Start by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While it’s warming up, dice your onion into small, uniform pieces – you want them about 1/4 inch so they’ll cook evenly and not be chunky in the final wrap.

Once the oil is shimmering (but not smoking), add your diced onion with a pinch of salt. The salt helps draw out moisture and gets them cooking nicely. Let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and starting to turn translucent.

While the onions are cooking, mince your garlic and ginger. Here’s a tip I learned the hard way – use the side of your knife to smash the garlic cloves first, which makes them much easier to mince. Add both to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds, until you can really smell them – but watch carefully, because garlic can burn quickly!

Add the ground chicken to the pan, breaking it up with your spatula into small crumbles. You want the pieces to be fairly small so they’ll fit nicely in the lettuce wraps. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked through, add your shredded carrots and diced water chestnuts. The carrots will soften slightly but should still keep some crunch, which gives the filling a great texture. Stir everything together and cook for about 2 minutes.

Now for the sauce – add your hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sriracha if using. Stir everything together really well. The mixture should look glossy and well-coated, but not swimming in sauce. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes so the flavors can meld together and the sauce can thicken slightly.

While the filling is simmering, prepare your lettuce leaves. Gently separate them from the head, keeping them whole (they’re your “wrap”!). Give them a quick rinse and pat them dry – wet lettuce leaves make for messy eating.

Give your filling a taste and adjust the seasonings. Need more salt? More heat? This is the time to make it perfect for your taste.

To serve, spoon about 1/3 cup of the warm filling into each lettuce leaf. Top with sliced green onions and chopped peanuts. I like to slightly crush the peanuts first to make them easier to eat.