I don’t know if I can think of a better beat the heat, quickie dinner for a hot, muggy summer day than these Asian Turkey (or Chicken) Lettuce Wraps.
Asian Turkey (or Chicken) Lettuce Wraps
Minutes to make, using a handful of ingredients, Asian Lettuce Wraps are cinch to pull together – they literally take minutes.
Make them once and you’ll be wondering why you’ve never made lettuce wraps before. And if you’re like me, you’ll probably start to tinker and add a bit of this or a bit of that, all your fave veggies, etc. and customize to your heat level.
Today I kept them simple coz we have a veggie hater in the house…but, hey, it’s hard to convince someone who’s lived to see 90 that they need veggies in their diet! Although I do get a little sneaky now and then. 🙂
Asian Turkey (or Chicken) Lettuce Wraps
Ground turkey or chicken is something I do whip up at home for several reasons:
- 1st is quality – you don’t always know how a ground product has been handled or exactly what parts are in those shiny little tubes.
- 2nd is price – whether turkey or chicken, in my area the low is between 69 cents to 99 cents a pound, respectively.
- 3rd is texture – sometimes those tubes contain mush – it’s hard to make that look attractive and the texture can be off-putting.
I do get that sometimes you can get ground turkey or chicken from the butcher and not just from a tube, but it takes so little effort to grind up your own. Just cube up chicken or turkey and toss a good handful of the cubes at a time into a food processor. Pulse a few times and you’re set in minutes.
Asian Turkey (or Chicken) Lettuce Wraps
Turkey or Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey, or a pound of either chicken or turkey, cut in cubes and pulsed to desired texture in food processor
- 6 – 8 scallions, white and green part finely sliced, a little of the green ends saved for garnish
- 1 small can water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 – 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- For heat as desired: chili garlic sauce, sriracha, peppers in oil, etc.
- 1 lime, half juiced and added to the sauce, the other half cut in chunks for serving
- 1 large head butter lettuce, wash, dried and leaves separated
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
- Any desired condiments for serving
In a large pan, brown the ground chicken or turkey over medium-high heat, breaking up the pieces. If very lean, you may need to add a little oil. Drain, if necessary.
Add scallions, garlic, water chestnuts, red pepper and cook a few minutes until the vegetables are softened.
In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, fish sauce and sesame oil and what ever you desire to add a little heat.
Add to pan and stir until ingredients are coated and the sauce is thick enough to cling to the turkey/chicken and vegetables. Add the lime juice. Garnish with peanuts.
To serve, spoon about ⅓ cup of chicken filling onto one lettuce leaf and roll it up, if desired. Serve with lime and sriracha or other spicy condiment, if desired.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings per lettuce wrap | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 78 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 4 g | 7 % |
| Saturated Fat 1 g | 5 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 21 mg | 7 % |
| Sodium 267 mg | 11 % |
| Potassium 54 mg | 2 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 6 g | 2 % |
| Dietary Fiber 1 g | 3 % |
| Sugars 2 g | |
| Protein 6 g | 11 % |
| Vitamin A | 9 % |
| Vitamin C | 20 % |
| Calcium | 1 % |
| Iron | 4 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
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I’ll be bringing this recipe to Fiesta Friday, hosted this week by Monika @ Everyday Healthy Recipes and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.
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