A quick and easy recipe that will make you feel like a true chef. Chicken lettuce wraps with lime drench is the perfect meal for any time of day, or even if you’re just looking to get something on the table in no time flat.
The “lime chicken lettuce wraps” is a recipe for a delicious dish that can be made with ingredients found in most kitchens. This recipe includes the best of both worlds, with a lime-soaked chicken and fresh cabbage leaves.
These lettuce wraps are the epitome of SUMMER. Garlicky gingery sautéed vegetables in crisp butter lettuce leaves, with mountains of crumbled-crisp ground chicken, fluffy quinoa and/or rice for extra delight.
It’s that time of year again, friends, when we throw away all our utensils and 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 eat with our hands.
Then we d-r-e-n-c-h these wraps in a flavor-packed sweet/punchy/limey sauce, maybe with a thwap of spicy mayo, and make an NIGHT OF IT.
Everything You Need To Know Is In This Article
What Makes These Chicken Lettuce Wraps So Delicious?
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We wanted to put it at the front of your mind since these lettuce wraps are the best way to use up any leftover vegetables or any CSA or home garden bounty you may have later this summer. Oh, and you may want to establish a personal competition to see how much Drench in Lime you can cover.
Our favorite filling combination was:
- ground chicken (ground pork may also be used!)
- Carrots and zucchini (but feel free to substitute/additional vegetables if you have them!)
- for a bit additional kick, combine quinoa and rice (we kept it easy here with a pre-cooked packet of it)
Everything is sautéed and zuzhed together with a load of garlic, ginger, and green onion, as well as a squirt of soy sauce, for a flavor explosion!
A jar-shake away from a gorgeous Drench in Lime! As is the case with any outstanding sauciness. Tess Masters’ cookbook The Perfect Blend provided the inspiration for the Drench in Lime (affiliate link). And it’s a deluge — approximately 5-6 limes’ worth of juice is required! Then there’s soy sauce, sesame oil, a pinch of brown sugar, and let’s keep the garlic/ginger party going, shall we?
Fillings come in a plethora of flavors.
Okay, if your fridge/pantry/heart isn’t giving you the same tale as the materials mentioned here, there’s certainly opportunity for creativity and flexibility. You may switch up the meat by using ground pig or ground turkey. Obviously, the extra vegetables may be changed and swipped as desired.
We like to include a grain to make everything seem a bit more gratifying, but if you don’t want to use the quinoa/rice combo, you can use just white or brown rice or leave it out entirely!
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.
Let’s Talk Lettuce for Lettuce Wraps
When it comes to lettuce wraps, not all lettuce is made equal. You want something that will hold a little crunch and not wilt when the heated ingredients touch it for an A+ textural advantage. You’ll also want something a bit more strong that will retain its form so you don’t put everything in, saturate it, and then it all falls out the bottom. You don’t want it to have an overpowering or inherently bitter flavor.
Some of the greatest lettuces to use are:
- Lettuce with butter. Our personal favorite! Especially if you can get a head of butter lettuce that is still alive. It’s also known as Boston or bibb lettuce and has large, spherical leaves that are robust yet malleable, making it great for stuffing and wrapping. The flavor is moderate and, well, buttery! This is the ideal complement.
- Lettuce leaves This is also a fantastic alternative, and either green or red would suffice. It’s quite simple to come by, and the wide leaves retain a little crunch even after they’ve been filled. To acquire lovely spherical leaves for wraps, cut off the stems.
- Romaine. Because the leaves are narrower, it’s more of a boat than a wrap, although they do have a lovely crunch! However, since that crunch is so appealing, these leaves are more likely to snap on you. Oh my, there’s a filling-plop!
You may try swiss chard, savoy cabbage, or collard greens if you’re feeling experimental. You have the whole world at your disposal!
Spicy Mayonnaise: A Step-by-Step Guide
Please consider joining Club Spicy Mayo immediately if you are not currently a member! Here’s how to get started:
- Combine half a cup of mayo and a couple teaspoons of sriracha in a mixing bowl.
There! You’ve been accepted! Now go ahead and use it to improve everything you eat.
