Yard House Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
This Yard House Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe brings savory ground chicken, fresh garlic, ginger, and sweet hoisin sauce together in crisp lettuce cups. Inspired by the restaurant-style appetizer, this homemade version is easy to prepare in about 35 minutes with simple ingredients and one skillet. The glossy soy sauce coating adds rich flavor, while iceberg lettuce keeps every bite fresh and crunchy. If you enjoy Asian chicken lettuce wraps, this recipe is a great choice for a quick lunch or dinner. Serve yours with steamed rice, stir-fried vegetables, or crispy spring rolls.
Ingredients
- For the chicken filling
- - 1 pound ground chicken
- - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- - ½ medium onion finely diced
- - 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely minced
- - 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or Shaoxing cooking wine
- - 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- - 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- - 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- - 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- - ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- - 2 green onions finely chopped
- For the sauce
- - 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
- - 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- - 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- - 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- - ¼ cup cold water
- - ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- For serving
- - 1 large head iceberg lettuce or 1 head romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Step 1 - Prepare the Lettuce: Separate the lettuce leaves carefully, keeping them as whole as possible so you can use them as wraps. Rinse each leaf thoroughly under cold running water, then shake off the excess water and let the leaves drain. Pat them dry with paper towels if needed. Set the lettuce aside while you prepare the chicken and sauce ingredients.
- Step 2 - Chop the Aromatics: Finely dice half of a medium onion. Mince the four garlic cloves and the fresh ginger, keeping the pieces small so they distribute evenly throughout the chicken. Chop the two green onions into small pieces and set them aside. Measure the soy sauces, hoisin sauce, rice wine, sugar, and white pepper so everything is ready to add during cooking.
- Step 3 - Make the Cornstarch Slurry: Add the cornstarch to a small bowl with the cold water. Stir until the cornstarch dissolves and the mixture looks smooth, with no dry lumps at the bottom. Set it aside for the sauce. The cornstarch will settle as it stands, so stir it again just before adding it to the pan.
- Step 4 - Sauté the Onion: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and stir-fry for about 1 minute, stirring frequently so it cooks evenly. Let the onion soften and develop lightly browned edges without letting it burn. This gives the chicken filling a savory base.
- Step 5 - Add the Garlic and Ginger: Add the minced garlic and ginger to the skillet with the onion. Stir-fry for about 20–30 seconds, just until fragrant. Keep the ingredients moving because garlic can burn quickly over medium-high heat. Once the aroma becomes noticeable, move straight to the next step.
- Step 6 - Cook the Ground Chicken: Add the ground chicken to the skillet. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break it into small pieces as it cooks. Stir-fry until the chicken is about halfway cooked, with some pink still visible. Pour in the rice wine and continue cooking, breaking up any larger clumps. Cook until the chicken is mostly cooked through, then check that it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before serving.
- Step 7 - Season the Chicken: Sprinkle the sugar over the chicken and stir until it dissolves and coats the meat evenly. Add the regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce, then continue stir-frying until the chicken has an even brown color. Stir in the hoisin sauce and cook briefly so its sweet, savory flavor coats the filling. Add the white pepper and chopped green onions, stirring everything together until evenly combined.
- Step 8 - Transfer the Chicken Filling: Remove the cooked chicken mixture from the skillet and place it in a clean bowl. Keep the filling warm while you prepare the sauce. Leave the flavorful browned bits and any remaining juices in the skillet, as these will add extra flavor to the sauce.
- Step 9 - Combine the Sauce Ingredients: Reduce the heat to low. Add the regular soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and dark soy sauce to the same skillet. Stir continuously for about 10 seconds, allowing the sauces to combine with the flavorful residue in the pan. Keep the heat low to prevent the sauce from scorching.
- Step 10 - Thicken the Sauce: Stir the cornstarch slurry again to redistribute the settled starch. Pour it into the skillet while stirring the sauce continuously. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Keep stirring as the sauce heats and thickens. Once it becomes glossy and thick enough to lightly coat a spoon, remove it from the heat. Stir in the white pepper.
- Step 11 - Assemble the Lettuce Wraps: Arrange the dry lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Spoon a portion of the warm chicken filling into the center of each leaf, leaving enough room around the edges to fold the lettuce without spilling the filling. Drizzle a little of the prepared sauce over each portion. Serve the remaining sauce on the side so everyone can add more as desired.
- Step 12 - Serve Immediately: Serve the chicken lettuce wraps while the filling is warm and the lettuce is crisp. You can fold each lettuce leaf around the chicken like a small taco or eat it open-faced. For a simple restaurant-style meal, serve the wraps with steamed rice or your favorite Asian-inspired side dish.