Chicken Quinoa Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
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I can’t get enough of these chicken quinoa lettuce wraps. They agree with me. I can eat a boat load and still feel pretty awesome. If you’ve tried our shrimp lettuce wraps, you’ll be wild about these. I love the addition of quinoa; making it a well-rounded meal and the quinoa keeps you full longer. Anytime we make these lettuce wraps, there are never leftovers.
We’ve tested other recipes for peanut dipping sauce and nothing compares to this one. This sauce is BOSS. It’s creamy, easy, and has just two ingredients. It’s finished in several shakes to the theme song “everything is awesome.” – Have you seen the Lego Movie? It’s so silly and hilarious. You’ll either laugh through it or turn it off after 10 minutes, or you’ll be like me and watch it twice and laugh every time they mention “the kragle” or the “powleesh remover of nayil.” O-K. Back to the sauce. It definitely induces serious cravings!
We took these to my sisters house and her family devoured them quickly! P.S. the kiddos love these best with ranch.
Ingredients For the Chicken:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled or sautéed and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated, or 1/4 tsp dried ginger powder
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
Ingredients for the Wraps:
2 heads of Boston, Bib or Butter Lettuce
2 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa
1 medium or 3 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 medium Carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1/4 bunch of fresh Cilantro
Ingredients for the Peanut Dipping Sauce:
3/4 cup Newman’s Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing (P.S. this dressing contains wheat so if you’re gluten free, try: Braggs ginger sesame)
2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (microwave 30 sec if peanut butter refrigerated)
1/3 cup chopped peanuts, optional topping
How to Prepare the Teriyaki Chicken:
1. In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients of your marinade: 2 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated ( or 1/4 tsp dried ginger powder) and 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil.
2. Place chicken breast in a medium bowl, add marinade and stir to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (prep your veggies in the mean time).
3. Once chicken is marinated, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken along with some of the oil in the marinade and sauté until caramelized and browned on both sides and fully cooked. If chicken breasts are very large, you might cover with the lid when sautéing the second side for the chicken to cook through.
4. Remove from heat and let chicken breasts rest on a cutting board 5 minutes before cutting into it, then slice into thin strips on the diagonal.
*How I Cooked Quinoa:
Rinse quinoa in a fine colander until water runs clear to get rid of any natural bitterness. Quinoa is cooked similar to rice. The ratio is 3/4 cup dry quinoa to 1 1/2 cups filtered water. I cooked mine in the rice maker on the white rice setting without adding any salt or butter and it was done after about 20 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool. You want it to be room temp or cooler before using in lettuce wraps.
How to make the best peanut dipping sauce:
1. Combine 3/4 cup sesame ginger dressing with 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter and whisk together or shake together in a tupperware with a tight fitting lid. Transfer to a small bowl and top with chopped peanuts if using.
How to Serve Lettuce Wraps:
1. Place all prepared vegetables on a platter: lettuce, sliced cucumbers, sliced carrots and sprigs of cilantro. Add your bowls of chicken, quinoa, and peanut sauce to the serving platter
2. You can either pre-assemble the lettuce wraps or let your hungry folks assemble their own (my favorite method!). Start with the lettuce leaf, add a heaping Tbsp of cooked quinoa, a strip or two of chicken breast, sliced cucumber and carrots along with a couple sprigs of cilantro. Drizzle with prepared creamy peanut sauce and be prepared to love this. (P.S. If kids are eating this, they might love it more with ranch). You’ll be running back for more!
Chicken Quinoa Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
![Have you tried lettuce wraps? You'll love these! P.S. this peanut sauce is boss. You'll want to hang on to this recipe! @natashaskitchen](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Chicken-Quinoa-Lettuce-Wraps-14-150x150.jpg)
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled or sautéed and thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated, or 1/4 tsp dried ginger powder
- 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
For the Wraps:
- 2 heads of Boston, Bib or Butter Lettuce
- 2 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa, *see notes below on how I made it
- 1 medium or 3 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 large or 2 medium Carrots, sliced into matchsticks
- 1/4 bunch of fresh Cilantro
For the Easy Peanut Dipping Sauce:
- 3/4 cup Newman’s Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing, P.S. this dressing contains wheat so if you’re gluten free, try: Braggs ginger sesame
- 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter, microwave 30 sec if peanut butter refrigerated
- 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, optional topping
Instructions
How to Prepare the Teriyaki Chicken:
- In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients of your marinade: 2 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated ( or 1/4 tsp dried ginger powder) and
- /2 Tbsp sesame oil
- Place chicken breast in a medium bowl, add marinade and stir to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (prep your veggies in the mean time).
