This QUICK and EASY stir-fried Vietnamese lemongrass ground chicken tastes super delicious as an Asian chicken lettuce wrap. Perfect for lunch or dinner and on the table in 25 minutes- better than PF Changs any day.
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🥘 Ingredients
You will need the same simple ingredients for the filling of this recipe as for Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken (but in different quantities):
- chicken mince: use chicken thigh mince to make sure the filling remains juicy. I like The Meat Club's chicken mince because it's from 100% cage-free Australian chicken, with NO growth hormones, and is blended from chicken thigh. Use my affiliate code "TMC-AFF-GREEDY" for $15 off your order!
- fresh lemongrass stalks: peel away the tough outer layers, and cut off the tougher, less flavor top bit. Only mince (finely) the soft white inner stems at the bottom. (Pound it- use the back of your knife or rolling pin- first to release the aroma.) The outer layers/ top bit can be used to make lemongrass tea, lemongrass syrup, or lemongrass oil.
- To get the most out of your lemongrass, you can cut off about 1 inch from the root, and replant the root end in water. For more information on how to grow lemongrass (and recipes), click here.
- fresh garlic cloves: please do not use garlic powder if you want authentic Asian flavor
- shallot: you can substitute with ⅛ of a red onion
- fish sauce
- dark soy sauce: you can use kicap manis, or sweet soy sauce as a substitute. If you do so, you may need to reduce the amount of sugar added
- brown sugar: traditionally palm sugar is used, but it can be difficult to find AND a pain to prepare (as it usually comes in blocks which you need to grate.) If you can get it, please do use it, if not brown sugar, or even white sugar in a pinch, will work fine
- fresh lime
- fresh chili pepper: You can use large chilies or small Thai bird's eye chili but note the latter is pretty spicy. I tend to mix 1 large with 1 small chili.
- cornstarch, optional: to thicken the sauce, add some cornstarch slurry (i.e. 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed into 2 teaspoons of water)
For the Wrap
You will need:
- lettuce: I recommend butterhead lettuce or baby romaine as it makes for more manageable sized lettuce cups. Iceberg lettuce leaves are a big large. Soak them in baking soda to remove pesticides, then wash thoroughly.
Garnishes
The garnishes are so important for lettuce wraps as they add texture!
- Roasted peanuts (grated) add crunch
- Fresh coriander leaf or spring onions (if coriander tastes like soap to you.)
- If you can take spicy food, you can sprinkle more sliced chilies on top of the lemongrass chicken rice.
And don't forget to serve with these easy sides for lettuce wrap.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
1a. Mince the lemongrass. (For more directions, see Ingredients above.)
1b. Stir the marinade ingredients well. (Remember to use only half the lemongrass and half the garlic, as the rest is used for the stir-frying.)
1c. Pour the marinade into the chicken mince and mix well. Leave for 30 minutes to return to room temperature.
2a. Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Once it's almost smoking (when the surface starts shimmering), carefully add the lemongrass-garlic mixture and stir-fry till fragrant. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.)
Note: if you're in a rush, you can skip this step- just add ALL the aromatics to the minced chicken. The dish will be slightly less aromatic but still flavorful.
2b. Carefully add the chicken and all the liquid into the pan, and stir-fry. The chicken will start releasing its juices as you stir-fry, so there should be no need to add water. (If you find it too dry, add 2 teaspoons of water.)
Note: Asian hawkers usually stir-fry very quickly, over extremely high heat- we can't get these high temperatures at home, so we have to cook the chicken for longer than they do.
3a. Chicken mince actually cooks quickly, but to be on the safe side and make sure everything is cooked through, I usually stir fry it for 5-7 minutes. (The colour of the sauce can make it hard to see if the chicken has turned opaque.) Do so over medium heat, to avoid the chicken drying out.
At the 5 or 6 minute mark, add the cornstarch slurry slowly into the pan, stirring continuously till you switch off the fire. We want to thicken the sauce so that it's dry enough to use as a wrap filling. (If not the juices will overflow and burn your hand.)
Add the sliced chilies, and stir through.
To Assmble
Separate the washed lettuce leaves. Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of filling into each leaf (or more if the leaf is bigger), garnish, serve, and enjoy!
🥡 How to Store
It is best to finish assembled wraps.
However, you can store leftover filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Freezing
If you need to keep it for longer, extra filling can be frozen.
