Featured comment
Soooo refreshing and zippy. A perfect easy summer dinner. It was so good even our toddler wanted to eat hers with the lettuce wrap!
Kate
It’s that time again, friends, where we forego all utensils and just stuff lettuce wraps with mountains of crumbled-crisp ground chicken, fluffy quinoa, and/or rice for added satisfaction, and some other garlicky gingery sauteed veggies into crisp butter lettuce leaves and have at it with our hands.
Then we absolutely d-r-e-n-c-h these wraps with a flavor-packed sweet/punchy/limey sauce, maybe a thwap of spicy mayo, and make A REAL NIGHT OF IT.
In This Post: Everything You Need To Know
- What goes in this recipe (and other options for fillings)
- The best lettuce for lettuce wraps
- How to make spicy mayo
- Other ways to use this lime drench
What Goes In These Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Heads up! This section contains referral links for products we love. Pinch of Yum earns a small commission on these links at no cost to you.
These lettuce wraps are the perfect way to use up any veg you have hanging around or any CSA or home garden abundance you may have later this summer so we wanted to put it at the top of your noggin. Oh, and you might just start a personal contest to see how many things you can cover in lime drench.
Our favorite combo for the filling was:
- ground chicken (could use ground pork, too!)
- carrot + zucchini (but feel free to swap out/add other veggies you may have!)
- quinoa/rice blend for a little more oomph (we kept it easy here with a pre-cooked packet (affiliate link) of it)
All of it gets sautéed and zuzhed around with a bunch of garlic and ginger and green onion, a little swizzle of soy sauce, so it really packs a flavor punch!
The dreamy lime drench is only a jar-shake away! Like all great sauciness. The lime drench inspo came from a cookbook called The Perfect Blend (affiliate link) by Tess Masters. And a drench it is – you’ll need the juice of about 5-6 limes! Then some other yums, like, soy sauce, sesame oil, a little brown sugar, and let’s just keep that garlic/ginger party going, shall we? (And if you love this sauce concept, you’ll love this recipe too!)
Endless Options For Fillings
Okay, there is definitely room for fun and flexibility here if your fridge/pantry/heart is telling a different story than the ingredients listed here. You can mix up the meat choice, give ground pork or ground turkey a whirl. The added veggies can obviously be swipped and swapped as you please.
We love a grain add-in just so everything feels a little more satisfying, but if you’re not feeling the quinoa/rice blend, you could certainly add in just white or brown rice only, or omit completely!
We’ve also tried a mushroom & walnut version that made for a really good for a vegetarian option. You could try a tofu crumble as well, which we’ve use in other yummeroo lettuce wraps like these guys.
Lettuce For Lettuce Wraps: Let’s Talk
Not all lettuce is created equal when it comes to lettuce wraps. You definitely want something that will keep a little crunch for A+ texture benefit and not just wilt when the warm ingredients hit it. You also want something a little more sturdy that will hold its shape, so you don’t pile all that deliciousness in, drench it on up, and then it all just kinda plops out the bottom. You also don’t want it to have too strong or a naturally bitter taste.
Some lettuces that work best:
- Butter Lettuce. Our absolute fave! Especially if you can find a head of living butter lettuce. Also known as Boston or bibb lettuce, it has big rounded leaves that are sturdy but still pliable, making it ideal for filling and wrapping. The taste is also mild and well…buttery! A perfect compliment.
- Leaf lettuce. Also a great option and either green or red would work. It’s fairly easy to find and it has broad leaves that will still hold a little crunch once filled. Trim the stems off to get nice rounded leaves for wraps.
- Romaine. The leaves are more narrow so it’s really more of a boat situation, less of a wrap, but they have a nice crunch! But because that crunch is so nice, it also means these leaves can snap more easily on you. Oh no, filling-plop!
Maybe you want to get a little adventurous and do some swiss chard or savoy cabbage or collard greens? The world is yours!
How To Make Spicy Mayo
If you are not already a part of Club Spicy Mayo, please consider becoming a member today! Here’s how you apply:
- mix half a cup of mayo with a few tablespoons of sriracha
There! You’re in! Now proceed to make everything you eat even better by using it.
It’s of course not *required* on these lettuce wraps, but it is very appreciated, you know? Really gives it a special bit of heat and creaminess that is unbeatable. Here are some other fave uses for spicy mayo:
- crunchy roll bowls
- spicy cauliflower burgers
- lemongrass meatball bowls
- dip your fries in it, trust!
