These Thai chicken lettuce cups with peppers, carrots, onions, and a creamy cashew peanut dressing with hints of chili and lime are perfect for a quick and healthy dinner that everyone will enjoy! Dip these lettuce cups in this creamy vegan dressing and serve it for your next casual get-together, barbecue, or week-night dinner!

This recipe for Thai chicken lettuce cups has all the flavors of traditional Thai cuisine, including ingredients like sriracha, lime, and sweet chili sauce! Fill these crunchy and smooth butter lettuce cups with chicken, peppers, carrots and onions and you’ve got a balanced and healthy meal filled with protein, color, and plenty of veggies!

The Marinade

The key to getting tender and flavorful chicken is to marinate it for at least 30 minutes to allow it to soak up all the delicious flavors. Say goodbye to bland chicken because this garlicky marinade with a touch of honey is EVERYTHING.

All you need are five simple ingredients and 1 and 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts to start!

Here’s the breakdown.

Sesame Oil
Ginger
Minced Garlic
Soy Sauce
Honey

This combo is crazy delicious and it really goes well with pretty much any protein! So next time you’re having shrimp or tofu and want to spice things up, toss it in this marinade and you’ve got yourself a healthy and delicious meal.

Simply cut your chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and add them to a medium sized bowl. Add these 5 ingredients to the bowl and mix it all together. Place the bowl covered in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

The Lettuce Cups

It’s been a long time since I’ve made lettuce cups, but now that I’ve made these Thai chicken lettuce cups, I’m eager to try some more healthy and summery combos!

Lettuce cups are the perfect base for a summer dish. They provide the crunch and added hydration to your meal, not to mention they look super appetizing! These lettuce cups are a great idea for a summer side dish, appetizer, or main! These cups are bite-sized and require no utensils! Perfect for summer barbecues:)

For the lettuce cups, you want to choose a type of lettuce that will hold well. Romaine is not the best choice since these leaves are fairly soft. I used Bibb lettuce for this recipe, and used the outer-most leaves for a larger cup.

You can also use butter lettuce in place of the Bibb. I like to serve 2 larger lettuce cups per person but if your leaves are smaller, three would work just as well with less filling!

The BEST Cashew Peanut Dressing

Now the dressing is where it’s at.

This cashew peanut dressing with hints of lime and sweet chili sauce really makes the dish. The secret ingredient to a creamy and delicious vegan sauce is to soak cashews and blend them in a food processor! I like to keep a big stock of cashews in my pantry to make this “cashew cream” and I use it to make pasta sauces, dips, and salad dressings!

Soak 1 cup of raw cashews in a bowl with enough water to cover them. Leave them soaking for at least 2 hours to allow them to soften. The longer they soak, the creamier your sauce will be!

Drain the water from the bowl with the cashews and add the cashews to a food processor. Add in the rest of the ingredients for this Thai cashew peanut sauce and pulse it until smooth and creamy.

Place the sauce in a bowl.

Time to get Cooking

Chop one red bell pepper into thin strips, dice half a large onion, and grate two carrots. Set aside.

To cook the chicken heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook to brown for 5-7 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer inserted reads 165 degrees F.

Transfer the chicken to a plate. To the same pan, add another teaspoon of oil and add in your veggies, cooking until tender for about 6-8 minutes.

Putting it all Together

Place two large lettuce cups on a plate. Fill them with a large spoonful of the chicken and veggies.

Drizzle the cashew peanut dressing over each lettuce cup! I suggest leaving the dressing on the table because I guarantee you’ll be coming back for more! This sauce is finger-licking good:)

Pick it up with your hands and take a bite of this tangy, sweet, and spicy meal!

This recipe is my new favorite easy weeknight meal that is guaranteed to be delicious! I hope you give it a try. Let me know if you tried this recipe in the comments and ratings and tag @sipandscone on Instagram so that I can see all of your creations!

If you’re looking for more easy and healthy weeknight dinner ideas, check out some of my latest recipes!

Print Recipe

Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups with Cashew Peanut Dressing

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: cashewdressing, chicken, lettucecups

Servings: 5 people

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 lbs chicken breast organic if possible
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup soy sauce substitute coconut aminos
1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
1/2 large onion diced
2 carrots grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch Bibb or Butter lettuce About 10 large lettuce leaves

Cashew Peanut Dressing

1 cup raw cashews soaked for a minimum of 2 hrs
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 and 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
3 tsp lime juice
1 and 1/2 tbsp basil chopped finely
1/2 tsp fresh ginger grated
2 tsp sriracha chili sauce

Instructions

Place the cashews in a bowl and fill the bowl with enough water to cover the cashews. Leave them out to soak for at least 2 hours. The longer you soak them the creamier the sauce will be.
Chop the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and place them in a medium sized bowl. Add in the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and honey, and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Mix it together, cover, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.
To make the cashew peanut sauce, drain the cashews that have been soaking and add them to a food processor. Add in the rest of the ingredients for the sauce and pulse until smooth and creamy. Place in a bowl and set side.
Slice the bell pepper into thin strips, dice the onion, and grate the carrots. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Add in the chicken that has been marinating and cook it for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Remove the chicken and place it on a plate.
Add 1 tsp of olive oil to the same pan if needed and add in the veggies cooking for about 6-8 minutes or until slightly softened and cooked through. Remove from heat. Add the chicken pack into the pan and toss the veggies and chicken together.
Place two lettuce leaves on each plate in the shape of a cup and fill each one with a large spoonful of the chicken and veggie mixture.
Drizzle each lettuce cup with plenty of cashew peanut dressing and serve!