Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Whole30 + Paleo)
Published Mar 16, 2019 Updated Jul 11, 2023
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These Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are the perfect sweet and savory wrap that has a chicken breast drenched in homemade BBQ sauce, grilled pineapples, red onions and ranch coleslaw.
We all are busy these days and need something on the menu that is not only yummy, but also a dish that serves the entire family in a healthy way. My Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are stuffed with a chicken breast smothered in my homemade BBQ sauce, a grilled pineapple, ranch coleslaw and red onions.
These wraps are as delicious as they look and are also Whole30, Paleo compliant and can be tailored to meet the Keto guidelines. My favorite part of this dish is putting the Hawaiian twist by grilling up pineapple slices and adding to the wrap. The flavors from the ranch coleslaw and BBQ sauce paired with the grilled pineapple is out of this world amazing.
How to cook a juicy chicken breast?
I love cooking chicken in a hot skillet. It does take a little extra time, but it turns out so tasty. The key to getting the perfect moist chicken breast every time is the following,
- Make sure you are using a nice skillet. I love both my Cast Iron, Le Creuset and my Williams Sonoma’s Fry Pan. From experience, investing in cook cookware makes all the difference in how your food will cook.
- Allow the chicken breast to rest a few minutes after it is finished cooking. If you cut the chicken breast as soon as it come out of the skillet, you will lose all the yummy juices.
- Seasoning with salt and pepper, keep it simple.
- Get you skillet hot, but make sure it is not smoking and cook with a little olive oil.
Is there another way to make this without the lettuce wrap?
I actually really love chopping the BBQ chicken breast and adding it on top of the ranch coleslaw along with red onion slices and diced pineapple. It is easier to eat this way and you are still getting a great mix of all the delicious flavors. In addition, the ranch coleslaw is always one of my go to side dishes. It is super easy to make and adds so much flavor when you are serving a boring protein option, especially with pulled pork.
How to get the perfect lettuce wrap?
I always crave a big juicy burger, deli meat sandwich or a BBQ chicken sandwich. Instead of putting the protein in between bread, I love wrapping in lettuce. My favorite lettuces to use are butter, romaine, and iceberg. If you are using butter or romaine lettuce, make sure to rinse and pat completely dry. Place on lettuce leaf down and start building the wrap and top with another clean piece of lettuce. When using iceberg lettuce, start by cutting off the bottom end, cut in half again and gently peel off the large pieces of lettuce.
Is BBQ Sauce Whole30, Paleo and Gluten Free compliant?
My homemade BBQ sauce is Paleo, Whole30, and gluten free. If you ask me, I think this version is actually better than store bought. I used to freak out at the thought of making my own BBQ sauce, but it is actually really easy. I love the idea of using dates to give it a natural sweetness that really makes all the difference.
Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are the perfect sweet and savory wrap that has a chicken breast drenched in homemade BBQ sauce, grilled pineapples, red onions and ranch coleslaw.
Ingredients
Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wrap
- 4 chicken breast
- 4 pineapple slices grilled
- 4 large red onion slices
- 4 tbsp BBQ Sauce
- 8 butter lettuce leaves
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 1/4 cup homemade ranch
- splash of rice vinegar
BBQ Sauce
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 7 dates for Keto, sub 1 1/2 tbsp of Monk Fruit Syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup coocnut aminos
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard I use Annies
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
Chicken Wraps
- Heat a skillet over medium/high heat and preheat oven to 425F
- Add a 1 tbsp of olive or avocado oil to the skillet. Add the 4 chicken breast to the skillet and cook 4 minutes on each side then transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 F.
- Add the 4 pineapple slices to a skillet or a grill. Heat until tender or until desired.
- In a medium bowl add the coleslaw mix along with the ranch dressing and mix together with a spoon.
- Clean lettuce and slice the red onion. Coat each chicken breast with the homemade BBQ sauce.
- Begin assembling the lettuce wraps be starting with a lettuce cup on the bottom and building with the chicken breast, ranch coleslaw, grilled pineapple, and the red onion. Top everything with another lettuce cup. You can also wrap each chicken wrap in parchment paper to hold everything together.
BBQ Sauce
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and turn on high speed and mix together for 30 seconds. Transfer BBQ sauce to a sauce pan and heat over low heat until warm (not boiling)
- Transfer to a mason jar and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Ranch Coleslaw
- To a medium bowl add the coleslaw mix along with 1/4 cup ranch and a splash of white rice vinegar. Mix together with a spoon until well combined.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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If you love this recipe, be sure to check out my other favorites below:
- Turkey Club Lettuce Wraps
- Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps
- Mushroom Bacon Lettuce Wrap Burgers
Absolutely DELICIOUS! 🙂 THANK YOU!
This BBQ sauce recipe is AWESOME! We made it even while not doing a round of Whole30, and it was so good!!!! You definitely don’t feel “cheated” or like you’re missing something. Thank you!
Amazingly good! Bbq sauce is going to be my go to from now on
This recipe is delicious. I made it as a salad as you suggested. I also marinated the chicken in some of the barbeque sauce and then grilled the chicken. I omitted the tomato paste, tomato sauce and dates from the barbeque sauce and added 4 tbsp. pineapple juice instead then added 1 tbsp. tapioca flour and cooked it to thicken the sauce. My family loved this dish and it’s great for hot summer nights!
My favorite Whole30 recipe! Delicious, quick, easy, and the whole family loves it!
Quick, simple, and tasty three ingredients that are a must in my recipes. Love this Taylor. Thank you!
LOVE this recipe!
Thank you so much!
Love this recipe! It was so good and the whole family loved!
Hi Heather…….thank you so much for letting me know your thoughts. Even more thrilled to know the entire family enjoyed. I know how busy we are as parents. Finding an easy prep meal that will meet the taste buds of all is something I certainly try to make available for my followers. ENJOY!!
A delicious and simple recipe! I ate mine in the lettuce wrap, and my husband and two boys ate theirs in a tortilla. It was a hit all around and will definitely be added to our meal rotation. A great recipe for a busy weeknight meal!
Another recipe that knocked our socks off!! These were one of the yummiest lettuce wrapped sandwiches I’ve ever had! SO good!
Awww, thank you Brandy for the very kind words. So thrilled to hear this recipe helped you and was delicious. Happy Eating friend!