What Else To Lime Drench (Yes It’s a Verb)
AN ACTUAL VERB. Which means you must go forth and do this. We’ve definitely given it a whirl as a super tangy salad dressing for a simple spring mix. But maybe you want to brush it over some grilled chicken or fish or veggies? Could this be a great taco sprinkle? Will it up your rice or noodle bowl game?! Do you just need to add a little tang to whatever you’re eating? So much flavor, it seems a shame to not start dreaming and scheming with it.
Comment or tag us over on Instagram to let us know what you are lime drenching! We really, really want to know. #operationlimedrench
Here’s to a summer full of sun on our faces, joy in our bones, and plenty of handheld eats.
Lettuce Wraps: Frequently Asked Questions
Replace the chicken/pork with crumbled tofu! You can see this recipe for how to do it. Another option is to just do rice and veggies, and a crumbled mushroom-walnut texture is great, too.
Our recommendation is butter lettuce – preferably buying it as a head of lettuce. It has large leaves, is pliable, and has the perfect buttery flavor. This is often called u0022Living Lettuceu0022 with the root still attached. Remove the leaves, give them a quick rinse, pat dry, and you’re ready to wrap.
It’s a choose your own adventure! We usually do 1/2 cup mayo with 2-3 tablespoons of sriracha, but if you prefer more or less heat, all you have to do is increase or decrease the amount of sriracha to taste. And if you add too much, just add more mayo until you find your perfect level of spice.
Source Notes: The lime drench portion of this recipe was inspired by some very delicious lettuce wraps featured in The Perfect Blend (affiliate link) by Tess Masters. Thank you Tess for teaching us to lime drench! A dream!
Print
Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Lime Drench
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Makes enough for about 8 lettuce wraps, or 4 servings
Description
These lettuce wraps are a SUMMER DREAM. Mountains of crumbled-crisp ground chicken, fluffy quinoa, and/or rice for added satisfaction, and garlicky gingery sautéed veggies in crisp butter lettuce leaves.
Ingredients
Lettuce Wraps and Filling
- 1 lb. ground chicken or pork (I prefer chicken)
- 1 inch piece ginger, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
- 1 zucchini, diced (optional)
- 1 carrot, diced (optional)
- 1/2 to 1 cup pre-cooked brown rice and/or quinoa (see notes)
- 8–10 lettuce leaves (leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, or romaine can all work)
- spicy mayo (1/2 cup mayo + 2-3 tablespoons sriracha)
Lime Drench
- juice of 5–6 limes (totaling 1/3 to 1/2 cup lime juice)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1–2 tablespoon brown sugar (more lime juice = more sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the chicken with a little bit of olive oil until fully cooked and crumbled.
- Set aside a little of your grated garlic and ginger for the lime drench. While the chicken is cooking, shake your lime drench ingredients in a jar.
- Add the remaining garlic and ginger, green onions, zucchini, and carrots to the chicken in the skillet. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables have softened and are very aromatic. (The chicken doesn’t have a lot of fat, so I often add an extra drizzle of oil, or soy sauce or even a bit of water to pull the flavor from the bottom of the pan.)
- Add the rice and quinoa to the filling. Cook until softened and heated through. Season to taste.
- Fill your lettuce cups with the filling, pour the lime drench over it, and top with a little thwap of spicy mayo. Voila! So many vegetables and SO MUCH FLAVOR.
Equipment
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → Notes
Cooked rice and quinoa: I often use just a cup or so of the precooked packages like Seeds of Change (affiliate link) – and it’s optional to add this in, but I like it because it makes the lettuce wraps feel more satisfying since it adds a carb element to the mix.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Keywords: lettuce wraps, lime juice, ground chicken, healthy recipe, dinner recipe,
Other Crunchable Lettuce Wrap Recipes
- Firecracker Vegan Lettuce Wraps (WITH NOODLES!)
- Tofu and Brown Rice Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce (similar to these here, but with creamy dreamy peanut sauce)
- Roasted Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps with Korean BBQ-Inspired Sauce
- Creamy Miso Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Garlic Ginger Sauce
I love the lime drizzle- very good. I did add some Hosin sauce to the meat mixture to flavor it. I mixed the remaining meat with quinoa for my lunches, over raw spinach. So good both hot and cold. The lime drizzle was great on my spinach and side of the spicy mayo made my lunch so good!
Delicious! I appreciate that these lettuce wraps don’t have the thick hoisin-y sauce that many lettuce wraps have. These were light and fresh and “zesty” according to my kids! Will absolutely make again.
So yummy, the sauce pulled everything together. I added crushed peanuts and made it into a salad for less mess and I couldn’t stop eating it!
