even further!
Lettuce wraps are one of the most addicting and delicious foods out there. They are nourishing and a great way to stretch your ground meat. Warning, it will be hard to resist eating them all.
Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Prep
Cook
Total
Ingredients
- 1 head butter lettuce (or curly cabbage)
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 TBS soy sauce
- 1 TBS coconut sugar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 4 green onions, roughly chopped (optional)
- Additional sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions, saute, until translucent, stirring occasionally. This should take about 5 minutes.
Add the sesame seeds and garlic, cook for one minute. Then add the ground chicken, soy sauce, and coconut sugar. Stir to combine. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the ground chicken is cooked.
Turn off the heat and drizzle the chicken filling with sesame oil. Stir to mix the oil in.
Place a small scoop of chicken filling into several lettuce or cabbage leaves. Garnish with additional sesame seeds and chopped green onions if desired.
Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 head butter lettuce (or curly cabbage)
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS coconut sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
4 green onions, roughly chopped (optional)
Additional sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions, saute, until translucent, stirring occasionally. This should take about 5 minutes.
Add the sesame seeds and garlic, cook for one minute. Then add the ground chicken, soy sauce, and coconut sugar. Stir to combine. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the ground chicken is cooked.
Turn off the heat and drizzle the chicken filling with sesame oil. Stir to mix the oil in.
Place a small scoop of chicken filling into several lettuce or cabbage leaves. Garnish with additional sesame seeds and chopped green onions if desired.
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