These shredded chicken taco lettuce wraps are a healthier version of a Mexican favorite. Whip them up in under an hour with all your favorite fixings. From Spanish rice and black beans to roasted corn and cheddar cheese, there are so many great toppings to choose from!
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📋 About the Recipe
- These Mexican-style lettuce wraps are jam-packed with all your favorite taco flavors. From crisp lettuce and sweet roasted corn to shredded seasoned chicken and creamy cheddar cheese, there's something that everyone will love!
- Make taco night a little lighter by serving tacos in crisp lettuce cups! This recipe utilizes fresh ingredients, making it a delicious and healthy dinner idea.
- Cook up moist and tender shredded chicken in under an hour for a quick and easy flavor-packed meal.
- The shredded chicken is seasoned with salsa, which can be homemade or store bought. If you're looking for a homemade salsa recipe, check out the one included in this air fryer tortilla chips recipe.
- As an added bonus, these lettuce wraps are completely customizable, which makes them very kid friendly. Included under the "substitutions and alterations" section are plenty of tips on how to switch things up, like how to make these tacos spicy or how to serve them fajita style, like my fajita tacos.
- Serve them as a main dish for dinner with a side of Spanish rice. Or, serve them as a light appetizer along with my air fryer nachos. The possibilities are truly endless, which is why this is such a big family favorite!
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Boneless chicken breasts - the boneless breasts are a lean protein that is seasoned with a homemade taco seasoning and smothered in fresh salsa before baking. It is then shredded and added back to the salsa mixture to allow it to absorb all the delicious flavors before scooping onto your lettuce wrap taco.
- Olive oil - olive oil keeps the shredded chicken moist, while helping the dry spices stick to the chicken better.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper - this is the combination of spices that forms the Mexican spice blend. Instead of buying pre-made packets from the store, this allows you to remain in control of the salt and spice levels. It also eliminates added preservatives that store-bought spice packets often contain.
- Salsa - salsa is packed full of flavor. It adds a punch of onion, garlic, lime, and other spices to the chicken. It also keeps it tender, as the chicken is submerged in it's juices.
- Corn on the cob - nothing beats fresh corn, especially when it comes to roasting. Often, the pre-roasted frozen kinds have a different texture. I prefer to roast the corn myself because it is SO easy to do. Roasting also brings out the corn's sweetness.
- Black beans - you can use any beans you like best, but I like black beans when I make Mexican-style food. Just make sure to always drain and rinse your beans thoroughly before adding them to any meal.
- Lettuce - lettuce serves as the vessel to hold everything together in these lettuce wraps. It is used instead of a corn or flour tortilla and provides a fresh, crisp element to the taco.
- Taco fixings - common taco fixings include: tomatoes, jalapeños, cheese, onions, cilantro, lime juice, avocado, rice, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Pile as many as you'd like on top of your taco or serve them all separately as part of a make-your-own taco bar.
📓 Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse and drain the black beans. Remove large pieces of lettuce from the head to form "cups". Then, gently wash and dry them.
3. In a baking dish or dutch oven, add chicken breasts. Pour olive oil over top and season with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Pour the salsa on top of the chicken. Mix it around to fully coat, but try to keep the chicken fully submerged in the juices.
5. Cover the baking dish with foil or place the lid on the dutch oven, if using. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
6. While the chicken is baking, clean the corn and place it on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Remove both the chicken and corn from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
8. Remove the chicken from the baking dish and place it on a cutting board. Shred it with two forks before placing it back in the dish and mixing it with the salsa and seasonings.
9. Cut the corn off the cobs.
10. Assemble the lettuce wraps by filling the lettuce cups with shredded chicken, black beans, and roasted corn. Then, top with your favorite taco toppings. Serve while the chicken and corn are still warm from the oven.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
Instead of lettuce: if you prefer, you can always use corn or flour tortillas like a traditional taco, instead of lettuce wraps. You can also use other vegetables, like bell peppers, endive, chard, kale, or collards.
Instead of chicken breasts: you can substitute with nearly any other protein. Flank steak, shrimp, tofu, ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef, or grilled meats are all great substitutes. However, you may need to prepare them slightly differently.
Instead of black beans: you can use any kind of bean. Or, you can also use refried beans.
Instead of cheddar cheese: instead of cheddar, you can use a Mexican cheese blend, manchego, queso fresco, or cotija cheese.
Other variations: if you prefer cooked onions on your tacos, you can add onions to the chicken and salsa mixture and cook them all together. You can also do the same with bell peppers to make these more resemblant of fajitas. You can also add fresh minced garlic for added flavor.
If you want to make them spicy: you can add jalapeños to the chicken and salsa mixture before cooking. Or, you can also add a few dashes of cayenne pepper too. Also, keep in mind that the spicier your salsa, the spicier the shredded chicken will turn out.
❄️ How to Store
To store: Store all of the toppings separately in the refrigerator. Place a dry paper towel in the container with the lettuce to absorb moisture and prevent it from wilting.
Allow the chicken to cool completely before placing it in an airtight container in the fridge. Store up to 4 days.
To freeze: Freezing the tacos as a whole is not recommended. However, you can make the shredded chicken ahead of time, freeze it, and use it later with the rest of the fresh taco fixings.
Make the salsa chicken according to the recipe instructions. Shred it. Then, allow it to cool completely before placing it in an airtight freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer up to 6 months.
To reheat: Remove the chicken from the freezer and allow it to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Prepare the lettuce cups, rice, beans, roasted corn, and other taco toppings.