- Once chicken is marinated, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken along with some of the oil in the marinade and sauté until caramelized and browned on both sides and fully cooked. If chicken breasts are very large, you might cover with the lid when sautéing the second side for the chicken to cook through.
- Remove from heat and let chicken breasts rest on a cutting board 5 minutes before cutting into it, then slice into thin strips on the diagonal.
*How I Cooked Quinoa:
- Rinse quinoa in a fine colander until water runs clear to get rid of any natural bitterness. Quinoa is cooked similar to rice. The ratio is 3/4 cup dry quinoa to 1 1/2 cups filtered water. I cooked mine in the rice maker on the white rice setting without adding any salt or butter and it was done after about 20 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool. You want it to be room temp or cooler before using in lettuce wraps.
How to make the best peanut dipping sauce
- Combine 3/4 cup sesame ginger dressing with 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter and whisk together or shake together in a tupperware with a tight fitting lid. Transfer to a small bowl and top with chopped peanuts if using.
How to Serve:
- Place all prepared vegetables on a platter: lettuce, sliced cucumbers, sliced carrots and sprigs of cilantro. Add your bowls of chicken, quinoa, and peanut sauce to the serving platter.
- You can either pre-assemble the lettuce wraps or let your hungry folks assemble their own (my favorite method!). Start with the lettuce leaf, add a heaping Tbsp of cooked quinoa, a strip or two of chicken breast, sliced cucumber and carrots along with a couple sprigs of cilantro. Drizzle with prepared creamy peanut sauce and be prepared to love this.
These are a meal in themselves. They are quick to make and easy to assemble. They’re really self serve and definitely encourage fun conversation at the dinner table. And,… I’m hungry again.
Have you tried making lettuce wraps? What are your favorite toppings?
I am a big fan. This recipe is miammmmm.
I just want to say that here in Quebec we dont have the Paul Newman products, so if you have an alternative it would be great.
Hi Roxanne! Thank you. I am not familiar with what brands may be available for purchase in your location. I made mention of Braggs Ginger Sesame but any Sesame Ginger Dressing would be ok to use. 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I made this with beef. Since i could not find ginger sesame sauce in my country, I found some recipe from internet and made the sauce by myself. My 2 no-veg eaters actually ate and liked it. Please suggest more healthy and kid friendly recipes.
thanks,
Great to hear that you liked this recipe with beef too! Thanks for sharing.
Please include nutritional information. The link in this recipe sent to a page about Web Accessibility. Thanks
Omg – i just made quinoa using my rice cooker – no more guessing, clumps, overflows. Thank you so much! I plan to make the chicken wraps with Boston lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, chicken with rice paper.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review
I wanted to use ground turkey or ground pork, how much of the marinade could I use with one pound of ground meat?
Thank you
Hi L, the average chicken breast weighs 5-6 ounces. I haven’t weighed it that way but that should be around one pound for two breasts.
These were so good! My whole family enjoyed them. It’s a great healthy recipe. My teenage son was sure to ask if there would be leftovers for tomorrow. I think I’ll be making these often.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Absolutely delicious !!! The only thing I changed is I couldn’t find Paul Newman‘s sesame ginger dressing – I found Food Network sesame ginger dressing it was a really good !!! This recipe is a keeper !!!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Anne! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
These are so amazing!! The sipping sauce is WOW 🤩 the only thing I couldn’t find was the sesame ginger sauce in low fat just regular. But, still amazing!! I will be making these all the time. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for the great review. We also just made lettuce wraps this week. I think I’ll always love them.
Oh, I apolgize, I was meaning the other chciken lettuce wraps posted in 2013. 🙂 nevertheless love the constant video recipies
Hi Natasha,
What happened to the video recipe for this? I loved to watch it but I can’t find it anymore and wondered what had happened ☺
Hi Alana, We never had a video for this recipe. Maybe you are thinking of a different recipe? 🙂
These were so good and healthy! My husband and I both devoured them for lunch 😋
Yay, I’m glad you both love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Lena!
I could write an article on this recipe. But long story short:
I decided to try something totally new. These looked great.
In the process of cooking I changed my mind but sticked with the plan.
When I first tried one my reaction was “Hm. Interesting” I couldn’t figure out if I liked it or not.
My husbands reaction when he ate it later that day was.. “Interesting.”
In conclusion, after crunching on..at least 10 of these today..I decided I LOVE THEM! 😄
I have never really tasted anything like that before.
It’s crunchy, its sweet, sour, meaty, totally filling and pretty healthy too!
And I am definitely going to make these again.
You never disappoint 👏👍
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
Even better as a salad! I got the idea from one of the reviews and did that to the leftovers.
