These chicken lettuce wraps are a light and fresh recipe that is perfect for lunch or an easy dinner.
Today’s a big day! Not only is this my first recipe post of the new year, but it’s also the kick start to this month’s recipe series, Light & Fresh. I know one of the most popular New Years resolutions we make is being more intentional about the foods we eat, and I’m here to help! For the month of January, I will be sharing some of my favorite Light & Fresh recipes with you, that are full of flavor, use fresh ingredients, and that your body will love. I am so excited for this, and I know you are going to fall head over heels with some of the awesome recipes I have planned. 2017 is gonna be epic!
Now on to the recipe… Lettuce wraps are a lot of fun. There are so many different ways you can go with them, but the most common is with a little Asian flair. I decided to go for a lighter version of orange chicken with lots of veggies. The result? Some killer chicken wraps! These wraps are perfect for taking to work for lunch, or even for a light dinner that your family will love. To make packing lunch easier you can bring the filling in a container, and the prepped lettuce in a sandwich bag. When it’s time for lunch, just wrap it up and you’re good to go!
For the filling, I made an orange sauce with fresh orange juice, water, rice vinegar and soy sauce. I added some cooked chicken breast, mushrooms and julienned butternut squash. Easy and full of flavor!
One of my favorite life hacks lately has been using the shredded rotisserie chicken breast you can buy in bulk from Costco. It cuts down on cook time, and I don’t have to worry about cleaning a whole cooked chicken. Win-win, y’all. I swear, the membership to Costco is worth it just for the chicken… And their awesome samples, of course!
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 6 small oranges)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup butternut squash, julienned
- 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
- Salt & pepper
- 5 romaine lettuce leaves
- Spinach leaves (optional)
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the sauce ingredients at medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir continually until sauce has thickened (about 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil and cook the mushrooms and butternut squash until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and veggies to the sauce and stir together.
- Prep the lettuce by washing the leaves and cutting off the thin, tougher part of the leaf (closest to the stem).
- In the center of the lettuce, spoon out about 1/3 cup of the mixture. Top with spinach, and roll up. Hold the wrap together with toothpicks.
- Enjoy your wraps with a warm or cold filling.
Now it’s your turn to talk! Answer one of these questions in the comments below:
What is your favorite way to lighten up one of your favorite foods?
What is one of your resolutions?
January 4th, 2017 at 6:25 am
So light and fresh, I love it! Interesting choice for the sauce too, do you have a recommendation to replace the orange juice though cause I can’t have oranges unfortunately..
January 5th, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Hmm honestly, it would be great without the orange! You could sub it with some chicken stock or some other similar ingredient you like to use. :)
January 4th, 2017 at 7:01 am
Chicken lettuce wraps are definitely my go-to when we order out! I feel like it’s the lightest thing on the menu. It’s probably even lighter when homemade! <3 These look great!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:16 pm
I agree! I ordered one at the Cheesecake Factory the other day and it was delicious! They are definitely one of my favorite meals to order at restaurants.
January 4th, 2017 at 7:58 am
What a healthy, light and easy option. I think these can be for lunch or dinner. I love the ability to change the whole taste by the dressing you choose to. Thanks for this!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:20 pm
Thanks Carissa! And I love that too. It’s such a versatile recipe!
January 4th, 2017 at 9:21 am
These look delicious! It’s the perfect thing after I’ve been indulging over the holidays!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:20 pm
I agree!! My body has been craving some greens lately!
January 4th, 2017 at 9:31 am
Wow an orange flavored wrap – I love it. Pinning! I’ve already made several of your recipes so excited to give this a go too :)
January 5th, 2017 at 9:23 pm
Thanks Sarah! I’m so glad you’ve liked them. Which recipes have you tried? :)
January 4th, 2017 at 9:42 am
I love doing lettuce wraps! I actually have a similar post in my que because they are the perfect way to lighten up foods. I always love reading your recipe posts. :)
January 5th, 2017 at 9:27 pm
Oh how funny! I can’t wait to see what yours are. I’m sure they are delicious!!
