Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps – delicious healthy dinner recipe! Lettuce Wraps filled with chicken and veggies in a delicious sauce and topped with crunchy cashews. Perfect for healthy meal prep!
This post originally published in 2013. Updated on January 3, 2018 because the photos made me want to cry.
Hi guys.
Should we talk about resolutions? I love a new year and a fresh start and setting up intentions and goals.
My current resolution list is just a bunch of tiny things that take up 3 pages of a google doc. They’re mostly like “Quit being super cheap and spend the $15 a month on Audible because you love listening to books while you cook”. Nothing life changing. Just little things that I hope will ultimately add up to make be a better person, better mom, better business woman over time.
I also tend to start eating healthier and cleaner but I think it’s more just getting back to normal. Because from Halloween to New Years, we all indulge a little more than usual, right?
It’s less a resolution and more just getting back to what we were doing before we had bags and bags of tiny candy bars in our house at all times.
Cashew chicken used to be my faaaaavorite Chinese takeout order when we were in Colorado. The place by our house did it so well and then we moved to Texas and I can’t find good cashew chicken to save my life. So I switched my order to Mu Shu Pork but anyway.
That’s not what this post is about.
I’ve been making these Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps since I got into paleo eating, in like 2012. It’s not totally paleo because of the hoisin but you can leave that out if you are strict paleo. It’s delicious without it – I just started adding it in within the last year or so because at some point I became obsessed with adding hoisin to everything I eat.
How To Make Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- To make sauce, whisk together coconut aminos (or soy sauce), hoisin sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, honey, minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper flakes
- Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet
- Add diced chicken to the hot skillet and stir fry until browned
- Add diced onion and green bell pepper
- Stir fry until chicken is cooked through
- Add water chestnuts, sauce, and cashews
- Cover skillet and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly
- To serve, spoon chicken into lettuce leaves and sprinkle with green onions and more cashews
How Long Is Cashew Chicken Good For?
The cashew chicken mixture will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 – 4 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container (or covered very tightly) to keep it fresh.
Keep your lettuce separate from the chicken mixture so it stays nice and crisp. Don’t try to assemble the lettuce wraps ahead of time.
More Lettuce Wraps Recipes
- Blackened Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Mango Salsa
- Crockpot Carnitas Lettuce Wraps
- Korean BBQ Meatball Lettuce Wraps
- Mu Shu Pork Lettuce Wraps
- Thai Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
- Sesame Beef Lettuce Wraps
- Hummus Turkey Lettuce Wraps
More Chinese Takeout Recipes
- Sesame Chicken
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Honey Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Chinese String Beans and Pork
- Orange Beef and Broccoli
- Black Pepper Chicken
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Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos, or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
For the wraps:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or cooking oil of choice
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced
- salt and pepper
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced
- 1/2 cup cashews, plus more for serving
- green onions, diced
- lettuce, separated and hard stems removed
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients until combined. Set aside.
For the chicken:
- Heat coconut oil in pan over medium heat. Season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Add to hot pan and stir fry until browned. Add onions and green pepper and cook until the onion is translucent and the chicken is cooked through. Add water chesnuts, sauce, and cashews. Cover and let simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until sauce has reduced and cashews have softened slightly.
- To serve, spoon chicken mixture into lettuce leaves and sprinkle with green onions and more cashews.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 449Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 1037mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 17gProtein: 32g
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste says
I have been loving your football recipes but am enjoying this brief caloric break with refreshing lettuce wraps :) Thanks for sharing!
cassie says
No football food needed when cashew chicken is involved. It’s one of my favorites and I love the lettuce wrap twist!
Tracey says
Can your husband call my husband and talk to him about this whole shopping thing? I can’t remember the last time my husband went to the grocery store :P Anyway, this cashew chicken sounds insane – this sauce is full of all the best ingredients!
Jamie | Jamie's Recipes says
Love this! Sometimes I don’t want a giant bowl of rice with my cashew chicken. This is perfect. Yum!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I am so making this! Even my daughter will eat lettuce wraps, and with cashews? YES!
Jaclyn says
I love lettuce wraps, I always order them at the Chinese restaurants but never made them at home. I want to try these they look delicious!
Food, Faith, and Other Fabulous Finds says
I’m totally with you about the cashew chicken. It’s my favorite take-out order, but ever since we moved to SA, I can’t find a decent one to save my life. Thanks for the recipe!
Kari says
Love this! We are always looking for different versions of lettuce wraps. We generally do cashew chicken on top of rice but will have to try it out with a lettuce wrap instead. I agree that a sprinkle of scallions really makes the dish :)