When my husband and I were on our honeymoon, we spent a couple of days in Calgary. After visiting Joey Tomato’s and ordering their Asian lettuce wraps a couple of times, I completely fell in love. My quest had been to re-create the ones we had there, and when I found this recipe, I knew it was the one! These are really messy, which I don’t mind, but hubby ends up using tortillas to wrap them instead. That’s kinda more Mexican-y, but it makes him happy and not complaining, so I let it go. The sacrifices you make…
This recipe is pretty versatile, so don’t sweat it if you don’t have the exact ingredients – try a combination of peppers, don’t worry about what kind of mushrooms you have (shiitake, cremini, even regular old white button mushrooms are delicious), the chili paste can be substituted for Sriracha or any other hot sauce, etc.
We like to keep the noodles and peanuts separate from the stir fry so that they don’t get soggy if you have leftovers, but hey, whatever floats your boat. ;)
P.S. You all know I dislike cilantro, so of course my recipe doesn’t call for it, but all you weirdo cilantro lovers might like to add a couple tablespoons of the stuff chopped fresh.
P.P.S. Yes, you are weird.
Recipe lightly adapted from food.com.
Asian Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 250 g water chestnuts sliced matchstick-style
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced matchstick-style
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 5 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp chili paste such as Sambal Oelek
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- lettuce for wrapping such as Butter, Boston or Bibb
- steam fried crispy Asian noodles
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to med-high heat. Add peanuts and stir occasionally until roasty. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in same skillet over med heat. Add garlic and sauté until softened. Add chicken, stir fry until no longer pink.
- Add onion, pepper, chestnuts and mushrooms. Sauté for 1 min.
- Meanwhile, dissolve the brown sugar in the soy sauce. Add to the vegetables in the pan. Continue to stir fry for about 2 mins.
- Add the hoisin sauce and chili paste.
- Stir in green onions and remove from heat.
- To assemble: Place noodles on the lettuce, then the stir fried meat and veggies, and top with peanuts.
57 Comments
Babygirl
February 1, 2011 at 3:09 pmWho doesn’t love lettuce wraps. I really enjoyed reading this post and I will definitely have to make this recipe.
The Gourmet Housewife
February 1, 2011 at 3:24 pmThanks Babygirl! I hope you enjoy them!
Roberta Cross
December 30, 2012 at 5:47 pmThanks have a reciepe my son in law made for us it was great. Very similar except chili sauce and a few differences, can,t wait to try this one.
Thanks again. I am a fan of Joeys Only (now)lettece wraps.
T
July 19, 2016 at 6:20 pmJoeys Only is a fish and chips place. You mean just Joey.
sara
April 25, 2013 at 5:22 pmMade these wraps for supper tonight…even the kids loved them! Thanks for posting…I’ll definitely be making them again!
Jacquelyn Bauer
April 25, 2013 at 8:44 pmThanks Sara! So happy you liked them!
Stacey
May 1, 2013 at 9:57 amI’m looking forward to making these tonight. I’m surprised that there is no gingerroot or sesame oil in the recipe…
Jacquelyn Bauer
May 1, 2013 at 10:00 amStacey, I never thought to add those, but I bet they would be delicious! If you do, let me know how it turns out!
Colleen
May 2, 2013 at 10:32 pmThanks for the great recipe. I like you had them at Joeys and loved them. I googled them today and searched umpteen recipes and then I found yours.
I said to myself that’s it, that’s the recipe.
We thoroughly enjoyed them for dinner this evening. Although my husband did say they were too healthy!
Thanks again
Jacquelyn Bauer
May 3, 2013 at 8:09 amHi Colleen! So happy to hear that you liked them. My hubby always complains that they’re too messy, but they’re my fav!
Jennifer
May 29, 2013 at 4:26 pmMade these today for a lunch date with my boyfriend. They were a huge hit! Added a little ginger, and I’m sorry to say, cilantro (eeeek). Delicious AND nutritious! Thanks so much for posting.
Jacquelyn Bauer
June 2, 2013 at 2:46 pmJennifer,
So glad you liked them. :) I’ll have to add some ginger next time, and like another reader suggested: sesame oil. I think I’ll keep skipping the cilantro though. ;)
Spruceit
March 27, 2014 at 2:34 pmI’m a big fan of lettuce wraps, and really enjoy them vegetarian. If you love Joey Tomatoes if you are ever in Kelowna BC head to Joey Kelownas, the atmosphere and staff are awesome and the wraps amazing….especially with a good Pino Grigio! P.S. I too am not a big fan of Cilantro…..but I am getting used to a hint of it in wraps, and in my Guacamole !
