Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a copycat for the kind you can get at restaurants like P.F. Chang’s. A much lighter version that comes together in only 15 minutes!
The Salad myth: Not as light as you would think
Before I started counting points on WW, I would order something like this if it was on the menu at a restaurant, or I would go for a salad.
These options are lower in carbs and include lots of vegetables, so they had to be the lightest options on the menu. Right?
This is the “salad myth.” If you’ve been on WW or counting your macros for a while, you know what I mean.
Many times, salads at restaurants have more calories and fat than a cheeseburger. And Chicken Lettuce Wraps are just as bad. The P.F. Chang’s version is 17 SmartPoints!
Make Your own sauce
The culprit in these cases is the dressing and/or sauce. So, let’s make our own!
My version of this dish comes in at 8 SmartPoints for the ENTIRE recipe! That’s mainly because I’ve made my own version of hoisin sauce, using ingredients that I already have on hand anyway.
I don’t want to spend money (and extra points) on a product that I’ll probably only use for one recipe.
The best part? This recipe takes 15 minutes to make, and you only have to chop a few things. This will definitely be a regular on my menu as the weather starts to heat up.
You could add in lots of chopped veggies to the mixture, too. I’ve added chopped mushrooms and diced peppers. Get creative!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though. So I’ll see it there!
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 1 8 oz can water chestnuts, chopped
- 1 head butter lettuce
Hoisin Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp powdered peanut butter (I use PB2)
- 1 tbsp honey or agave
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice blend (you can just add some powdered ginger if you don’t want to buy this for one recipe)
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, brown chicken in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, about 5 minutes While chicken is cooking, add sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- When chicken is cooked, add in sauce, water chestnuts, and green onions. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce has soaked into the chicken, about 5 more minutes.
- Garnish with extra scallions. Serve in butter lettuce leaves as the “cups.”
I can’t wait to try these! Lettuce wraps are my favorite! When I make this recipe, I’m totally going to add chopped water chestnuts as well. 😊
Ignore my last comment. Clearly I did not read the ingredient list well. 😂😂😂
Haha no worries! Let me know how it goes when you make the recipe!
Made this tonight, thought it was pretty good but for my flavor would have been amazing sans the Chinese five spice…I usually omitt nutmeg, Cloves, cinnamon flavors to my taste but I had never heard of the Chinese five spice so I used that per the recipe. Was so good but next time I will leave that out and maybe add some crushed red pepper instead. So yummy and filling.
I’m so happy you liked it! The Chinese Five-Spice is traditional in wraps like this, but I totally understand that the flavor isn’t for everyone. I have a note in the recipe card about using ground ginger instead, but I like the idea of extra red pepper flakes!
I can’t wait to make this. The points are all in the sauce right? I would like to make a batch of this and keep it on hand.
Yes! Just the sauce has points.
Made again tonight, (minus the five spice, to my taste) so delicious!!!!
Yay!!
If I have hoisin sauce on hand, would I just use 1/4 C instead of the homemade version? Or more since you added some stuff to the 1/4 C soy sauce?
I think that would work. I would probably still add the vinegar and spices, along with some water to thin it out to a consistency you like. Let me know how it goes!
Is there something I can use as a substitute for the powdered peanut butter?
The powdered peanut butter is really what lowers the points a bit. I’ve heard that Jiff Whips (whipped peanut butter) is very good and lower in points, but I haven’t used it yet. Regular peanut butter would work, too. Just make sure you check the points/cals.
Is this 98% fat free chicken? Thanks 🙂
Yep! It’s usually labeled as ground chicken breast at my store.
This was absolutely delicious! I counted 3 smart points for 1/4 of the recipe, but someone should check me on that!
Awesome! That sounds about right to me. So happy you liked the recipe!
Have you done this with ground turkey as well? Is it much different?
Yep! The texture is a little different, as the turkey is a but drier than ground chicken. But still delicious!
I made this yesterday and my daughter and i at the entire batch between the two of us! the flavors are INCREDIBLE!!!! Seriously! Restaurant worthy! This will be a regular in my kitchen now. Maybe weekly!!!!! It is fabulous! Thank You!
Yay!! I make these nearly once a week myself. So easy and delicious. Thanks for the review, Jonna!
This recipe is SO GOOD!! I am so impressed with it and it’s just made all the better by being low points. I’ve made it five or six times now and it always comes out perfect. I am always sneaking extra bites! I serve as wraps or sometimes over chopped lettuce. I use ginger as opposed to the Five Spice. It’s great for leftovers as well since the flavor just gets better. Comes together super fast and even faster if you prep the sauce in the morning.
This makes me so happy, Leslie! Thank you for the kind review. 🙂
Hi. I can’t believe you’ve already updated to the new WW points!!!? You ROCK!! Keep bringing on all your deliciousness!! Thank you. G
Thanks, Gina! It’s going to take a while to update everything, but I’m starting with the most popular, and this one!
I made this tonight. I cooked up chicken breasts and then chopped them up. I like that texture better than the ground chicken. I did not have the Chinese 5 spice, so just used ginger paste. I also cut up celery and carrots to add a little something to it. Definitely took me longer than 15 minutes, but worth the extra effort. Oh and I also added a dash of Sriracha and a little Chinese chili garlic sauce. I like it a little on the spicy side.
Love that you were able to adapt the recipe to your tastes and what you had on hand! Sounds delicious.
We make this recipe on repeat! Soooo insanely delicious!!!!
Yay! It’s my favorite fro lunch prep. So happy you’re loving the recipes, Stephanie.
I made this for a wedding shower tomorrow. It came together so easily as a doubled recipe. It’s good to know I can share as lower calorie. It took a lot of self control to not eat tonight.😉
Awesome! I’ve doubled it myself for lunch prep. It’s definitely hard not to eat the whole pan!
Crazy question but is there a sauce at the store that can be bought instead of making it.
I like quick and easy 🤷♀️ Thank you 😃
You could buy hoisin sauce from the Asian food section and thin it out with some water. But it will be higher in points.
Not a crazy question! You can use hoisin sauce thinned out with a little water instead, but it will increase the points.
I love lettuce wraps and these were one of the best I have ever had! I made a few tweaks to make them work for me, but they were fabulous. Thanks for all of your amazing recipes, Geri! You inspire me on my WW journey!
Wow, what a huge compliemnt! Thank you SO MUCH.
Very very good! So easy and will be perfect for lunches for the week! Next time I’m going to try and find some zero point toppings to add to it! I can see this being a weekly meal!
I love these for lunch prep, too!
Made this for dinner tonight and what a winner! Easy and delicious. Subbed in olive oil for sesame oil and used ginger instead of 5 spice blend because that’s what I have on hand. And only 2 points on blue! Your recipes are always on point. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, Susan! This comment made my day. 🙂