It’s not *required* on these lettuce wraps, but it’s really appreciated, don’t you think? It has a unique blend of heat and creaminess that is unrivaled. Here are a few more ways to utilize spicy mayo:
What Else Can You Do With Drench in Lime (Yes, It’s a Verb)?
AN EXACT VERB. That is to say, you must go out and do it. We’ve used it as a highly zesty salad dressing with a basic spring mix with great results. But what about brushing it on some cooked chicken, fish, or vegetables? Could this be a tasty taco seasoning? Is it going to improve your rice or noodle bowl game?! Is it simply a matter of adding some zing to whatever you’re eating? With so much taste, it seems a waste not to begin daydreaming and plotting with it.
Let us know what you’re Drench in Limeing in the comments or on Instagram! We’re desperate to find out. #operationlimedrench
Here’s to a summer filled with sunshine on our faces, pleasure in our hearts, and lots of finger foods.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lettuce Wraps
I’m not sure how I’m going to make them vegetarian.
Tofu crumbles may be used in lieu of the chicken or pork. This recipe will show you how to accomplish it. Another approach is to just serve rice and vegetables, with a crushed mushroom-walnut texture.
Which lettuce kind is best for lettuce wraps?
Butter lettuce is a good choice, and it’s best if you get it in a head. It features huge, flexible leaves that have the right buttery taste. With the root still attached, this is sometimes referred to as “Living Lettuce.” Remove the leaves, give them a short washing, and pat them dry before wrapping.
What is the spiciness of spicy mayo?
It’s a game where you get to select your own path! We normally use 1/2 cup mayo and 2-3 teaspoons sriracha, but you may adjust the quantity of sriracha to taste if you like more or less heat. If you add too much spice, just add additional mayo until you get your desired degree of heat.
Notes on the source: The Drench in Lime component of this dish was inspired by some extremely tasty lettuce wraps featured in Tess Masters’ The Perfect Blend (affiliate link). Tess, thanks for showing us how to Drench in Lime! It’s a fantasy!
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Description
These lettuce wraps are the epitome of SUMMER. Garlicky gingery sautéed vegetables in crisp butter lettuce leaves, with mountains of crumbled-crisp ground chicken, fluffy quinoa and/or rice for extra delight.
Filling for Lettuce Wraps
- 1 pound ground pork or chicken (I prefer chicken)
- 1 inch ginger root, grated
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 3 sliced green onions (white and green parts)
- 1 diced zucchini (optional)
- 1 diced carrot (optional)
- 1/2 to 1 cup brown rice and/or quinoa, cooked (see notes)
- iceberg lettuce (leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, or romaine can all work)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise + 2-3 tablespoons sriracha
Drench in Lime
- 5–6 limes, juiced (totaling 1/3–1/2 cup lime juice)
- 2 tblsp soy sauce (optional)
- 1 tblsp sesame seed oil
- 1–2 tbsp brown sugar (more lime juice equals more sugar)
- a smidgeon of the grated garlic and ginger you used in the filling prep
- Brown the chicken in a large pan with a little olive oil until thoroughly cooked and crumbled.
- Set aside a little of your grated garlic and ginger for the Drench in Lime. While the chicken is cooking, shake your Drench in Lime ingredients in a jar.
- Toss the chicken in the pan with the remaining garlic and ginger, green onions, zucchini, and carrots. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked and fragrant. (Because the chicken has a low fat content, I typically add an additional drizzle of oil, soy sauce, or even a splash of water to help draw the flavor from the pan’s bottom.)
- Combine the rice and quinoa in a mixing bowl. Cook until softened and thoroughly cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill your lettuce cups with the filling, pour the Drench in Lime over it, and top with a little thwap of spicy mayo. Voila! So many vegetables and SO MUCH FLAVOR.
Notes
Cooked rice and quinoa: I usually use a cup or two of the precooked packets like Seeds of Change (affiliate link) — it’s optional to throw this in, but I prefer it since it gives a carb element to the mix, which makes the lettuce wraps seem more fulfilling.
- Time to Prepare: 20 minutes
- Time to prepare: 20 minutes
- Dinner is a category of food.
- Stovetop method
- Asian-inspired cuisine
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