Spruceit
March 27, 2014 at 2:38 pmThese are also awesome with teriyaki sauce and sesame oil or there are some great Asian sauce blends!
Lisa
April 9, 2014 at 7:12 pmI, myself, love cilantro because it’s great for detoxing. I’m a bit concerned about the added calories in the noodles and sauces but I can find many options as a replacement.
I try to stay as low carb as possible so lettuce over disgusting carb-laden tortilla bread makes my day…or um meal anytime, many thanks!
Jack Brown
May 6, 2014 at 5:46 pmDid you buy your crispy Asian noodles or make them. If you bought them, can you tell me the brand.
Looking forward to making this over the weekend.
Thanks,
Jack
Jacquelyn Bauer
May 7, 2014 at 8:08 amHi Jack,
I bought some crispy noodles. I don’t remember the exact brand, but they were “steam fried”. You really can’t go wrong with any type of noodle, it just adds a nice crunchy texture to the wraps.
Enjoy!
Jack Brown
May 7, 2014 at 8:26 amThanks Jacquelyn!
Jack
Robyn
April 27, 2018 at 9:56 amAre these the same as instant noodles? Do you just add them right from the package? Without cooking or prepping them in anyway? Thanks!
Jacquelyn Bauer
November 15, 2018 at 4:42 pmHi Robyn! First, you’ll have to allow me to apologize for such a late response – I’ve been a bit MIA on this blog for awhile… To answer your question, yes, any type of instant noodles can be added, and you don’t cook them. The idea is just to add a bit of crunch! Hope that helps. :)
Launa
June 17, 2014 at 9:29 pmThank you for the simple recipe!!! My husband liked them! Thats a first, for him to eat something I prepared. I appreciate how laid back you are!!
Jacquelyn Bauer
June 23, 2014 at 12:28 pmLauna, happy to hear they were a hit! Need me to come over there and talk some sense into him? ;)
Tammy
June 23, 2014 at 9:51 pmAwesome !!!
sheena
August 5, 2014 at 10:25 pmThank you for the recipe. Was delicious. I did change it by adding ginger, sesame oil, more brown sugar and double the listed amount for the hoisin and chilli sauce but my friends were very pleased. They said it was better then joey’s wraps. Thanks a bunch xo
Jacquelyn Bauer
August 7, 2014 at 7:06 pmSheena – so happy to hear you liked them! Happy cooking!
Sherry
August 21, 2014 at 7:28 pmSo I searched and searched today for a lettuce wrap recipe and came across this one. All I can say is… DELICIOUS!! Thanks for a great recipe.:)
Jacquelyn Bauer
September 2, 2014 at 10:28 amMy pleasure! Glad you liked it Sherry!
Samantha Shorkey
October 7, 2014 at 7:20 pmYES!!!! I love you for ripping off their recipe ;) I always order these at Joey’s but the veganized version with their soy chicken and they’re my all-time fave! Been wanting to make them myself and it sounds like you got it down to a T. Bravo! So excited to make ’em. Thank you!
Jacquelyn Bauer
October 7, 2014 at 8:39 pmSamantha – you’re welcome! Let me know how they turn out when you make them with soy “chicken”!
Alanna
November 4, 2014 at 11:44 amThis is very good.
Charlaine
May 13, 2015 at 8:07 pmMade these tonight – they were awesome! I didn’t use mushrooms as I didn’t have any – they were still great! Would be great with shrimp too! Not a big fan of cilantro either!
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Jacquelyn Bauer
May 14, 2015 at 10:50 amHi Charlaine, I’m so glad you liked them! I like to think that you can add or subtract whichever ingredients float your boat, and they’ll still be just as tasty. I think I’ll try shrimp next time – great idea! We fellow cilantro haters have to stick close together. ;) Thanks for stopping by and for coming back to tell me about it! Happy cooking! xoxo
Karen
November 21, 2015 at 6:05 pmThis is the absolute best lettuce wrap recipe. I have been using it for a couple of years now. I do add the cilantro and they are delicious. A perfect copy of the Joey’s ones. Nice job and my family thanks you!
Jacquelyn Bauer
December 7, 2015 at 3:38 pmI’m so happy to hear that you like them Karen! Thanks for coming back to share! xo
Kait
January 15, 2016 at 10:55 amThank you so much for the recipe! I use to work at Joeys’ as a server and I miss these so much. This is THE recipe, I haven’t found it anywhere else and I have tried. Thank you!