Wow, that is a great idea! Glad you love the recipe Ksusha! 🙂
These were delicious! I couldn’t find Newman’s Own, so I used Drew’s Organic Orange Ginger instead and the sauce was wonderful. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome Jeni! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Hello, these reminded me of something similar we ate at P.F. Chang’s restaurant. I made these for guests a couple days ago. They are a bit time consuming to make but the recipe is easy to follow. They taste very healthy and flavorful 🙂 it’s like an all in one dish because it includes meat, grain and vegetables… would make again for some special occasion!
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Karen! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Approx. how many wraps can you make from this recipe? I’m trying to meal plan for one and I’m wondering if I’ll have enough for 5 days of lunches. Thanks!
Hi Jamie, it depends on how big the leaves are and I’ve never counted them to be honest :). I think 1 batch would be enough for 5 lunches 🙂
Just had it for lunch! and I will have enough for the next 4 days yay! I left out quinoa, but I plan on having it for dinner 3 days next week with the quinoa. I made it into a salad with romaine instead of the bib. It was so delicious! I’m also going to use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce next time just to make it a little healthier (I used a mixture of braggs and soy sauce this time). Thanks for a great recipe!
My pleasure Jamie!
Tried this recipe (without quinoa) and it was delicious!!
I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
WOW LOVED them! I did not have the right kind of lettuce, so I chopped up some romaine and made this into a main course salad. Also, added some hot chili oil to the peanut sauce for a little spice. Super yummy!!
I LOVE your idea for adding hot chili oil. Wow!! Thanks for the awesome idea!
I have made this into a salad instead of a wrap. Layer chopped lettuce, quinoa, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, chicken and dressing. I put them into tupperware containers so my lunches are prepped and ready to go. Making another batch right now!
I absolutely love that idea!! I’m printing your comment to remember to try your version! thanks for sharing 🙂
LOVE these! Soooo good!! Thank you!
Olga, I’m so glad you loved them and you are welcome 😄.
I want to use ground chicken so I can get more meat. How would that work?
Yes I think ground chicken would work fine. You wouldn’t have to marinate it. Instead, use the marinade to flavor your ground chicken while cooking.
I am loving your healthier recipe ideas:)) I mean, it’s nice to have chicken and mushroom creamy casserole once in a while (because I LOVE IT) but this is great!
I agree, we try to keep things balanced :), but I love both in my life 😉
Im so glad I found this recipe because this was totally a my kinda meal. Light but filling and delicious. I substituted the quinoa with the rice because i did not have it at the time. The peanut sauce didn’t exactly turn out the way it did in your pictures probably because i bought a different brand of sesame ginger dressing so the consistency was very thick. Any idea how I can fix the problem without having to buy new dressing? Or thats the only way? Thanks again for a great recipe!
If it was very thick, you would probably add a little more dressing or even a splash of water to thin it out.
These look absolutely delicious! I definitely plan on making these some time. Thanks for a great looking recipe
Shoshana, thank you for the great review and you are welcome :).
This looks awesome. Watching what I eat. Do you have nutritional info for these?
Looking forward to trying!
Hi Candy, I don’t usually put up calorie counts, but when I need to research something, my best source: Caloriecount.com – sign in for free and then go to “tools” and then click “recipe analyzer” You can copy and paste your list of ingredients and it spits out the nutrition info. It’s a great tool.
These are soooooo good! I used leftover cooked quinoa and rotisserie chicken so they came together really quick. A perfect lunch and I have just enough left for tomorrow too! 🙂
I love substituting rotisserie chicken in recipes. It’s so easy and fast! To be honest I hadn’t thought of trying it with these lettuce wraps so thank you so much for sharing!
I am so happy to have found your website. My husband cringed when he saw that I made these for dinner and then he decided that he actually loved them after he tried them. My kids thought they were wonderful and fun as well. It makes me so happy when a healthy recipe is a hit! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks!
Welcome to the site Laura and thank you for the great review :). I hope that you’ll find many new favorites.
Thank you for the GF note!
You’re welcome! 🙂 My sister is GF and I’ve been thinking about that diet more and more.
We loved these!! Thank you for sharing this amazing, healthy recipe!
Thank you for the great review Nicci and you are welcome :).
This was delicious! A new family favorite!
Thank you for the great feedback Barb, reading your comment is making me hungry for some lettuce wraps :D.
These were very tasty! I didn’t have the right dressing to make the peanut sauce (I don’t think), but the chicken marinade was great (I marinated for two hours) and all of the components together were very tasty. Thanks for helping us mix it up on a weeknight!
