Potsticker-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Boats (Printable)

Fresh lettuce cups filled with savory Asian-style chicken, crisp veggies, and served alongside a tangy sesame dipping sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken Filling

01 - 1 pound ground chicken
02 - 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
05 - 2 green onions, finely sliced, plus extra for garnish
06 - 1 cup shredded cabbage
07 - 1 medium carrot, grated
08 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
09 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
10 - 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce, optional
11 - 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder

→ For Serving

12 - 12 large butter lettuce or Bibb lettuce leaves, washed and dried
13 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

→ Dipping Sauce

14 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
15 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
16 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
17 - 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
18 - 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and grated ginger, sautéing for 30 seconds until fragrant.
02 - Add ground chicken to the skillet, breaking it apart with a spatula. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the meat begins to brown with crispy edges.
03 - Stir in sliced green onions, shredded cabbage, and grated carrot. Sauté for 3 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
04 - Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili-garlic sauce if desired, and cornstarch. Stir thoroughly and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture thickens and the chicken is fully cooked. Remove from heat.
05 - Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, and chili-garlic sauce in a small bowl until well combined.
06 - Spoon the warm chicken filling evenly into each lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and additional sliced green onions.
07 - Arrange the filled lettuce boats on a serving platter and serve immediately with the dipping sauce on the side.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • You get that exact potsticker experience—savory, gingery, perfectly seasoned—but your body feels lighter afterward instead of weighed down.
  • The whole thing comes together in 35 minutes, which means you can have dinner on the table before your second cup of coffee gets cold.
  • It's naturally gluten-free if you swap your soy sauce, making it the kind of dish that works whether you're cooking for yourself or a table full of people with different dietary needs.
02 -
  • The cornstarch is not optional if you want these to actually work—it thickens the filling just enough that it clings to the lettuce instead of pooling at the bottom of your plate.
  • Don't overcook the vegetables; they should be tender but still slightly resistant when you bite into them, which means the textural contrast stays sharp and interesting.
  • Serve these the moment they're assembled—warm filling in a cool lettuce leaf is the whole magic, and it fades within a few minutes as everything reaches the same temperature.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for about 2 minutes just before serving—the difference between pre-toasted and freshly toasted is the difference between good and wow.
  • If you're worried about the filling sliding out of the lettuce leaves, you can briefly blanch them in hot water for 30 seconds to make them more pliable, but honestly, cold and crisp works better if you're generous with your assembly.
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