I’ve been eyeing this since I first saw the recipe and finally had the chance to make. It is PERFECT for these hot summer days. My 11 year old approved. I made a second batch with tofu for my husband and mixed in chili oil with it. He likes spice! So Sons good. Thank you
So easy to throw together and SO tasty. Loved the added veggies and quinoa/brown rice. And the lime drench was thinner than I was thinking it would be for some reason but gave such good flavor. I think next time I will just mix the lime drench into the pan and coat it all at once! My 7 and 10 year old girls devoured it.
This was amazing. Love the versatility with the veggies, we used yellow pepper, carrots, red and green onions. We loved the lime drench so much we made more and marinated chicken breast in it. We let them sit half hour then grilled them and they were so tender and had so much infused flavor.
All of your recipes we have tried are family favorites and this one might top them all. So freakin’ good! Thank-you for sharing!!
Made this with a few adjustments just because I had ingredients. I added black pepper while cooking ground chicken. Liberally. I added hoisin sauce to the soy mixture. I didn’t have water chestnuts but would have added them. When I made this I did not have green onions, but used about 1/2 C. Diced sweet onion. This was so delicious. Also, I did not have fresh ginger so I used ground ginger. Just a few shakes to cover the meat. When it comes to recipes like this, you don’t have to measure exactly just because your judgment if you are a cook in your own home. So good.
Love this recipe! Has anyone tried freezing the leftovers of this? Debating doing a double batch and freezing half for an easy meal down the road.
One huge issue, you have to let this cool a little and don’t eat it straight out of the pan! Burned my mouth but soooooo worth it. The lime drench is exactly what all my lettuce wraps need!
This is so yum! I have made this recipe multiple times. The lime drench is so so good. The filling is good as is but is also super adaptable to whatever ground meat or veggies I have in my fridge.
Sooooo good. We loved them! Will make again, I’ll maybe put them in a spinach tortilla next time. I only needed 2 1/2 limes to make 1/2 cup of lime juice for the sauce. So, not necessary for 5-6 limes. Maybe limes are bigger in Ohio? 😂 Anyway, great recipe! Loved it!
FIrst off – the lime drench is truly delish, I could drink it. Suggestions: I’d recommend specifying dark meat chicken if you’re using chicken because white meat is bone dry and has zero flavor, and the mixture alone was blah. Also, fresh herbs!!!! I added mint and basil to mine, and really made an enormous difference!
I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce for the drench, since we have gluten issues at this house. Therefore, I added only 1 T of the optional brown sugar. I’d say it wasn’t as intense as I expected it to be, and I think that’s due to the lack of salt. I’m going to add salt to the drench and see if it helps. Overall, a great quick dinner.
My picky kid ate THREE of these wraps. This is definitely going into the rotation. Delicious!
This recipe sounds delicious!! Can’t wait to try it. What can I substitute for soy sauce. My daughter has a soy allergy.
nice wraps
This recipe has been on our lunch/dinner rotations ever since I saw it on the POY Instagram page. So easy and flavorful, and a really good use for our random vegetables we have laying around in our fridge at the end of the week. The quinoa/brown rice pack makes it an even easier meal, and topping it all with spicy mayo is *chef’s kiss* Sometimes we don’t even use lettuce and just eat the stir fry as is!
My husband literally licked his plate clean after this meal- the lime drench is SO delicious! We will definitely be adding this healthy, flavorful meal into our rotation.
SO good! Filling and light. Great summer meal.
OMG, this is my favorite meal I’ve had in forever….home or restaurant!! SO SO GOOD!!! I added mushrooms and some chopped chili roasted pistachios and it was seriously insane good. Will be making these all the time, forever!
This is a great, quick dinner, but I’m also hoping for leftovers for lunches!
I rarely post comments on the recipes I try, but this one was too good not to comment! Such an easy, delicious and flavorful dinner – it was a huge hit at our house! This one’s a keeper! 🙂
This exceeded my expectations! The mayo and drench make it! I also added the new Trader Joes Crunchy Jalapeno and Onion- perfect!
Wow these are amazing! My fiancé went up for thirds!! (He never ever does that because he’s a picky eater – lol). But seriously – just try making these and you will not be disappointed! I used pork instead of chicken, added red onion , carrot, and pepper to the meat as I sautéed, and then I used 4 limes for the lime drench. Do not skip the spicy Mayo! It’s such a good touch. The flavors were seriously soo good in this dish. Def making this again! Thanks for the great recipe!