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Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a favorite menu item of mine at The Cheesecake Factory. I wanted to make my own version at home to save money and this is as close as it gets. While there are a lot of components, it’s pretty easy and straightforward. You can easily make this on a weeknight if you’re prepared.
This recipe requires marinating time for both the chicken and the cucumbers. Therefore, you really need to plan on making this ahead of time to get all of the flavor out of it. Rather than making a marinade from scratch for the chicken, utilize your favorite Asian flavored dressing or marinade. I like Trader Joe’s Toasted Sesame dressing. The bare minimum time for marinating is three hours, but the longer it sits, the better it gets. The cucumbers don’t need as much time as the chicken, 1 to 3 hours is plenty. Just be sure to drain the cucumbers before serving.
The only other cooking required is boiling spaghetti noodles and making the peanut sauce. A food processor is the best way to make the sauce. Be sure to add the water last. If you add the water too soon, you’ll create a mess as soon as you turn the food processor on. Once everything else is blended, slowly pour the water through the feed tube. This ensures less mess to clean up.
This recipe makes a lot of sauce. That’s intentional so you don’t end up running out when someone gets heavy-handed with their pour. It can happen, this sauce is drink-worthy. Store leftovers in a ball jar in the fridge for up to a week. Finally, don’t skip the peanuts. They add the most delightful, salty crunch that pulls the whole meal together.
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 jar marinade Trader Joe's Toasted Sesame dressing
- 1 c matchstick carrots
- 2 heads romaine lettuce washed
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1 c salted peanuts lightly crushed
Marinated Cucumbers
- 1 English cucumber (seedless) seeded, diced
- 1 c water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
Peanut Sauce
- 1 c smooth peanut butter
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/2 c water
Instructions
- Marinate chicken breasts for at least 3 hours in the marinade in the fridge.
- For the cucumbers mix water, sugar and rice vinegar together until sugar dissolves. Add diced cucumbers, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Cook spaghetti until al dente. Rinse and add a little olive oil to keep from sticking.
- Cook chicken breasts on a grill or Blackstone over medium heat until cooked through. About 8 minutes per side. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicicing.
- For the sauce add everything but the water to a food processor and blend until smooth. With the food processor on, slowly add the water through the feed tube.
- Add peanuts to a large zip loc bag and gently pound with a rolling pin.
- Assemble with lettuce on bottom, spaghetti, chicken, cucumbers, carrots, sauce and top with peanuts.