These chicken lettuce wraps are filled with shredded chicken, fresh mango, cucumber, scallions, cilantro, rice, and a creamy ginger soy dressing to drizzle over everything. It's a wonderful combination of fresh ingredients that tastes even better together — all wrapped up in a crisp lettuce leaf.
I'm finally sharing this dish which I've made umpteen times over the years since I first discovered the recipe in Gourmet Magazine back in 2005. I've made these chicken lettuce wraps for my family, for my book group and on many other occasions. I think you're going to love them!
Many of us associate chicken lettuce wraps with PF Chang's ground chicken lettuce wraps which are cooked and served hot. Those are delicious too but in a whole different way.
This version is more of a composed fresh salad situation — no wok, no heat — and honestly it couldn't be easier to put together, especially with rotisserie chicken.
How To Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1. The Ginger Soy Dressing
Start by making the ginger soy dressing. You'll need these seven ingredients: soy sauce, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, mayo and sesame oil.
To make the dressing, put all the ingredients in a blender and process for a minute or so, until smooth. This can be made up to two days ahead.
2. The Lettuce Wraps
For the lettuce wraps, you'll need cooked chicken, cooked rice, mangoes, cucumbers, cilantro, scallions, lettuce leaves and lime wedges.
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Prep The Filling Ingredients:
- Shred the chicken
- Slice the mangoes, cucumbers, and scallions, and chop the cilantro.
- Cut the limes into wedges
- Wash and dry the lettuce leaves.
How To Serve Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Set everything out on the table and let people build their own wraps — this is a great dish for casual entertaining because it's so festive and you can have everything ready to go when it's time to eat.
Arrange the chicken, rice, mango, cucumber, scallions, cilantro and lime wedges in individual bowls or into separate piles on a large platter. Stack the lettuce leaves on a separate plate. Pour the ginger dressing into a small pitcher or bowl with a spoon, so people can drizzle as much as they like.
A squeeze of fresh lime juice over your wrap right before eating makes all the flavors pop — don't skip the limes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it a rice bowl: Swap the lettuce wraps for bowls. Use baby spinach as a base, add a scoop of rice, then arrange the chicken, mango and cucumber on top. Garnish with scallions and cilantro and drizzle generously with ginger dressing. This is a great option if you're feeding people who'd rather eat with a fork than hand-hold a wrap.
- Swap the cucumber: Daikon radish adds extra crunch, or use thin strips of red bell pepper for a sweeter, more colorful variation.
- No ripe mangoes? Peaches or nectarines will work beautifully. Mandarin orange sections too — and they're available year-round. In a pinch, defrosted frozen mango is perfectly fine.
- Lighter dressing: Replace the mayo with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt for a tangier, lighter version.
- Different grains: Brown rice or quinoa also work well and add a nuttier, heartier flavor.
- Make it a grilled chicken lettuce wrap: During grilling season, make my favorite grilled chicken or your favorite grilled chicken and shred it up or thinly slice it, for that extra charred flavor.
Lettuce Wraps FAQ
I recommend Boston, Bibb, Green Leaf or Romaine. The key is to find lettuce with leaves that are large enough to hold the filling and tender enough to wrap without breaking.
Here are some steps you can do in advance:
1. Make the dressing up to two days ahead and keep in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using.
2. Prepare the lettuce: Wash lettuce leaves, shake off excess water but leave them slightly damp. Then lay the leaves out in a single layer on a long sheet of paper towels. Cover with another sheet of paper towels, roll up from one side, gently and loosely, place roll in a plastic bag and store in the fridge. You may need two rolls depending on how large the leaves are. The lettuce will stay fresh for at least two days.
3. Shred chicken up to 24 hours ahead and keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
4. Prep the components ahead: Cut and arrange all the ingredients in their individual bowls, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to several hours before serving. Just remember to take the rice out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving — the texture of cold rice is too firm and hard.
If you make these chicken lettuce wraps, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
PrintRecipe
Chicken Mango Lettuce Wraps with Ginger Dressing
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Fresh, vibrant chicken lettuce wraps that are perfect for a healthy family dinner or casual dinner party. The creamy ginger soy dressing alone is worth making. Add tender shredded chicken, juicy mango, crunchy cucumber and rice, all wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves, and you have one of the most reliably impressive dishes you can put on the table. Use rotisserie chicken and pre-cooked rice and it comes together in about 30 minutes.
Adapted from a 2005 recipe in Gourmet Magazine
Ingredients
The Rice
- 3 cups warm or room temperature cooked rice such as jasmine or basmati (from 1 cup raw rice)
Ginger Dressing
- ½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- ½ cup neutral flavored vegetable oil
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup roughly chopped peeled fresh ginger (from a 2- by 3-inch piece)
- 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
The Chicken
- 3 cups shredded chicken breast or thighs (from about 1 ½ pounds grilled, poached or rotisserie chicken)
Other Wrap Ingredients:
- 24 Boston lettuce leaves (see notes)
- 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into matchsticks or very thin half rounds
- 6-8 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 (1-lb) firm-ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into matchsticks or ½-inch dice
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 limes, cut into wedges
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Instructions
- Make the ginger dressing: Purée all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Arrange the chicken, rice and remaining wrap ingredients in individual bowls or on a large platter. Pour the ginger dressing into a small pitcher and serve on the side. Let everyone build their own wraps and finish with a squeeze of fresh lime.
Notes
- Best lettuce for lettuce wraps: Boston or Bibb are ideal — their cup shape holds the filling perfectly. Green Leaf and Romaine work well too. Look for leaves large enough to hold a generous scoop of filling and tender enough to fold without cracking.
- To prep ahead: This dish is very make-ahead friendly. 1. Make the dressing up to two days ahead and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. 2. Prep lettuce leaves up to two days ahead: Wash lettuce leaves and shake off excess water but leave them damp, then lay them in a single layer on paper towels. Cover with another sheet of paper towels, roll up loosely from one side, tuck into a plastic bag and refrigerate. 3. Shred the chicken up to 24 hours ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge. 4. Slice and arrange all filling ingredients in individual bowls, cover and refrigerate for up to several hours. Take the rice out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving — the texture of cold rice is too firm and hard.
- To make rice bowls instead of wraps: Use baby spinach as your base. Divide the spinach and rice among individual bowls, arrange chicken, mango and cucumber on top, sprinkle with scallions and cilantro, and drizzle generously with ginger dressing.
- No ripe mangoes? Peaches, nectarines or mandarin orange sections all work beautifully as substitutes. In a pinch, you can also use defrosted frozen mango.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
- Cuisine: Asian-inspired
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