These Szechuan chicken lettuce wraps are the perfect copycat version of the popular Joey restaurant appetizer! Classic lettuce wraps get the ultimate upgrade in this appetizer recipe - Ready in 30 minutes, these chicken lettuce wraps are easy and packed with flavor!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Full of flavor: These lettuce wraps are far from ordinary. The sweet and spicy soy glaze is perfectly balanced and packs a flavorful punch. You get the best of all worlds with this spicy Szechuan chicken!
- Just like the restaurant: If you like the restaurant's recipe for these lettuce wraps, you will love this recipe. The sauce comes as close as you can imagine to the Joey version, even including the toppings!
- Quick cooking: It takes less than 30 minutes to get this recipe on your table. These chicken wraps make the perfect quick lunch or dinner, with easy, minimal prep and cooking.
Ingredient Notes
Get Your Pantry Ready to Cook!
For more detailed information on many of the ingredients used in this recipe, check out this guide to 10 pantry staple ingredients in Chinese cooking!
- Chicken thighs: I recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe because they stay tender and juicy while cooking in the sauce. This recipe calls for thinly sliced chicken, and thinly sliced chicken breasts would dry out quickly.
- Hoisin sauce: Hoisin sauce is made with fermented soybean paste and adds a sweet, earthiness to the sauce. Hoisin sauce is on the saltier side, so be mindful of any added salt in the sauce. Hoisin sauce is a pantry staple used across Asian copycat recipes.
- Sambal Oelek: Sambal is an Indonesian chili paste, made with chilies and added savory ingredients like garlic and shallots.
- Fresno chili: Fresno chilies are slightly hotter than jalapeño peppers. Fresnos are slightly smokier and fruitier than jalapeños, which is why they make a great addition to the chicken filling of these wraps.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Substitutions
- Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used in place of chicken thighs. You can also use chicken tenders if you have them on hand. Be mindful that chicken thighs will be drier than thighs, so you want to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Sambal Oelek: You can use chili garlic paste, sweet chili sauce or sriracha hot sauce instead of sambal sauce.
- Brown sugar: Granulated sugar, honey, or maple syrup are good sweetener substitutes if you do not have light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar) on hand.
- Fresno chili: Instead of Fresno peppers, use red jalapeños or regular jalapeños. You can also use serrano peppers, too.
Variations
- Chicken variations: Instead of whole chicken thighs or breasts, use ground chicken as a filling for your lettuce wraps. For a shortcut, use frozen crispy chicken strips in the same Szechuan sauce.
- Vegetarian: Instead of chicken, crumble firm tofu into the same sweet soy sauce for a vegetarian version of this Joey restaurant recipe. You can also make mushroom lettuce wraps for a meat-like substitute.
- Extra vegetables: Add chopped bell peppers, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, mushrooms, or any of your other favorite vegetables to bulk up your daily servings of veggies.
- Other toppings: Garnish the lettuce wraps with chopped green onions, lime wedges, chow mein noodles, sesame seeds, or a panko breadcrumb mixture for an extra layer of texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep chicken: Thinly slice the chicken thighs against the grain or the muscle fibers of the meat.
Cut the lettuce: Remove the core from a head of iceberg lettuce. Cut the lettuce into quarters, separate the leaves of the iceberg lettuce head, and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the spicy mayo. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve.
Cut the wonton wrappers into thin strips. Add to an air fryer basket, and spray generously with cooking oil spray. Air fry at 400°F for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Add the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl. Whisk until fully combined. [photo 1]
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the sliced chicken thighs to the skillet. Let the chicken brown in the skillet without tossing for 2-3 minutes. [photo 2]
After 2-3 minutes, give the chicken a toss to brown the other sides of the chicken strips. [photo 3]
Pour the prepared sauce into the skillet with the chicken, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir the chicken into the sauce consistently, until the sauce has thickened and is stuck to the chicken. [photo 4]
Remove the chicken from the heat, and let it cool slightly before serving in lettuce wraps.
Serve with lettuce leaves, spicy mayonnaise, chopped peanuts, and crispy wontons.
