Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Mushrooms and Carrots

This post was last updated on May 21, 2020 by India

chicken thighs are cooked with garlic, ginger, mushrooms and tossed in a spicy peanut sauce and served in crisp lettuce cups! These Peanut chicken lettuce wraps are Saucy, slightly spicy, healthy, so delicious, and take 30 minutes to get on the table!

About Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with mushrooms and Carrots

I’m having a major moment with lettuce wraps right now. I keep thinking of everything I can throw into a lettuce leaf and call it dinner. Ground turkey with taco fixings? Check. Shawarma spiced chicken with hummus and tabbouli? Ugh, so good!! And my favorite lettuce wrap obsession right now are these Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Mushrooms and Carrots. They’re definitely made to eat with your hands and you will absolutely end up with saucy fingers and possibly a messy face, but that is a small price to pay for something so tasty and easy.

These Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps have an asian twist to them and use lots of fresh ginger, garlic, onion. Chicken thighs are cooked with mushrooms to sneak in some veggies and served with carrots on crisp butter lettuce leaves. I think carrots are the real MVP of the show here, adding some subtle sweetness and textural interest. of course, you can use pre shredded carrots or shredded cabbage if you prefer! The peanut sauce is loosely based on my Spicy Peanut Sauce, but is just a tad different. You can always use the Spicy Peanut Sauce recipe or store-bought peanut sauce if you prefer, but homemade is my favorite!

Ingredients in Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Mushrooms and Carrots

While the ingredient list looks long, it’s a lot of pantry staples you likely have on hand if you cook asian inspired dishes often. Here’s what you need for these Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

• Chicken thighs. I like chicken thighs better than chicken breasts because they stay moist on the inside and get a little crispy on the outside. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but the end result won’t be the same.
• Coconut Oil. Or you can use avocado oil. I prefer the slightly sweet flavor from the coconut oil and think it pairs well with the flavors in this recipe.
• Onion. I like to use white onion in this recipe.
• Garlic. Just a few cloves of garlic, minced and cooked with the chicken and mushrooms.
• Ginger. I loooove cooking with fresh ginger. It just gives the best flavor. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
• Mushrooms. Cooked with the chicken thighs, adding mushrooms is a great way to sneak in some veggies and bulk up the recipe a bit.
• Salt. To enhance all the great flavors in this recipe.
• Pepper. For seasoning.
• Sesame Oil. For a light sesame taste that is essential in asian inspired dishes.
• Gluten Free Soy Sauce/Tamari. To add umami and depth of flavor. Soy sauce isn’t traditionally gluten free, so be sure you use one that is labeled gluten free.
• Rice Wine Vinegar. To cut through the rich peanut butter flavors and provide a little acidity and brightness.
• Fish Sauce. For umami and depth of flavor. Check ingredients to ensure it is gluten free. The ingredients should just be fish, salt, and water. Red Boat is my favorite brand and I can find it at Trader Joe’s or amazon. Thai Kitchen is more easily found at large grocery stores, but it does have added sugar.
• Peanut Butter. For the peanut sauce. I prefer to use a creamy natural peanut butter without added sugar. My favorite brand is Smuckers or Kirkland’s Organic Peanut Butter from Costco. If you’re avoiding legumes, you can substitute almond butter or tahini! Both options are delicious 🙂
• Honey. For a touch of sweetness and to balance the spice.
• Chili Sauce. Sambal Oelek is my favorite chili sauce and what I use when making this recipe. It has so much flavor and the perfect amount of spice. I prefer the Huy Fong brand because it’s easy to find at Walmart or Meijer in the international foods section. You can use Srirarcha instead if you prefer, though it will have a different flavor and will be sweeter. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more if you want more spice.
• Butter Lettuce. For making the lettuce wraps. You can also use romaine leaves or the big outer leaves from a head of iceberg lettuce. Use whatever type you can easily find!
• Carrots. I love how the shredded carrots add a bit of texture, sweetness, and add even more vegetables to these Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps. To shred the carrots, I use this handheld julienne peeler. You can also grate the carrots on a box grater, spiralize them with a spiralizer, or julienne them with a knife. If I’m short on prep time, I’ll use pre-shredded carrots from the grocery.
• Lime. To squeeze over the lettuce wraps before serving.
• Green Onions. For sprinkling over the lettuce wraps before serving, if desired.

And while not included in the recipe because I literally just thought about it, cashews or water chestnuts would be delicious in the chicken and mushroom mixture for a little crunch.