Reheating
Reheat using low heat (to avoid drying out the chicken) but ensuring all the chicken is piping hot before eating.
Special thanks to The Meat Club for sending me the chicken mince- 100% cage-free Australian chicken, with NO growth hormones. Use my affiliate code "TMC-AFF-GREEDY" for $15 off your order!
🥗 Suggested Accompanying Recipes
Enjoyed this easy Vietnamese Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this lettuce wrap appetizer, please consider supporting it by buying me a bottle of fish sauce! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps (20 min)
Equipment
- 1 Knife and cutting board
- 1 Pan and heat-proof spatula
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
- 0.88 lb chicken mince (from thigh) (400g) I like The Meat Club's chicken mince because it's from 100% cage-free Australian chicken, with NO growth hormones, and is blended from chicken thigh. Use my affiliate code "TMC-AFF-GREEDY" for $15 off your order!
- 4 fresh lemongrass stalks Peel away the tough outer layers, and cut off the tougher, less flavorful top bit. Pound (with the back of a knife or rolling pin, to release the flavor) then mince (finely) the soft white inner stems at the bottom. The outer layers/ top bit can be used to make lemongrass tea, lemongrass syrup, or lemongrass oil. Divide into 2 equal portions (half will be used for the marinade and half for the stir-fry.)
- 4 fresh garlic cloves peeled, and minced. please do not use garlic powder if you want authentic Asian flavor Divide into 2 equal portions (half will be used for the marinade and half for the stir-fry.)
- 1 shallot peeled, and minced. You can substitute with ⅛ of a red onion
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce I have tested with ¾ Tablespoon to be healthy but the dish won't be as more-ish, unfortunatley.
- 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce you can use kicap manis, or sweet soy sauce as a substitute. If you do so, you may need to reduce the amount of sugar added
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar If you can get palm sugar, please do use it, if not brown sugar, or even white sugar in a pinch, will work fine
- 1 fresh lime Use the juice of 1 lime. You can keep the lime zest for another recipe.
- 2 fresh chili peppers You can use large chilies or small Thai bird's eye chili but note the latter is pretty spicy, so it depends on your heat tolerance. I tend to mix 1 large with 1 small chili. Either way, try to mix some red and some green chili, to brighten up the plate. Do NOT touch your eyes after handling chilies- especially the seeds- as they will BURN.
- 1-2 Tablespoons neutral vegetable oil Please do not use olive oil if you want the chicken recipe to taste Asian
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed into 2 teaspoons of water to form a slurry
Suggested Garnishes
- 4 Tablespoons Grated Peanuts
- 1 fresh lime
- 1 bunch fresh coriander leaf or spring onions (if coriander tastes like soap to you.)
- 2 red chilies sliced thinly. Omit if can't take spicy food.
For the Wrap
- 2 Lettuce Washed
Instructions
Marinating (30 minutes- about the time necessary to bring the chicken back to room temperature)
- Prepare the lemongrass as per the instructions above.
- Stir the marinade ingredients well. (Remember to use only half the lemongrass and half the garlic, as the rest is used for the stir-frying.)
- Pour the marinade into the chicken minced and mix well. Leave for 30 minutes to return to room temperature.
Stir-frying
- Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Once it's almost smoking (when the surface starts shimmering), carefully add the lemongrass-garlic mixture and stir-fry till fragrant. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.) Note: if you're in a rush, you can skip this step- just add ALL the aromatics to the minced chicken. The dish will be slightly less aromatic but still flavorful.
- Carefully add the chicken and all the liquid into the pan, and stir-fry. The chicken will start releasing its juices as you stir-fry, so there should be no need to add water. (If you find it too dry, add 2 teaspoons of water.)
- Chicken mince actually cooks very quickly, but to be on the safe side and make sure everything is cooked through, I usually stir fry it for 7 minutes. (The colour of the sauce can make it hard to see if the chicken has turned opaque.) Do so over medium heat, to avoid the chicken dyring out.
- At the 5 or 6 minute mark, add the cornstarch slurry slowly into the pan, stirring continuously till you switch off the fire. (This will thicken the sauce slightly. You can skip this step if you're uncomfortable working with cornstarch.)
Assemble
- Add a tablespoon of filling per lettuce leaf. (More for bigger leaves and less for the tiny ones in the centre of the lettuce.)
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
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CC says
Made this for Chinese New Year. Was a hit and so delicious