This Meal Prep Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Pistachios recipe is perfect to have as a weeknight dinner or to make ahead for lunch. Filled with fresh veggies, ground chicken, pistachios, and crispy lettuce leaves. Plus, these wraps are fully customizable-you can use any veggies you have on hand!
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Table of Contents
Why you'll love it
Talk about a flavorful meal that comes together in no time! These healthy chicken lettuce wraps are a must-try! Here's why you'll want to make them tonight:
- Quick and Easy: Ready in just 25 minutes, you can easily whip up this satisfying meal even on busy work nights.
- Customizable: Choose your favorite quick-cooking veggies or whatever's in the fridge to make this recipe uniquely yours.
- Healthy and Protein-Packed: With lean ground chicken and crunchy pistachios, you'll get plenty of protein and healthy fats to keep you fueled.
- Low-Carb: While carbs are an important part of a balanced diet, sometimes it's nice to mix things up with a lower carb option. Here we're wrapping the chicken mixture in crisp lettuce leaves for a light option that's packed with flavor.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Easily meal prep these healthy chicken lettuce wraps by cooking the filling in advance and storing in individual containers. Then, just grab some lettuce leaves, reheat the filling, and you're all set for a satisfying lunch or dinner.
Why is it healthy?
These lettuce wraps are not just tasty-they're loaded with nutrients too.
- Protein-Packed: Lean ground chicken is a great source of protein, helping to keep you full and maintain muscle mass. Studies show that high-protein meals can support weight management and metabolic health by helping control appetite and maintaining muscle mass.
- Healthy Fats: Pistachios provide heart-healthy fats and are rich in antioxidants like vitamin E, which help protect the cells in your body from damage. AKA - potentially reducing risk of things like heart disease, cancer, and more.
- Veggie-Packed: The colorful veggies you choose bring a boost of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients help support our immune system and can help protect against diseases, reducing health risks over time.
Ingredients you'll need
Here's a quick rundown of the ingredients to grab for these delicious wraps:
- Ground Chicken: A lean, versatile protein that's easy to find at any grocery store. You could also swap it out for ground turkey.
- Fresh Ginger: Adds a warm, spicy kick to the dish. You can use fresh ginger or opt for ready-to-go ginger paste to save time.
- Garlic: This adds rich, savory depth to the dish. Again, you can use fresh garlic or opt for ready-to-go garlic paste to save time.
- Quick-Cooking Vegetables: Think bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, or broccoli-dice them small for fast, even cooking. Pro tip: Use a veggie chopper to get even sized pieces.
- Roasted Pistachios: Crunchy and flavorful! If you only have raw pistachios, just toast them beforehand to bring out that extra nutty flavor.
- Lettuce Leaves: Butter lettuce, romaine leaves, or pre-packaged lettuce boats are the perfect vessel for holding all that delicious filling.
Can I use a different protein than chicken?
Totally! I've also tested this with ground turkey, ground beef, and Beyond Meat before and they were delishhh.
How to make these chicken lettuce wraps
Ready to whip up these tasty wraps? Follow this simple step-by-step guide:
1. Cook the chicken
Start by heating a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes, breaking it apart with a spatula. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add aromatics and veggies
Stir in the grated ginger, garlic, and diced vegetables. Cook for about 2 minutes until the veggies are tender and fragrant.
3. Mix in pistachios
Stir in the soy sauce and chopped pistachios. Let everything cook together for about a minute to blend the flavors, then remove from heat.
4. Serve
Scoop the chicken mixture into lettuce leaves. For an extra zing, add a squeeze of lime juice and a dash of soy sauce if you like! Sometimes we'll even add some extra pistachios and chow mein noodles on top for extra crunch!
Recipe tips and tricks
- Serving Tips: For a heartier meal, pair these lettuce wraps with a side of steamed jasmine rice or fluffy quinoa. They also go great with a light and refreshing cucumber salad.
- Troubleshooting: If you find your lettuce leaves tearing, don't fret! Simply use two leaves per wrap for extra support. Also, when cooking if you notice the pan is looking very dry, just add 2 tablespoons of water to moisten things up.
- Scaling: Prepping a bunch at a time? No problem! You can easily double or triple the recipe. Just make sure you have a large enough pan to cook everything.
Customize it your way
Just like all my recipes, these chicken lettuce wraps are completely customizable! You get to make them your own with these fun options:
- Veggies of your choice: Mix it up with your favorites! Shredded cabbage, crunchy snap peas, or earthy broccoli can all add a tasty twist.
- Protein of your choice: We generally recommend using chicken, but other ground proteins could work well too. You could try using ground turkey, beef, or even shredded tofu.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Absolutely, that's where this recipe really shines! You can prepare the chicken and veggie mixture in advance. Simply store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We even find it tends to get more flavorful as it sits.
When ready to enjoy your wraps, just reheat the mixture and fill your lettuce leaves for a quick and easy meal! If you are bringing this to work, just keep the lettuce leaves separate from the filling to prevent them from getting soggy.
How do I store leftover ground chicken lettuce wraps?
To keep leftovers fresh, store any extra cooked chicken filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the lettuce stored separately in a damp paper towel or container.
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Meal Prep Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Pistachios
Recommended Products
- Grated Garlic and Ginger Tubes Perfect if you want to save time & don't want to grate the ginger and garlic!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken (I've also tested this with ground turkey, ground beef, and Beyond Meat before and they were all really good!)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated
- 1 ½ cups quick cooking vegetables of your choice diced into ¼-inch pieces (sweet bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, etc)
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
- ½ cup roasted and shelled lightly salted pistachios roughly chopped
- 1 head of lettuce, leaves separated (or 7 ounce container of ready-to-go lettuce boats)
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add ground chicken. Break the chicken apart with a spatula and cook until fully cooked, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add ginger, garlic, and diced vegetables to the same skillet and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce and chopped pistachios, mixing well to combine. Cook for another 1 minute, allowing the flavors to meld together. Then, remove from heat. (If you notice the pan is looking very dry, add 2 tablespoons of water.)
- Serve the chicken mixture in crisp lettuce leaves, topped with a squeeze of lime juice and a dash of soy sauce if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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