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These Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Cups are so simple to throw together and take no time at all for a quick, weeknight Whole30 meal.
I love Thai basil and the anise flavor it can bring to a dish. So if you’re a fan of those flavors like me, or want to try something new yet simple, you have to give these Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Cups a try.
Not only are these lettuce cups freaking delicious, they are also easy to make and packed with flavor using all Whole30 compliant ingredients. If you’re new to Whole30 recipes, you will be greatly surprised by the flavor you can create in a dish with very simple ingredient swaps. And I personally just love lettuce cups! With chicken as I did here, or shrimp, tuna or even lamb, lettuce cups are such a versatile way to enjoy your meal during a Whole30 or just when you want to cut back on grains or carbs.
Whether we are doing a Whole30 or not, this recipe remains a favorite weeknight meal at our household and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
For More Recipe Ideas:
Honey-Garlic Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed basil leaves thai basil or sweet basil is fine
- 1 lb. ground chicken breast
- 2 shallots peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper seeds/stem removed and finely diced
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp. avocado or olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2-6 birds eye chilies thinly sliced (2 for mild, 4 for medium, 6 for spicy)
- 2 tbsp. red boat fish sauce
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 head of butter lettuce
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp. of oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add the diced shallot and diced red bell pepper, saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the ground chicken to the skillet and using the back of a spoon, break up the meat and cook meat until it is just cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Season that meat with salt and pepper.
- Turn heat down to low. Add your sliced birds eye chilies and green onions. Roughly chop your basil and add that in as well.
- Now add your fish sauce and lime juice. Stir in and cook 1-2 more minutes. Serve in lettuce cups, enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
sorry to ask, but do you think I could try coconut aminos instead of fish sauce?
this looks like a delicious recipe, just don’t have the fish sauce on hand 🙁
Yes! That would work fine but fish sauce has more saltiness than coconut aminos so be sure to taste and add additional salt as needed.
I’ve tried a lot of lettuce wrap recipes, and always like them for a fresh and quick dinner. I expected these to be the same…I absolutely loved this recipe!!! So quick and easy to add extra veggies on hand. The filling seriously tastes better than my local Thai takeout. Definitely adding to rotation of favorite Alex recipes!
Love that these changed your mind about lettuce wraps! Thanks for commenting!
Is there anything to substitute for the fish sauce? My husband is allergic to fish.
Vegan fish sauce should be a good sub
Hi! Do you have a sub for birds eye chilies?
I would dice up about 1/2 a serrano very finely
Can you make these earlier in the day, refrigerate, and warm up for dinner later?
Yes. Leftovers are great