How to Make these Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps take about 30 minutes to make and made in 4 easy steps. Here’s how you make this recipe:

1. Cook the veggies and chicken. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in some coconut oil until the onions are slightly soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for another few minutes until they’re cooked before adding the chopped chicken thighs. The onions, garlic and ginger will help season the chicken slightly while cooking.
2. Make the peanut sauce. While the chicken is doing it’s thing in the skillet, add all the peanut sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Once blended, slowly add in some water until it reaches the desired consistency. Give the peanut sauce a taste and adjust the seasonings with…
   1. 1. 1. • rice wine vinegar for tang
            • honey for sweetness
            • chili paste for heat (I suggest starting with 1 tablespoon and increasing as desired. I typically use 2 tablespoons because we like a little spice!)
            • tamari/soy sauce or fish sauce for savory umami flavors
3. Prep the carrots. You can shred the carrots easily by using this handheld julienne peeler, grate them on a box grater, or spiralize them on a spiralizer. Feel free to use pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store as a short cut. Not a fan of carrots? Shredded cabbage would be a good substitute!
4. Make the lettuce wraps.  Sprinkle the lettuce leaves with the shredded carrots and spoon the chicken mixture on top. Drizzle with some additional peanut sauce, scatter with green onions, and add a squeeze of lime, if desired. Tip: If the lettuce leaves are on the small side, layer two or three for your lettuce wraps.

More Favorite Recipes

If you love this recipe for Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Mushrooms and Carrots, I think you’ll like some of these other recipes:

• Vietnamese Noodles with Spicy Peanut Chicken 
• Spicy Peanut Sauce
• Sweet Potato and Kale Tacos with Garlicky Cilantro Mojo Sauce
• Chicken Tinga Tacos 

Print

Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Mushrooms and Carrots

Chicken thighs are cooked with garlic, ginger, mushrooms and tossed in a spicy peanut sauce and served in crisp lettuce cups! These Peanut chicken lettuce wraps are saucy, slightly spicy, healthy, so delicious, and take 30 minutes to get on the table!

Course Appetizer, appetizers, dinner, Main Course, Main Dish, Mains

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword lettuce cups, peanut chicken lettuce wraps, peanut chicken wraps

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 378 kcal

Author India

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 white onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 inch ginger minced
• 8 ounce mushrooms chopped
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Peanut Sauce

• 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce/tamari
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoons honey
• 1 - 2 tablespoons chili paste (See note 1 below)

For the Lettuce Wraps

• 1 head butter lettuce
• 2 large carrots shredded or spiralized (See note 2 below)
• lime wedges for serving
• green onions sliced, for serving

Instructions

Make the Chicken

1. Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes until onion becomes soft. Add mushrooms, and cook for an additional 3 minutes until they reduce in size and soften.
2. Add the diced chicken thighs to the skillet and season with the salt and pepper. Cook for 6 - 9 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, remove skillet from heat.

Make the Peanut Sauce

1. While the chicken is cooking, add all the Peanut Peanut ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add water to thin to a desired consistency. Adjust for tasking, adding more chili paste for spice, honey for sweetness, or fish sauce or tamari for savory umami.

2. Once the chicken is cooked, add about half of the sauce to the skillet, tossing to coat the chicken and vegetables. Transfer the remaining sauce to a small bowl for serving. Thin with additional water if necessary to be able to drizzle with a spoon.

Make the Lettuce Wraps

1. Add some shredded carrots to each lettuce leaf, spoon some of the chicken mixture on top of the carrots, and drizzle with the Peanut Sauce, sprinkle with green onions, and squeeze with lime before serving, if deisred.

Recipe Notes

1. Sambal Oelek is my favorite chili sauce and what I use when making this recipe. I prefer the Huy Fong brand because it’s easy to find at Walmart or Meijer in the international foods section. You can use Srirarcha instead if you prefer, though it will have a different flavor and will be sweeter. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more if you want more spice.
2. You can shred the carrots easily by using this handheld julienne peeler, grate them on a box grater, or spiralize them on a spiralizer. Feel free to use pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store as a short cut. 

 

STORE IT IN THE FRIDGE

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days. Store the chicken and carrots separately from the lettuce leaves. 

 

MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE

Recipe is gluten free as written, just make sure the soy sauce and fish sauce are gluten free. 

DID YOU MAKE THIS recipe for peanut chicken lettuce wraps?

If you’ve tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, please rate this recipe and let me know how you liked it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also like me on facebookand follow me on Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious meals I’m cooking! You can also mention @indiafromindianaor tag #indiafromindiana on Instagram so I can see what you’re making in the kitchen

HELPFUL RECIPE INFORMATION

All recipes are tested and developed in my home kitchen. Unless otherwise stated, I always use extra virgin olive oil and this Himalayan pink salt in my recipes