Springtime Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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Everyone’s favorite Thai dish has been lightened up. These basil chicken lettuce wraps are packed with protein yet light on the waistline. The addition of pineapple makes them beautiful and fresh and perfect for spring lunches or dinners!
Trading in the sweater bod lyfe with flavor-packed springtime fit food!
Would you just look at these basil chicken lettuce wraps?! Have mercy! Tender chicken, salty-sticky sauce, fresh Thai basil, fiery peppers, and sweet tidbits of fresh pineapple to calm all that wild heat down. All the flavor notes you want all wrapped up in a trimming package.
Speaking of trimming; I am officially down 10 pounds from when I started Orange Theory back in December and am at the point where I feel antsy if I don’t get in my 4th session of the week. For those that aren’t familiar, Orange Theory is a high-intensity interval training class that combines strength training, running (or power walking), and water rowing all in a 55-minute class. <– not a sponsored post, just super thrilled about my results and excited to tell you about it!
But anyway, back to these Thai basil chicken lettuce wraps. These wraps were a huge hit around here for several reasons:
- they fit into my low card lifestyle (!!!) while keeping me full of all that flavor-packed protein
- I can quickly serve them over brown rice for the hubby who is rapidly losing more weight than me with his effortless rice swap
- they take no time at all to make
- they’re great to meal prep for the week
I developed these basil chicken lettuce wraps because now that I’m three months deep into this clean eating lifestyle, I’m certainly missing all my favorite not so healthy dishes! Don’t get me wrong; I still get one cheat meal a week where I’m allowed to eat whatever I want. But I’m notoriously guilty of spending my cheat meals on burgers. The weekend cheat meal conversation goes something like this:
Husband: so where do you want to go this weekend?
Me: I don’t know.
Husband: (names a million different restaurants with different cuisines)
Me: Meh. You know what I honestly want?
Husband: What’s that?
Me: a burgerrr 😍
Husband: but.. we just had one.. last week 😕
Me: buh, wuhs your point?
Husband: {facepalm}
So instead of giving up on my favorite takeout meals altogether, I’m making them into healthier alternatives that allow me to have Thai basil chicken during the week. But you know what that means!
More burgers on the weekend. 🎉🍔 😬
I’m not going to lie; basil chicken lettuce wraps are probably not the neatest things you’re going to eat. So if you’re trying to impress your significant other or were thinking of making these for company, these are probably not going to make the kind of impression you were hoping for.
But if you’re past that point in your relationship (or friendship) and are at the point where you have no shame in your game, lettuce wrap juice dripping down your arm, obnoxious slurping noises – the whole nine yards, these lettuce wraps are for you!
The stuffing can be prepared with chicken, turkey, or even beef. I prefer to go the poultry route because let’s face it, I tap myself out on red meat every weekend. 🤷🏻♀️
But for real, turn your favorite Thai food into this weeks meal prep!
Basil Chicken Lettuce wraps for the win!
Springtime Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Everyone's favorite Thai dish has been lightened up. These basil chicken lettuce wraps are packed with protein yet light on the waistline. The addition of pineapple makes them nice and fresh and perfect for spring lunches or dinners!
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon EACH: oyster sauce AND golden mountain sauce
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons EACH: fish sauce and sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lettuce wraps:
- 4 teaspoons oil
- 1 cup freshly chopped pineapple (or tidbits)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Fresno chili, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 pound boneless chicken (see notes)
- 1 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
- bib lettuce leaves, chopped cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- Sauce: mix all the ingredients for the sauce along with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Filling: Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the pineapple tidbits for just 30 seconds, remove or a bowl. Add the remaining oil, fry the chili and garlic for 30-45 seconds or until fragrant then, add the chicken. Crumble the chicken using a wooden spoon the way you'd crumble ground beef and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Drizzle in the prepared sauce and stir to combine when the chicken is done, turn off the heat and stir in the basil and pineapple tidbits.
- Assemble: Allow the filling to cool for several minutes before filling lettuce leaves. Top with chopped cilantro and toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
- you can use ground chicken or chop up your own chicken. I usually just mince up 1 1/4 pound of chicken breast into 1/4- 1/2 inch pieces here; this gives the lettuce wraps a little more satisfying than using the ground chicken.
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