If you love Cheesecake Factory lettuce wraps, you're going to love my copycat recipe! Easy to recreate yourself at home, these Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps are made with chicken tenderloins and a homemade peanut sauce. Bursting with Asian-inspired flavor and ready in just about 35 minutes.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Thai Lettuce Wraps Recipe
- Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- How To Make Thai Lettuce Wraps
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Tips For Making This Thai Wrap Recipe
- What To Serve With My Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe
- Other Delicious Chicken Recipes To Try
- Copycat Cheesecake Factory Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Why You'll Love This Thai Lettuce Wraps Recipe
One of my favorite things to order at The Cheesecake Factory is their Thai Chicken Wraps. They're super fresh and light, but still packed with fantastic flavor and an array of toppings and dipping sauces. And they're typically large enough to eat as an entree. So when I had a reader request some lettuce wraps, I figured a copycat Thai chicken wraps recipe was in order!
Now, I made a few changes to my own tastes and for the purpose of simplicity. What I ended up with was lettuce wraps that are super delicious without all the guilt of unhealthy eating. With a delicious Asian-inspired flavor profile and a delicious, slightly spicy peanut sauce to drizzle on top, this is an easy make-ahead dinner for those busy summer nights that you can't imagine cooking!
Here are just a few more reasons to love this recipe:
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- Ready in under 1 hour
- Perfect for lunch or dinner
- Served with homemade peanut sauce
- Gorgeous presentation
Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- Chicken: I'm using a package of chicken tenderloins with my Coconut Cilantro Lime Chicken marinade for this. The marinade comes together super quickly and easily, and the flavors work so well with the peanut sauce.
- Peanut Sauce: You'll need peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, Sriracha, garlic powder and honey make the peanut sauce. It's the same one in my Rainbow Asian Chicken Salad recipe! Taste it and if you feel it necessary, add salt.
- Lettuce: I like butter lettuce best for the wraps, but you can use romaine or leaf lettuce if you'd like. The key is to choose lettuce leaves that are large and sturdy enough to hold the filling and toppings.
- Toppings: Speaking of toppings, I'm using shredded carrots, fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, and my Asian Cucumber Salad. Feel free to add your favorite extras.
How To Make Thai Lettuce Wraps
Step 1: Make the chicken
Place all of the marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken to a separate bowl or a Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over it. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Use a skillet or your grill to cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temp! Let the chicken rest while you work on the peanut sauce.
Step 2: Make the peanut sauce.
Place the peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 3: Assemble lettuce wraps
Add the grilled marinated chicken to the lettuce wraps. Top with the cucumber salad, shredded carrots, fresh cilantro, and peanut sauce. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top just like at Cheesecake Factory, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer to use butter lettuce — also called Boston or Bibb lettuce — for my Thai wraps as it has the best texture. You can also use romaine or leaf lettuce.
I carefully remove the bottom and gently wash and dry each leaf. Dry them as thoroughly as you can to prevent a lot of excess liquid.
Keeping these from falling apart can be tough — this isn't exactly the cleanest meal. If you're really worried about making a mess, you can double up and use two pieces of lettuce on top of each other for each wrap. Or chop your ingredients and eat them as a salad.
I like using the peanut sauce dressing in my Rainbow Asian Chicken Salad as outlined on the recipe card below. I often make a double batch! You could also add a drizzle of Sriracha if you're craving a spicier wrap.
You can really go in any direction you'd prefer here! I like to serve my wraps like Cheesecake Factory topped with Asian Cucumber Salad, shredded carrots, plenty of cilantro, peanut sauce, and sesame seeds.
You can freeze the chicken either raw in the marinade or after cooking it — it will keep for up to 3-6 month. The peanut sauce, toppings, and lettuce won't freeze well, so it's best to prepare those just before serving.
Tips For Making This Thai Wrap Recipe
- Don't overcook the chicken! Keep a close eye on the chicken while grilling and pull them from the grill when they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Remember to use a meat thermometer to double-check and rest them tented in foil for a couple minutes to bring them to 165 degrees F.
- You can serve the chicken warm and fresh off the grill or refrigerate and serve it cold — it tastes great either way.
- If you don't want a very messy eating experience, you can also chop all the ingredients and serve it as a salad.
- Ingredients to prep ahead: Shred the carrots, clean the cilantro, make the peanut sauce, make the Asian Cucumber Salad in advance so the cucumbers can marinate in the dressing. You should also marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes before cooking it.
- Leftovers and storage: Leftovers will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend storing each component of the wraps separately so that they don't go soggy.
What To Serve With My Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe
These wraps make for an excellent, lighter meal on their own. But, if you want to enjoy these for dinner, or simply want something a little more hearty, try pairing them with:
Other Delicious Chicken Recipes To Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 package chicken tenderloins
- 1 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken (or whisked to fully combine)
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 large or 4 small limes)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon dried cilantro
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes,
Peanut sauce
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 large or 4 small limes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Lettuce wraps and toppings
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 1 cup Shredded carrots
- 1 bunch Fresh cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame seeds
- 1 cup Asian cucumber salad
Instructions
Chicken
- Mix together all marinade ingredients and marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes.
- Grill chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
- Rest chicken for a couple minutes.
Peanut sauce
- Whisk all peanut sauce ingredients until well combined.
Lettuce wraps
- Place chicken pieces onto lettuce wraps.
- Top with cucumber salad, shredded carrots and fresh cilantro.
- Drizzle with peanut sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Don't overcook the chicken! Keep a close eye on the chicken while grilling and pull them from the grill when they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Remember to use a meat thermometer to double-check and rest them tented in foil for a couple minutes to bring them to 165 degrees F.
- You can serve the chicken warm and fresh off the grill or refrigerate and serve it cold — it tastes great either way.
- If you don't want a very messy eating experience, you can also chop all the ingredients and serve it as a salad.
- Ingredients to prep ahead: Shred the carrots, clean the cilantro, make the peanut sauce, make the Asian Cucumber Salad in advance so the cucumbers can marinate in the dressing. You should also marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes before cooking it.
- Leftovers and storage: Leftovers will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend storing each component of the wraps separately so that they don't go soggy.
Leah V. says
Jessy Freimann says
Kris says
Jessy Freimann says
Shelley Senters says
April says
Shannon says
Jessy Freimann says
Rachel says
Jessy Freimann says
A says
Jessy Freimann says
Sandee says
Denise says
Jessy Freimann says
Anne says
Jessy Freimann says
Anne says
Jessy Freimann says
Tonya says
Jessy Freimann says
Becca says
Jessy Freimann says
Franco De Andreis says
Shannon says
Jessy Freimann says
Lwniru says
Julie says
Jessy Freimann says
Karen Rodriguez says
Jessy Freimann says
Patti Wilson says
Austin says
Carol says
Jessy Freimann says
Kris says
Jessy Freimann says
Stacey says
Jessy Freimann says
Ariena says
Jessy Freimann says
Julie says
CF says
Laurey M says
Tiffany says