These Chicken and Vegetable Lettuce Wraps with Orange Sauce are my version of the authentic san choy bow/bau. Tasty little packages that come with their own easy and delicious orange sauce that is cooked with the meat and extra for serving.

Ground chicken and vegetables in lettuce with orange sauce

This is a popular Asian meal option when served with fried rice and also makes a great appetizer. Lighter and healthier by using ground chicken instead of beef (also a delicious option).

The orange sauce is just 4 simple ingredients, soy sauce, orange juice, fish sauce and corn starch to thicken. If you are not a fan of the fish sauce, you can leave it out. It will still be very good.

If you would more sauce recipes, I have a Trio of Asian Sauces (pic below) that is always very popular. Perfect for dipping egg rolls.

3 white teardrop bowls of Asian dipping sauces

I like to add a combination of red bell pepper and edamame. Frozen edamame is available in all supermarkets now in the freezer section. You don’t even have to defrost them when you add them to the meat. Any vegetables you like will work also.

Which lettuce is best for Chicken and Vegetable Lettuce Wraps with Orange Sauce?

I like butter lettuce, but they can be a little soft and the fine leaves sometimes break when wrapping. Iceberg is also a good option and the leaves are sturdy, but they are not as easy to wrap so they are more like cups, which is fine.

I love a variety of toppings for my lettuce cups. My 2 favorites are chopped, roasted (unsalted) cashews and sliced green onions. There are so many other options like sliced red chilis for a kick, cilantro, bean sprouts, thinly sliced red cabbage. The choices are all yours.

In addition to the orange sauce, Chinese five spice powder is one of the main seasonings for the meat. It is a blend of star anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves. Easy to make yourself if you have all of these, but also easy to buy it already blended.

A bowl of colorful vegetable fried rice from above

Serving Suggestion

To make this a full meal, I like to serve with my 20 Minute Vegetable Fried Rice.

Chicken not your thing? Try this recipe with ground beef to make beef lettuce wraps.

Yield: 4

Chicken and Vegetable Lettuce Wraps with Orange Sauce

Lettuce leaves filled with ground chicken and vegetables

Ground chicken and vegetables are cooked with Chinese five spice and orange sauce, served in lettuce leaves.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the sauce:
  • ½ cup (100 ml) soy sauce
  • ½ cup (100 ml) orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • For the chicken:
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken (or chicken breasts chopped small)
  • ½ cup (52 grams) red bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup (70 grams) frozen edamame
  • 1 garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder blend
  • Butter or iceberg lettuce.
  • Green onions, thinly sliced
  • Roasted peanuts or cashews, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the soy sauce, orange juice, fish sauce and corn starch to a bowl, whisk to combine. Set aside.
  2. Add the vegetable oil to a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When the oil starts to ripple add the chicken and break up, stir often until it starts to brown (not completely browned). Add the red pepper and edamame, stir and cook to soften the pepper. Add the garlic, ginger and five spice powder. Stir well and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Whisk the sauce (the corn starch may have sunk to the bottom). Stir in ¼ cup (59 ml) of the sauce to the meat. Stir well to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan, simmer until the liquid is reduced.
  4. Add the remaining sauce to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until thickened.
  5. Add the remaining sauce to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until thickened.
    Serve the meat in lettuce leaves topped with the chopped green onion and optional nuts, drizzle with sauce.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 337Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 129mgSodium 324mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 2gSugar 6gProtein 30g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.