Heat the chicken in a dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat or heat in 30 second intervals in the microwave until just warmed through. Scoop warmed chicken into the lettuce cups and top with all the fixings.
🔍 FAQs
For lettuce wraps, you want a lettuce that is crisp, yet flexible enough to wrap around the food you place inside. You also want to make sure the leaves are large enough to hold fillings.
Lettuces like iceberg, romaine, butter, and bibb are all great options.
To ensure perfectly sized lettuce "cups" for wraps, carefully remove the outer leaves of the head of lettuce. If they are damaged, throw them away. If not, set them aside and continue pulling the whole leaves away from the head.
Make sure to keep the whole leaves intact, often the bigger the "cups," the easier they are to fill and wrap.
Once you've removed enough leaves, carefully wash them thoroughly without damaging or ripping them. Dry the lettuce before topping with all your favorite fixings.
💭 One More Tip
Easily turn these shredded chicken taco lettuce wraps into a taco salad or burrito bowl in a few simple steps.
For a taco salad:
Instead of ripping the lettuce into larger pieces, rip or cut it smaller to create a base for the salad. Add the shredded salsa chicken over top, along with the other fixings. Use salsa as your salad dressing or make a homemade cilantro lime vinaigrette.
For a burrito bowl:
Make a batch of Spanish rice to use as the base. Add the shredded chicken over top, along with your favorite toppings. Drizzle with fresh lime juice, sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
📖 Recipe
Shredded Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
- baking dish or dutch oven
Ingredients
For the Shredded Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps
- 1 can black beans (15.25 oz) drained and rinsed
- 1 head lettuce iceberg, romaine, bibb, or butter
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 ½-3 lbs)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought salsa plus extra for topping
- 4 corn on the cob husks and silk removed
Optional Toppings
- cheddar cheese
- diced tomatoes
- jalapeño slices
- diced onion
- avocado
- cilantro
- Spanish rice
- sour cream
- salsa
- guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Rinse and drain the black beans. Remove large pieces of lettuce from the head to form "cups". Then, gently wash and dry them.
- In a baking dish or dutch oven, add chicken breasts. Pour olive oil over top and season with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the salsa on top of the chicken. Mix it around to fully coat, but try to keep the chicken fully submerged in the juices.
- Cover the baking dish with foil or place the lid on the dutch oven, if using. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- While the chicken is baking, clean the corn and place it on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove both the chicken and corn from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Remove the chicken from the baking dish and place it on a cutting board. Shred it with two forks before placing it back in the dish and mixing it with the salsa and seasonings.
- Cut the corn off the cobs.
- Assemble the lettuce wraps by filling the lettuce cups with shredded chicken, black beans, and roasted corn. Then, top with your favorite taco toppings. Serve while the chicken and corn are still warm from the oven.
Storage
- To store: Store all of the toppings separately in the refrigerator. Place a dry paper towel in the container with the lettuce to absorb moisture and prevent it from wilting. Allow the chicken to cool completely before placing it in an airtight container in the fridge. Store up to 4 days.To freeze: Freezing the tacos as a whole is not recommended. However, you can make the shredded chicken ahead of time, freeze it, and use it later with the rest of the fresh taco fixings. Make the salsa chicken according to the recipe instructions. Shred it. Then, allow it to cool completely before placing it in an airtight freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer up to 6 months. To reheat: Remove the chicken from the freezer and allow it to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Prepare the lettuce cups, rice, beans, roasted corn, and other taco toppings. Heat the chicken in a dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat or heat in 30 second intervals in the microwave until just warmed through. Scoop warmed chicken into the lettuce cups and top with all the fixings.
Notes
- Instead of lettuce: if you prefer, you can always use corn or flour tortillas like a traditional taco, instead of lettuce wraps. You can also use other vegetables, like bell peppers, endive, chard, kale, or collards.
- Instead of chicken breasts: you can substitute with nearly any other protein. Flank steak, shrimp, tofu, ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef, or grilled meats are all great substitutes. However, you may need to prepare them slightly differently.
- Instead of black beans: you can use any kind of bean. Or, you can also use refried beans.
- Instead of cheddar cheese: instead of cheddar, you can use a Mexican cheese blend, manchego, queso fresco, or cotija cheese.
- Other variations: if you prefer cooked onions on your tacos, you can add onions to the chicken and salsa mixture and cook them all together. You can also do the same with bell peppers to make these more resemblant of fajitas. You can also add fresh minced garlic for added flavor.
- If you want to make them spicy: you can add jalapeños to the chicken and salsa mixture before cooking. Or, you can also add a few dashes of cayenne pepper too. Also, keep in mind that the spicier your salsa, the spicier the shredded chicken will turn out.
Nutrition
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Josh
This is a great twist on tacos. Such a refreshing meal after a muggy day outside. We used iceberg lettuce because we couldn’t find bib and it worked great! Also, we made your salsa from the tortilla chips recipe and it was FANTASTIC!
Alana Lieberman
Iceberg is perfect for a nice crunch. Glad you enjoyed the salsa as well!
Marni
These are wonderful!!! My favorite meal is tacos so this healthy twist is a nice way to mix it up. I added couscous as an added topping 🙂
Alana Lieberman
Couscous sounds like a great addition. I'll have to try that too!
Anna
These look and sound delicious! I know my kids will love them.
Alana Lieberman
That's awesome! Let me know how it goes!