Creamy, slightly spicy Thai‑style peanut chicken spooned into crisp butter lettuce with crunchy cabbage, fresh herbs, and crushed peanuts for texture; bright lime and savory peanut notes balance the heat.
Crisp Thai Peanut Lettuce Cups for Weeknights
A quick, low‑carb handheld dinner: creamy, tangy peanut‑ginger chicken piled into butter lettuce with crunchy cabbage, fresh herbs, and crushed peanuts.
If you want big Thai flavors without the carbs or fuss, these lettuce cups are the perfect weeknight solution. Ground chicken browns up in one skillet while a silky peanut sauce comes together in a bowl — in under 30 minutes you have a bright, crunchy dinner that eats like a wrap but feels light on the belly.
The sauce is the showstopper: natural peanut butter thinned with lime juice, rice vinegar and a touch of warm water for pourability, rounded with sesame oil, low‑sodium tamari, fish sauce and a hit of chili garlic for heat. A little erythritol (or your preferred sugar‑free sweetener) balances the tang; whisk, taste, and tweak for salt, sweet and spice until it sings.
Cooking the chicken is fast and forgiving. Heat avocado oil, crumble in the ground chicken, and brown until just cooked — a splash of tamari while it cooks gives savory depth. Toss the meat with the peanut sauce so each bite is glossy and flavorful. Pile it into rinsed butter lettuce leaves with shredded napa cabbage, matchstick cucumber, thin red pepper and lots of scallions and herbs for contrast.
These hold up well for meal prep: the sauce keeps separately for up to 5 days, and cooked chicken stays tightly sealed in the fridge for 3–4 days. At service time, scatter crushed peanuts and a big squeeze of lime over the cups for burst of texture and brightness. Perfect as a light dinner, party finger food, or an easy make‑ahead lunch that still feels fresh.
Ingredients
How to Make Thai Peanut Chicken Lettuce Cups
- Make the peanut sauce: whisk together peanut butter, low-sodium tamari, fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, erythritol, grated garlic, and grated ginger in a small bowl until smooth; thin with 1–2 tbsp warm water if needed for a pourable consistency.
- Prep the vegetables: core and thinly slice the red bell pepper, shred the napa cabbage, slice the cucumber into matchsticks, and thinly slice the scallions; separate and rinse butter lettuce leaves and pat dry.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add avocado oil; when hot, add the ground chicken and break it up with a spoon.
- Cook the chicken, stirring frequently, until it's browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes; season lightly with 1 tbsp tamari (if you prefer less sodium omit) and a pinch of black pepper while cooking.
- Reduce heat to medium and pour about half of the peanut sauce into the skillet with the chicken; stir to coat and cook 1–2 minutes until the sauce is warmed and clings to the meat—reserve the remaining sauce for drizzling.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in half of the chopped cilantro and most of the scallions; taste and adjust with extra lime or tamari if needed.
- Assemble the lettuce cups by spooning 2–3 tablespoons of shredded cabbage into a lettuce leaf, topping with 2–3 tablespoons of the peanut chicken, then adding sliced bell pepper, cucumber matchsticks, a sprinkle of crushed peanuts, remaining scallions, and cilantro.
- Serve the lettuce cups on a platter with the reserved peanut sauce on the side for drizzling; optional lime wedges and extra chili garlic sauce can be offered for more heat.
Recipe Card
Thai Peanut Chicken Lettuce Cups
Creamy, slightly spicy Thai‑style peanut chicken spooned into crisp butter lettuce with crunchy cabbage, fresh herbs, and crushed peanuts for texture; bright lime and savory peanut notes balance the heat.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the peanut sauce: whisk together peanut butter, low-sodium tamari, fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, erythritol, grated garlic, and grated ginger in a small bowl until smooth; thin with 1–2 tbsp warm water if needed for a pourable consistency.
- Prep the vegetables: core and thinly slice the red bell pepper, shred the napa cabbage, slice the cucumber into matchsticks, and thinly slice the scallions; separate and rinse butter lettuce leaves and pat dry.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add avocado oil; when hot, add the ground chicken and break it up with a spoon.
- Cook the chicken, stirring frequently, until it's browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes; season lightly with 1 tbsp tamari (if you prefer less sodium omit) and a pinch of black pepper while cooking.
- Reduce heat to medium and pour about half of the peanut sauce into the skillet with the chicken; stir to coat and cook 1–2 minutes until the sauce is warmed and clings to the meat—reserve the remaining sauce for drizzling.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in half of the chopped cilantro and most of the scallions; taste and adjust with extra lime or tamari if needed.
- Assemble the lettuce cups by spooning 2–3 tablespoons of shredded cabbage into a lettuce leaf, topping with 2–3 tablespoons of the peanut chicken, then adding sliced bell pepper, cucumber matchsticks, a sprinkle of crushed peanuts, remaining scallions, and cilantro.
- Serve the lettuce cups on a platter with the reserved peanut sauce on the side for drizzling; optional lime wedges and extra chili garlic sauce can be offered for more heat.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 13
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Sodium
- 650
- Fiber
- 4
- Unsaturated Fat
- 20
- Protein
- 44
- Fat
- 23
- Cholesterol
- 95
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 434
- Sugar
- 4