Thank you so much Tanica for the awesome review. 🙂 I hope you try it with the dressing next time. I think it really takes the entire dish over the top!
Oh my my! Where do I begin? This recipe is so delicious! Just gone done eating it! I’m not sure if it’s really for 6-8 servings.. Hubby and I devoured half of this! We love the peanut sauce. I used crunchy peanut butter, added a little bit of sugar and warmed it up. It was awesome! Instead of dipping it into the sauce, we use it as one of the toppings! I’ll post pics on instagram later. Thank you so much!! Blessings!
Can I tell you a secret? My husband and I can finish the entire batch. True story – it happens all the time! 🙂
That makes me feel better 😉 We’re not the only ones with portion control problems 😛
So, I just wanted to give you an update. Since I didn’t have time to start the beef plot, we ended up having this again last night! I just made extra chicken and my sister tried it too. Between the three of us, we finished it all 😛 Your cooking and recipes really bring me back to when I was going to start a food blog. If I ever start, you’re my inspiration 😀
You’re so sweet. 🙂 I started my food blog when my son was about 6 months old and I’m so glad I did. 🙂 I’m so happy you all enjoyed the lettuce wraps. My hubby and I are crazy about these!
Ochen vkusno !
I’m so glad you liked the wraps :). Now I’m going to have to have them for dinner too! 🙂
It’s been hours since I devoured the last lettuce wrap and licked the sauce bowl clean and I still can’t stop thinking about how delicious that was. I’m in love with everything about this recipe, especially how simple it is! Thank you! This will definitely be in my rotation!
Oooh I’m so happy to hear that. The scene you just described is exactly what happens to my hubby and I. lol. Seriously! 🙂
Just made these to take to a luncheon tomorrow. Everything smells great. Can’t wait to share with friends.
Also, thanks so much for the GF suggestions, one of the girls at the luncheon is GF, and I wanted her to be able to feel comfortable eating at least one thing besides a salad!
Will comment agin tomorrow to let you know what everyone thought.
I hope you all love them! That’s so thoughtful to make a GF dish for your friend 🙂
Wow!! This was an amazing meal!! This will now be in my go to recipes rotations I’m very picky when it comes to food and recipes. This one knocked my socks off!! So simple yet so beyond delicious!!!! Thank you times a million for posting this!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the awesome review! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Could we use rice paper instead of lettuce leaves?
Just wondering as I have quite a bit of them.
Thank you
Hi L, I have not tested that but I imagine that should work.
Very tasty. We (my family) have a habit of over stuffings so I think eating these as a salad would work better for us! Would make again!
We have a habit like that too :), thank you for a great feedback.
I made these tonight for dinner and got rave reviews from everyone! My 9 year old son said “ooo, these are fancy mom…you should open a restaurant and use this recipe” LOL. Even my 3 year old loved them. Will definitely be making again. Thanks Natasha!
Your son is so sweet 🙂 I’m so happy your family enjoyed the recipe!
Where are we using the sesame oil and ginger? Is it in the marinade for the chicken?
Goodness I’m so glad you asked! I can’t believe I missed that! Thank you! It goes into the marinade for the chicken. I have updated the recipe.
Cooked and reheated in the microwave for the multiple eating schedules my family has. Went over great no matter what time of day they are eating.
Oh that’s so great!! Thanks so much for the great review! My family is the same way 🙂
Yum! I can’t wait to try these. I’ve also seen them make the Pinterest rounds and they’re speaking right to my pregnant self. It’s always good to crave the healthy things, right?!
That’s awesome!! I’m so happy to help a preggo. I know how tough it is to want foods at all during pregnancy. I hope you’re having an easy pregnancy!
Hi, thank you for this great recipe! I have a question can I marinate the chicken over night?
This sauce would make it too salty if you marinated it overnight. It really isn’t necessary in this recipe. If you have a more mild teriyaki marinade, you could go with that if you wanted it marinated overnight.
The sauce though.. OMG!
I agree, I’m so happy you liked it :).
These look great! What type of lettuce did you use?
Lena, I used Boston Lettuce, but you can use other kind. Young romaine lettuce works great also :).
These look unbelievably delicious! I keep seeing them all over on pinterest and every time they make me hungry!
I love that you’re seeing them all over pinterest! Thanks Jaclyn! 🙂
I have tried your shrimp lettuce wraps and they are really really good. I can’t wait to try these. The quinoa is a great idea!
I hope you love these just as much. The quinoa is nice and filling; leaving you more satisfied when you’re done.
Love these wraps, that peanut sauce sounds so good!
Thanks Laura! It’s just one of those things I could eat and eat and eat and not get tired of it! 🙂