Jacquelyn Bauer
January 19, 2016 at 11:33 amKait, thank YOU for coming back and telling me! I love hearing that people are enjoying my recipes! Happy cooking! xo
Juls C
February 19, 2016 at 6:31 pmCan you tell me how to do the noodles? Not sure how to cook them. Thanks this is an amazing recipe
Jacquelyn Bauer
March 10, 2016 at 4:35 pmHi Julie,
I replied to your email separately, but wanted to reply here as well for anyone else who might have this question. The noodles I buy are left uncooked for a little bit of crunch, but it would depend on the type of noodles you buy. Ramen (ichiban) noodles are a good option because they add a bit of crunch without tasting like hard, uncooked pasta. Hope that helps!
Samantha
July 5, 2016 at 11:20 amOh my god these are fantastic!!! I also fell in love with Joey’s lettuce wraps years ago and recently had a craving for them so I found this and made it for supper last night. I don’t like mushrooms, so I substituted 1 cup of matchstick carrots and 1 cup of bean sprouts. It was delicious! Hubby loved them too. These will definitely become a regular in my kitchen!
Jacquelyn Bauer
August 30, 2016 at 10:28 amSo happy to hear you liked them Samantha! Extra carrots and sprouts sounds great – I’ll bet the crunch was fabulous! Thanks for coming back to let me know. Happy cooking! xo
Lori
August 7, 2016 at 5:39 pmThese are awesome. Just like Moxie’s in Canada. Love them! Used leaf lettuce the second time around, so much easier! Thanks!
Lori
August 7, 2016 at 5:43 pmForgot to mention that I dislike cilantro with a passion too! So bitter and the flavour takes over the entire dish! ?
Jacquelyn Bauer
August 30, 2016 at 10:30 amLori – I’ve struggled with the right lettuce since I started making these, and have found that while butter lettuce is probably the best option because of it’s soft pliability, any lettuce is prone to tearing. I say, embrace it and enjoy the flavours…sans cilantro of course! P.S. I haven’t tried Moxie’s lettuce wraps yet…I’ll do that the next time I’m there! Happy cooking! xo
Tracey
August 20, 2016 at 6:34 pmMade this recipe tonight and they were delicious. Bought cilantro and meant to add it, but forgot. They tasted almost like Joeys. Couldn’t find chilli paste so used chilli sauce instead. Still worked well. Thanks for adding this recipe, I will make these again.
Jacquelyn Bauer
August 30, 2016 at 10:31 amI have a confession…I’m trying to learn to like cilantro. So far I can handle it in pico de gallo, and a few other subtle places, but I’m not sure I’m up to trying them in these lettuce wraps yet. Thanks for coming back to share with me! Happy cooking! xo
Larissa
September 21, 2016 at 6:55 pmThese are almost identical to Joeys. I added in half sesame oil and half olive oil and added a tiny bit of ginger. AMAZING. My husband was very very happy, this is his favourite dish from Joeys. Thank you so much!
Jacquelyn Bauer
September 22, 2016 at 1:51 pmLarissa,
I’m so happy to hear it! I’m definitely going to add sesame oil and ginger next time…a few readers have mentioned they did that! Happy cooking! xo
Rolli
January 3, 2017 at 4:00 pmThank you so much for this wonderful recipe I have these at moxies all the time and now can make them at home ? do you know what the sauce is that they serve with them?
Janelle
February 9, 2017 at 1:25 pmReally great recipe, thank you! We took the leftovers to work the next day on rice so they weren’t as messy, and that was good too
Prin
March 12, 2017 at 6:06 pmI so late to the party – I just had these at Joeys and I’m hooked!!!! Can’t wait to try your version. Thank you for posting!!!!
shawna
March 16, 2017 at 2:01 pmWhat is the nutritional value on these?
Betty Parker
April 28, 2017 at 9:22 amAny chance you have nutritional information on these amazing babies?
I love love them, but I’m desperately trying to watch my carbs :-)
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Quinn
July 8, 2018 at 5:56 pmHow many servings will this make?
Jacquelyn Bauer
November 15, 2018 at 4:43 pmHi Quinn! Sorry for such a late response. These make about 4 servings. Hope that helps!
Jen
June 11, 2023 at 5:22 pmGirl, these are the best. They are so close to Joeys. I make them all the time. Thanks for the recipe!