One-Pan Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Put a spin on your classic buffalo wing with these easy One Pan Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  For this quick and budget-friendly recipe, I’ve taken the classic flavor of buffalo chicken, lightened it up a bit, and added extra vegetables for good measure.  This recipe is weeknight friendly, can be prepped ahead of time, and comes together quickly. 

I start by sautéing chopped up chicken breast until slightly brown, removing it from the pan to rest, and then adding onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to the same pan.  I cook the veggies just until tender and add the chicken back into the pan along with butter and pantry friendly buffalo hot sauce.  After mixing everything together and letting the butter melt, I simmer it on the stove for five minutes or so to let it thicken and develop all the savory flavor.    

Spoon this mixture onto lettuce leaves and add toppings of choice!  I love green onion, cilantro, crumbled gorgonzola, and a drizzle of ranch dressing.  If lettuce wraps aren’t your thing, this is also delicious as a classic flatbread or tortilla wrap, or on top of a bed of chopped lettuce for an easy and fresh salad. 

It’s slightly spicy, smoky, garlicky, and mouth wateringly delicious.

Eat well and enjoy!

Ingredient Details

• Chicken – I have only used chicken breast for this recipe but dark meat chicken would work just as well!  You just may have to cook it a touch longer.  To make this recipe even quicker, you could use pre-cooked chicken or part of a rotisserie chicken.  Just skip the step where you’d brown the chicken.  Instead, add the chicken into the cooked vegetables, along with the butter and hot sauce, and heat through!

• Onion – I recommend yellow (slightly sweeter) or white onion (slightly sharper) for this recipe.  But feel free to use whatever you have on hand!  Red onion will change the flavor profile but would still be yummy!  A cup or so of diced green onions would work well too. 

• Celery and Carrots – I dice these small so they don’t overwhelm the dish.  Try and cut them smaller than the chicken.  If the celery has leaves, throw those in as well.  They add great flavor! 

• Garlic – Two garlic cloves equal about two teaspoons of minced garlic.  If you don’t have fresh, you could also use powdered/granulated garlic – You would need about ½ teaspoon of garlic powder or granulated garlic to equal two cloves.    

• Butter –I use salted butter for this but you could use unsalted if you prefer.  The butter/buffalo sauce ratio for this recipe is the classic combination for buffalo wing sauce.

• Buffalo Sauce – Any brand that you prefer would work for this dish.  Classic buffalo sauce isn’t super spicy, and the butter tones it down so overall, this isn’t a spicy dish.  However, I do know that everyone has different tastes so feel free to use something milder (or hotter!) if you prefer. 

• Salt and Pepper – I lightly season the beginning steps of this recipe because there is salt in the butter and hot sauce.  I always taste the dish at the end, just before serving, and add more salt and/or pepper if needed.   

• Oil – I prefer olive oil or avocado oil because of their health benefits but any sauté oil would work for this recipe.

• Lettuce Leaves – I like to use something that holds up well for a lettuce cup or wrap.  The smaller, gem lettuces work more like a cup (this would be great as an appetizer!) while bibb lettuce, leaf lettuce, or iceberg would work better as a wrap.  This recipe also works great for a classic flatbread or tortilla wrap, or on top of a bed of chopped lettuce!

• Garnishes – Some of my favorite garnishes for this dish are green onions, cilantro, gorgonzola, and a drizzle of ranch dressing.  Other cheese or dressings would be great though!  Chopped tomatoes would be good too, along with diced jalapenos for an extra kick.