Vietnamese Chicken Wraps with Pickled Vegetables
Stir-fried chicken thighs glazed in a ginger-garlic sauce with light brown sugar and soy, served in soft tortillas with pickled cucumber and carrot, crisp lettuce. Quick weeknight dinner balancing savory, tangy, and sweet flavors in handheld wraps.
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber, halved, deseeded, sliced
- 1 small carrot, grated
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 oz ginger, peeled weight, finely grated
- 3 tbsp light brown soft sugarwhite sugar1:1sweetener
slightly less molasses depth
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 12 soft flour tortillas, mini or large
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, leaves separated and cut in half
Instructions
- 1
Combine cucumber, carrot, and vinegar in a small bowl; set aside to pickle.
- 2
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken strips and fry until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- 3
Pour remaining oil into pan and lower heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook for 2 minutes until softened but not colored.
- 4
Add sugar, soy sauce, and 150ml water. Bubble for 5 minutes until sauce thickens.
- 5
Return chicken to pan and heat through.
- 6
Warm tortilla wraps following package instructions.
- 7
Top tortillas with lettuce, chicken mixture, and pickled cucumber and carrot. Serve immediately.
Tips
Pickle the cucumber and carrot in vinegar while cooking chicken so flavors develop.
Slice chicken thighs thinly so they cook quickly and evenly.
Keep heat moderate when adding garlic and ginger to prevent browning and bitterness.
The sauce will thicken as it bubbles; monitor consistency to avoid over-reduction.
Good to Know
Refrigerate cooked chicken and sauce separately from wraps and vegetables for up to 3 days. Warm chicken before assembly.
Prepare pickled cucumber and carrot up to 1 day ahead. Cook chicken and sauce up to 4 hours ahead and reheat gently.
Serve immediately with warm tortillas so wraps stay pliable. Offer pickled vegetables on the side for guests to customize.
Common Mistakes
Do not overcook chicken thighs or they become dry; remove when no pink remains inside.
Do not brown garlic and ginger or sauce will taste bitter.
Do not skip pickling step or wraps will lack tangy balance.
Do not let sauce reduce too much or it will be overly concentrated and sticky.