Salsa Chicken Lettuce Wraps – This chicken lettuce wrap recipe is perfect for an appetizer or a quick lunch or dinner. Super shareable with a bunch of friends, these chicken lettuce wraps are also keto, paleo, low-carb, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Meal preppers can also enjoy it for lunch at work, just keep lettuce, salsa, and chicken in separate containers (think bento box) and assemble the lettuce wraps at the last minute. Enjoy! 😋
Table of Contents
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list for the Salsa Chicken Lettuce Wraps 👇🏼
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, skinless and boneless (650 g)
- 1 head of Boston lettuce, rinsed and leaves trimmed
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt (or crumbled bouillon cube)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chili, or to taste
The salsa
- 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1 Jalapeño pepper, chopped
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Juice from 1 lime
- A handful chopped cilantro
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions 👇🏼
1. To make the salsa chicken lettuce wraps: Combine lime juice, oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and chili in a large shallow plate or bowl; mix together. Add the chicken thighs and let marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and sear the chicken thighs on both sides until golden, charred, and cooked through (count about 8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken thighs). Flip them a couple of times while cooking so they get a nice even color.
3. Transfer cooked chicken thighs to a warm plate or a cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and let rest before slicing into strips.
4. While chicken is resting, combine all ingredients for the salsa. Mix well and arrange on top of stacked Boston lettuce leaves. Place the grilled chicken on top. Enjoy the salsa chicken lettuce wraps immediately!
Tips for the chicken lettuce wraps recipe
You can serve these chicken lettuce wraps as an appetizer, but they are definitely filling enough for lunch or even dinner! Here’s a couple of tips to make the best chicken lettuce wraps ever:
- One of the most important steps in this chicken lettuce wrap recipe is making the salsa. The salsa is the key element to the flavor of this recipe. And we beg you not to tamper with the salsa. If you want to make it better and save time when assembling the recipe, prepare the salsa the day or a couple of hours before and let sit covered in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld. Dice the vegetables very small to make sure every bite of the lettuce wrap is bursting with both texture and flavor.
- Cook chicken very gently over medium heat to avoid burning the exterior while the inside of the chicken thighs is still undercooked. Use a cast-iron skillet if possible.
- You can sweeten the salsa by adding diced mango to the mix, it’s delicious and refreshing!
What lettuce is best for the chicken lettuce wraps?
These are the three varieties of lettuce we recommend to use when making these chicken lettuce wraps:
- Butterhead lettuce, also known as Boston lettuce or bib lettuce. That’s the one we used in the photos.
- Romaine lettuce
- Green leaf lettuce
How to cut the lettuce to make wraps?
Just cut the bottom part of the head of lettuce off. Then peel away each lettuce leaf. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves before assembling the lettuce wraps.
Can we use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs to make the wraps?
Yes, of course! We prefer chicken thighs because they tend to be moister and more flavorful, but chicken breasts will work very well for this recipe. Make sure not to overcook the chicken breasts otherwise, your lettuce chicken wraps will be a little dry.
More lettuce wraps recipes you might like
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