Expert Tips
Remove extra liquid: You may find that your chicken thighs have released extra liquid while cooking. To get the best results, pour the excess liquid out of the pan before adding the sauce.
Add water to the sauce: If you find that your sauce is reducing too quickly when added to the skillet, you can add a splash of water to the skillet to thin it out.
Make Ahead & Storage
- The chicken filling can be prepared 2-3 days in advance.
- Store prepped or leftover chicken in an airtight container. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve.
- Reheat chicken in a skillet over medium heat for best results. Thin out the sauce with a splash of water if needed.
Serving Suggestions
- Mains: These chicken lettuce wraps are the perfect starter for other Asian-inspired favorites like homemade spicy pad Thai, Indian-Chinese hakka noodles, or chili paneer.
- Side dishes: Serve with a side of pickled onions, crispy soy and sesame broccoli, or Chinese-style garlic green beans.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can freeze leftover Szechuan chicken. The chicken is best served fresh, but if needed you can store the chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw before heating in a skillet.
Yes, you can use whichever lettuce you prefer. The restaurant version of these lettuce wraps is made with iceberg lettuce, but you can use butter, Boston bibb lettuce, or even romaine leaves. Iceberg lettuce and butter lettuce are the best lettuce options, as they naturally form a cup shape.
Be sure to wash and thoroughly dry the lettuce before serving. It is also best to serve the lettuce wrap filling and lettuce separately and assemble them right when you are ready to eat. Finally, let the filling cool slightly before serving.
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Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Joey Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken thighs - boneless, skinless, cut into strips
- 4 cloves Garlic - finely minced
- ¼ cup Soy sauce
- ½ cup Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon Brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon Sambal Oelek
- 1 Fresno chilli - thinly sliced in rounds
Spicy Mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
Toppings for Lettuce Wraps
- ½ head Iceberg lettuce - cored, cut into quarters
- 8 Wonton wrappers - cut into strips
- ¼ cup Roasted peanuts - roughly chopped
Instructions
Prepare the Toppings
- In a small bowl, mix the spicy mayonnaise. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve.⅓ cup Kewpie mayonnaise, 1 ½ tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
- Cut the wonton wrappers into thin strips. Add to an air fryer basket, and spray generously with cooking oil spray. Air fry at 400°F for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and crispy.8 Wonton wrappers
Prepare the Filling
- Add the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl. Whisk until fully combined.¼ cup Soy sauce, ½ cup Hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoon Brown sugar, 2 tablespoon Sambal Oelek
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the sliced chicken thighs to the skillet. Let the chicken brown in the skillet without tossing for 2-3 minutes.2 lbs Chicken thighs
- After 2-3 minutes, give the chicken a toss to brown the other sides of the chicken strips, and add the minced garlic to the skillet.4 cloves Garlic
- Pour the prepared sauce into the skillet with the chicken, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir the chicken into the sauce consistently, until the sauce has thickened and is stuck to the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the heat, add the chopped fresno chillies, and let it cool slightly before serving in lettuce wraps.1 Fresno chilli
- Serve with lettuce leaves, spicy mayonnaise, chopped peanuts, and crispy wonton strips.½ head Iceberg lettuce, ¼ cup Roasted peanuts
✱Recipe Notes
- Remove extra liquid: You may find that your chicken thighs have released extra liquid while cooking. To get the best results, pour the excess liquid out of the pan before adding the sauce.
- Add water to the sauce: If you find that your sauce is reducing too quickly when added to the skillet, you can add a splash of water to the skillet to thin it out.
Mickey G. says
This was an almost perfect replica of the Joey restaurants. I’m obsessed with this recipe! It was quick and easy. I believe Joey’s chicken thighs are flash fried so after seasoning my thighs with salt and pepper I coated them with a thin layer of cornstarch and all purpose flour before frying. This does increase the calories for this recipe but just as tasty! Thank you!
Mickey says
Delicious! Almost Spot on to joeys recipe. I tossed my chicken in cornstarch and flour then flash fried. Added more calories but tasted very close to joeys version! Very tasty! Great recipe! A must try! You won’t be disappointed!