I’ll be honest, I love a good lettuce wrap. There’s something about that contrast of cool, crisp iceberg and sticky, spicy-sweet chicken that just works. So when my wife and I had the Szechuan chicken lettuce wraps at JOEY, she looked at me and said: “I bet you can make these at home.” So I did.
This version starts from a couple of copycat recipes I found floating around the internet. I took a few of the most logical pieces of those – like building a sauce with a base of hoisin and soy – and then put my own spin on it, to where I can confidently say that the product stands on it’s own. The biggest upgrades: I swapped chicken thigh for chicken breast for a leaner bite, built out a more aromatic base with fresh ginger, garlic and scallions, added red bell pepper for sweetness and crunch, and dialed in the sauce proportions so the heat and sweetness are actually balanced. Oh, and honey instead of brown sugar for smoother, more natural sweetness.
The result is a 30-minute appetizer (or honestly, a full weeknight dinner) that I’d put up against the restaurant version any day.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The sauce is sticky in the best way – hoisin and soy with a hit of sambal oelek and honey, reduced right in the pan so it coats every piece of chicken. The fresh Fresno chili, bell pepper and scallion greens go in at the end so they stay bright and punchy. And the toppings – crispy wonton strips and/or fried onions, roasted peanuts, and a drizzle of sriracha mayo – are what turn this from good to genuinely great.
The Ingredients
The Sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup less-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons sambal oelek (go with 1-2 tablespoons if you want a less-spicy version)
The Aromatics
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced (about 4 cloves)
- 6 scallions, whites and greens separated and chopped
The Protein & Veg
- 2 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced (this is key)
- 1 Fresno chili (or more if you like it hot), sliced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced (again, if you want a lower spice level go with more bell pepper in place of the chili’s)
The Toppings
- ½ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Crispy wonton strips and/or crispy fried onions (just buy the kind in the bag)
- Sriracha mayo (equal parts sriracha and Kewpie mayo, stirred together)
To Serve
- ½ head of iceberg lettuce, cut in half — the leaves become your cups
Plus: neutral cooking oil
How to Make It
1. Make the sauce and sriracha mayo first
Whisk together the hoisin, soy sauce, honey, and sambal oelek in a small bowl. Set it aside. In a separate bowl, stir together equal parts sriracha and Kewpie mayo for the drizzle. Refrigerate the mayo until you’re ready to serve.
2. Brown the chicken
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a splash of neutral oil. Add your thinly sliced chicken breast and let it sit undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to get some color. Flip and brown the other side. You’re not cooking it through at this stage – just getting that golden crust.
3. Clear the pan and build the aromatic base
Remove the chicken from the skillet (or push it to the side). You’ll probably notice the chicken has released a fair amount of liquid – drain that off and give the pan a quick wipe. Add another small touch of oil, then add your ginger, garlic, and scallion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 90 seconds until fragrant and just softened.
4. Bring it all together
Add the chicken back into the pan and stir it with the aromatics for about 60 seconds. Pour in the sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir everything together. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and clings to the chicken.
5. Finish and serve
Pull the pan off the heat. Stir in the roasted peanuts, scallion greens, Fresno chili, and red bell pepper – the residual heat is enough to soften them just slightly while keeping their brightness.
Serve straight from the pan alongside iceberg lettuce cups, a pile of crispy wonton strips or fried onions, and a generous drizzle of that sriracha mayo.
A Few Notes
On the chicken: Thinly sliced breast cooks fast and stays tender here. If you want to go the original route with thighs, they work too – just expect a bit more liquid released in the pan, which is exactly why the drain-and-wipe step matters.
On the heat: Three tablespoons of sambal plus a Fresno chili is a solid medium-spicy. If you’re cooking for people who don’t love heat, drop the sambal to 1 or 2 tablespoons and skip the Fresno – the bell pepper gives you color and texture without the fire.
On the crunch: Don’t skip the wonton strips or crispy onions. That textural contrast with the soft chicken and cool lettuce is half the point of the dish.
On the lettuce: Cut the whole head in half rather than pulling individual leaves – the natural cup shape of the inner leaves is perfect, and it looks great on the table.
These are the kind of appetizers that disappear in minutes. Whether you’re making them as a starter before dinner or just going full wrap-for-dinner mode (no judgment, we’ve done it), this recipe delivers. The JOEY version is great, but I honestly think this one might be better.
Let me know in the comments if you try it and what you think!
Love, Food & Beer 