January 4th, 2017 at 9:43 am
These look really good! I’m going to try these out soon. :)
January 5th, 2017 at 9:30 pm
Thanks Crystal! Let me know if you do. I’d love to hear how they turned out :)
January 4th, 2017 at 10:15 am
These look delicious! I’ve never done a lettuce wrap before but I need to try it! Pinning this for later!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:30 pm
Thank you Jamie! You need to try them out… It’s the perfect way to have a wrap without all the extra carbs and calories.
January 4th, 2017 at 10:22 am
I’m always looking for great lettuce wrap recipes. This sounds delicious and seems super easy. Thanks for the tip on Costco. I’ve gotten rotisserie chicken there but didn’t know that you could get shredded chicken there.
January 5th, 2017 at 9:34 pm
Thanks Julie! The shredded chicken there is AMAZING. It’s in the refrigerated section with all the other prepared foods they make at Costco.
January 4th, 2017 at 10:27 am
I LOVE lettuce wraps! Great lunch option when you want tons of fresh flavor without all the carbs. Delicious!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:35 pm
I agree!! It’s also fun to mix it up with iceberg lettuce or cabbage leaves when you want a little crunch. Yum!
January 4th, 2017 at 11:54 am
What a good healthy meal, I feel like it is something I can make and carry to work.
January 5th, 2017 at 9:36 pm
Yes! That’s what’s so awesome about these wraps. Easy peasy!
January 4th, 2017 at 12:07 pm
Looking to cut back on carbs, so this recipe is perfect! Thanks for sharing it!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:36 pm
Awesome! I’m glad to help out. :)
January 4th, 2017 at 1:31 pm
Yum! I love that this looks light, fresh and filling. Pinned!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Thanks for pinning!!
January 4th, 2017 at 2:11 pm
looks yummy. pinned it!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Thanks for pinning Leah!
January 4th, 2017 at 2:35 pm
These seriously look delicious!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:38 pm
Thank you Chrissy!! They were so tasty!
January 4th, 2017 at 3:58 pm
Omg yum lettuce wraps are one of my favorite meals!!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:39 pm
One of mine too! They are so yummy :D
January 4th, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Some really great things all rolled up into 1!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:42 pm
Thanks Brittany! It was really yummy :)
January 4th, 2017 at 5:18 pm
This would be perfct this weekend! We are having friends over!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:42 pm
Oh awesome! Let me know if you make it. I’d love to hear how they turned out :)
January 4th, 2017 at 8:29 pm
this is a great lunch recipe! cant wait to try it
January 5th, 2017 at 9:42 pm
Thanks Dixya!
January 4th, 2017 at 8:33 pm
I love this idea! Can’t beat a simple chicken dish for dinner. :)
January 5th, 2017 at 9:46 pm
No you can’t! I’m a huge fan of chicken. Yum!
January 4th, 2017 at 8:42 pm
These sound delicious. Lettuce wraps are one of my favorites. Love the veggie combination and the sauce. A yeah, let’s try this recipe.
January 5th, 2017 at 9:47 pm
Awesome! Let me know how it goes if you try it out. :)
January 5th, 2017 at 12:30 am
That’s so much more healthy then just bread, lettuce is so yum!!!!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:47 pm
Oh yes! I love replacing the bread with lettuce. Yum!
January 5th, 2017 at 1:02 pm
I totally needed more healthy meal ideas! I’m definitely trying this out!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:48 pm
Awesome! Let me know how it turns out if you try it out :)
January 5th, 2017 at 9:13 pm
You should! I also love using iceberg lettuce or cabbage leaves to give a nice crunch. Yum!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:39 pm
Thank you Lisa! And yes, this works perfectly for healthy living challenges. You’ll love it!
January 5th, 2017 at 9:51 pm
Yes! That’s what I loved about them. I’ll take most any way to cut empty carbs, that’s for sure!!
January 10th, 2017 at 8:38 pm
That doesn’t only look and sound good but seems to be very healthy. Yum!