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There is a time and place for a full meal, complete with a main course, sides, and a salad. For me, that time is not every single night. Instead, I opt for easy, carefree meals that are healthy but satisfying.
Enter these Korean-style chicken lettuce cups, which have two great selling points. First, these are assembled while eating, which is always fun. Second, the flavor of the Korean spices is not spicy but instead so flavorful that you cannot wait for more.
Ground chicken is an ideal meat to soak in all of the flavors in this recipe. Plus, it’s super economical! Once cooked with the spices, the lettuce cups are assembled in large lettuce leaves, which is also an economical choice. The toppings are whatever you’re in the mood for, which makes these easy to fit anyone’s preferences.
The ingredients in these chicken lettuce cups
- Ground chicken is a cost-effective meat that’s easy to keep in the freezer. Choose an organic ground chicken so it has the most flavor.
- Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste. The flavor is chili-forward but balanced with sweetness and a little fermented funk. Sounds unique, but it’s terrific!
- Gochugaru is a Korean chili flake. The chilis are often sun-dried without the seeds and ground into a fine powder. To make sure this ingredient fits your spice level, you can find mild to hot varieties.
- Toasted sesame oil is a key component, and the key word is toasted. When the sesame seeds are toasted before retrieving the oil, the result is a full-tasting oil that carries a huge flavor impact, especially in this recipe.
- Soy sauce is both a seasoning and a flavoring in one. The sauce is fermented and has a good, salty kick, but also a depth of flavor that’s essential.
- Honey helps balance out the stronger flavors with a bit of sweetness.
- Fresh ginger adds a brightness, much like citrus does in some recipes. Fresh ginger has a clean flavor but much more impact than dried ginger.
- Garlic is warmed with the chicken and offsets the impact of the spices with a sweet and almost buttery flavor.
- Buttercrunch lettuce will provide the best leaves for these lettuce cups. Large romaine leaves can work, but they do not have quite the same effect. Buttercrunch is sweet and tender and works perfectly.
The ingredients and steps to make this recipe are simple. Despite that, the flavors are complex, which means this is a winner. Whenever I make these for a meal by myself or serve them to friends, I’m always amazed at how easy they are but also how quickly they disappear!
More Dinner Recipes
- Honey mustard chicken with lentils
- Greek-inspired tacos
- Spinach, quinoa, and salmon bowl
- Parmesan risotto with shrimp and asparagus
- Sheet pan cod and cauliflower rice
Watch how to make these chicken lettuce cups
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Korean-Style Chicken Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 tbsp Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 ½ tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion diced
- 2 heads buttercrunch lettuce broken down into individual leaves
For the toppings
- 1 large carrot grated
- 4 large radish grated
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup crushed salted peanuts
- chili sauce to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add the oil and sauté onions until soft, 5 minutes.1 tbsp neutral oil, 1 onion
- While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl combine the ground chicken, Gochujang, Gochugaru, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, grated ginger, and garlic. Combine until evenly mixed.1 lb ground chicken, 2 tbsp Gochujang (Korean chili paste), 1 ½ tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tsp grated ginger, 3 cloves garlic
- Once the onions are softened, add the chicken mixture to the onions. Cook the chicken and break up into small, bite-size pieces with a spatula. Continue cooking the chicken until it is evenly browned with no pink, 10-14 minutes. Once cooked, remove the skillet from the heat.
- Serve in lettuce cups, with grated carrot, grated radish, chopped cilantro, crushed peanuts, and chili sauce on top.2 heads buttercrunch lettuce, 1 large carrot, 4 large radish, ½ cup chopped cilantro, ½ cup crushed salted peanuts, chili sauce to taste
Love it for the weeknight when I don’t feel like cooking a big meal!!
Me too! It’s easy but filling, a great thing as we head into spring and spend all the time working in the yard.
I made these for dinner tonight and they are delicious! Loved the heat!! I added a little bit of avocado.
Love your recipes!
Is ground Turkey ok to substitute for the chicken?
I made these for dinner tonight since I knew I had everything on hand except the ground chicken which I bought while running errands. This was so easy to make and delicious!!
Really enjoyed this! Very flavorful with relatively few ingredients, and customizable. Thank you!
We absolutely love this recipe! Making again today!
can you provide links to the gochujang and the red pepper please?
This recipe is awesome! Will become a weekly staple. Not only delicious, but easy and you can customize and add different vegetables. We added water chestnuts and sweet chili sauce as a garnish. Very delicious.
This was a great simple and filling meal!
Made these lettuce wraps for dinner tonight. Another favorite. The flavor was amazing.. I added some red onion, avocado and rice noodles, made this an entire meal!