Easy & Spicy Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps - Healthy Game Day Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Are lettuce wraps healthy for weight loss? ›

Swapping a carb-heavy tortilla with lettuce is a great way to save on calories and carbs.

While it may not be as vitamin-dense as its dark green friends, Romaine lettuce contains solid amounts of minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Plus, it has high levels of vitamin K and beta carotene. This crunchy lettuce is great for refreshing salads, sandwich toppers, or even lettuce wraps.

You can use any type of green leafy lettuce for lettuce wraps, but popular types of lettuce include Boston bib lettuce and romaine hearts. Cabbage leaves or jicima wraps would also work great.

Each wrap has 230 calories, 5 g fat, 20 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber and 350 mg sodium. Lettuce leaves are a fun alternative to a traditional wrap. Romaine, Boston Bibb or cabbage work well.

If you're looking for one of the lowest-calorie vegetables, romaine lettuce has only 8 calories per cup. The downside is that it is pretty low in fiber too, with just 1 g per cup. But it's a great "catch-all" vegetable, says registered dietitian Jennifer Fiske, M.S., RDN, LD.

Replacing your single meal daily with lettuce and other leafy green vegetables such as kale can help you lose a couple of pounds monthly. It not only cuts your calorie intake but also helps burn belly fat.

While all lettuce is going to provide you with healthy vitamins and minerals, romaine lettuce is the most nutrient-dense, says registered dietitian Danielle Crumble Smith. “It's going to have the highest amount of vitamin A, K, C,” she says.

Q: Are some types of lettuce safer than others? A: Because contamination can happen anywhere from farm to table, no single type of leafy green is risk-free. But hydroponic lettuces (which are greenhouse-grown) are less likely to be contaminated by bacteria from animal droppings.

Ingredients for Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The key ingredient is hoisin — a sweet, salty, slightly tangy, spiced sauce that's like the Chinese equivalent to American barbecue sauce. Here, I mix it with some soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to make a sticky glaze for the chicken in our wraps.

What are PF Changs lettuce wraps made of? ›

Juicy chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and water chestnuts combined in a killer Chinese sauce, nestled in a lettuce leaf and garnished with fried rice noodles.

Lettuce wraps are much lower in calories than bread, and they are very fresh. Corn Tortillas → Corn tortillas tend to be cleaner than regular bread. You can even use a tortilla to replace a pizza crust which is much lighter option.

1 wrap (calculated without dressing): 570 calories, 26g fat (9g saturated fat), 55mg cholesterol, 1895mg sodium, 62g carbohydrate (7g sugars, 4g fiber), 23g protein.

A lean protein and vegetable wrap can be a healthy lunch for weight loss. When you are trying to lose weight and avoid high-calorie fast food, wraps are options that you can pack and carry with you for lunch.

However, they can actually contain more calories and fat than two slices of bread, so they aren't necessarily healthier than a sandwich. That being said, wraps are of course perfectly healthy when eaten as part of a balanced diet. Stuffing it with a range of vegetables is definitely a great lunch choice.

Garden Life Lettuce Wraps (6 leaves) contains 3g total carbs, 2g net carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, and 15 calories.