High Protein Lettuce Wrap with Chicken Fingers
If you’ve been looking for a high protein lettuce wrap that actually tastes delicious, this is it. We took my High Protein Baked Chicken Fingers recipe and wrapped them up in lettuce leaves with creamy herb dressing drizzled on the top. It’s 65 grams of protein in one wrap!
A Note from Teri on A High Protein Lettuce Wrap
I am trying to find ways to prioritize protein in my day without it feeling like a chore. I made these chicken fingers and first served them in a salad, but I thought it would be totally delicious as a lettuce wrap. We shared it on Instagram and it went viral, so we decided to share the full recipe here.
The chicken provides a lot of protein, along with the Quest protein chips in the breading. For the dressing, we used cottage cheese to boost the protein even further!
I’ve become a bit of a lettuce wrap expert over the years, and it’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy lunch. Head to the recipe below for all of my tips on rolling your lettuce wraps to make it easy to make and easy to enjoy.
Ingredients and Variations
- High Protein Baked Chicken Fingers
- Cottage cheese – cottage cheese adds protein to your dressing and makes it so creamy
- Chives, Parsley, Basil – this combination of herbs makes for the absolute best flavor in your dressing
- Lemon juice – make sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor
- Shallots – the shallot adds a ton of flavor to complement the herbs
- Apple cider vinegar – brighten your dressing with a touch of apple cider vinegar
- Garlic cloves – garlic adds even more boldness to your dressing that deepens the flavor
- Anchovies – I used three anchovies, but you can start with one or two and taste to decide if you want all three
- Hot sauce – a little hot sauce balances out the flavor in your dressing
- Celtic Sea Salt ® – use your salt in the dressing and to salt your greens in the lettuce wrap
- Iceberg lettuce – use iceberg to build your lettuce wraps
- Fennel – the fennel adds a fun bit of sweetness to your wrap
- Avocados – the texture and the fat in avocado is the perfect addition to your wrap
- Marinated red onions – no wrap is complete without some marinated onions!
You can mix up ingredients in your lettuce wrap depending on what you have on hand. It would be great to add some cheddar cheese, pickles or giardiniera!
For your salt, I highly recommend Celtic Sea Salt ®. Most other salts are processed and refined, but Celtic Sea Salt ® has a vital mineral blend that absolutely changes the game. You’ll taste the difference and never want to go back!
How to Make a High Protein Lettuce Wrap
Step One: Make the Dip
To a blender or a wide mouth mason jar, add cottage cheese, chives, lemon juice, shallots, parsley, basil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, anchovies, hot sauce, lemon zest, and salt, and blend on high or with an immersion blender until thoroughly combined. Add 2 tablespoons of water if you’re making a dip or ¼ cup water if you’re making a dressing and blend to combine. Cover and refrigerate to allow the dressing to thicken before use.
Step Two: Make Chicken Fingers
Pat the chicken tenderloins dry with paper towels and lightly season with salt and the poultry seasoning. Place the flour in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with a splash of water and set aside. In a third bowl, combine the crushed chips with the remaining salt and set aside.
Use the wet hand/dry hand method to coat your chicken fingers. Spray the baking sheet lightly with olive oil spray and place the tenders on the baking sheet so they close but not touching.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the chicken tenders for 20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces, or until golden, crispy, and cooked through. At 13 minutes, lightly spray the tops of the tenders with olive oil spray and flip and, if you have the option, turn the convection oven on. Remove the baking sheet from the oven when done and set aside.
Step Three: Assemble Wrap
With a paring knife, cut the core out of the head of iceberg lettuce. Gently peel away the outer 2 to 4, largest, iceberg leaves. Rinse the iceberg leaves and place on a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet and place in your refrigerator. Repeat with second head of lettuce.
On a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, nestle the leaves together to form a lettuce bowl. You’ll want to assess which way you’ll be rolling the wrap so that you can add the filling lengthwise. I always season my greens so sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, then layer chicken fingers, fennel and avocado. If you would like, add chives on top. Add marinated red onions. Drizzle the dressing and lemon juice to finish.
Begin to roll the leaves up into a wrap. Pull the filling in toward you as you roll and tuck or fold in the sides of the lettuce as you go. Continue rolling as tightly as you can until the sandwich is completely wrapped, like a burrito. Then tightly roll the paper around the wrap. Twist the ends of the paper, and cut the wrap in half.
Recipe FAQs
The chicken fingers are best fresh out of the oven when the breading is crunchy. The cottage cheese herb dressing can be made ahead and gets better as it sits. If you need to reheat your chicken fingers, put them in the oven for 5-7 minutes at 350F.
Quest chips are the secret ingredient here because they add extra protein and crunch. If you can’t find them, another high-protein chip will work. If you are not concerned about protein, panko breadcrumbs are a good substitute.
The key is in the roll. Tuck or fold in the sides as you roll, like you would a burrito. Use a piece of parchment paper to roll the wrap tightly in and twist both ends, then cut it in half. This not only holds everything together but makes it much easier to pick up and eat.
Try These Other Lettuce Wraps!
If you make this High Protein Lettuce Wrap recipe, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!
High Protein Lettuce Wrap with Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
For the High Protein Chicken Fingers
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Celtic Sea Salt ® divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1/3 cup gluten-free flour
- 3 large eggs
- 6 oz Quest Protein Chips (Chili Lime or Salsa Verde), crushed into crumbs with a rolling pin or in a food processor
- Olive oil spray
For the Cottage Cheese Herb Dressing
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 3 tablespoons chives chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons shallots minced
- 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves pressed or grated
- 3 anchovies
- 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ¾ teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt ®
For the Lettuce Wrap
- 2 heads iceberg lettuce
- 1 fennel bulb trimmed and finely shaved
- Celtic Sea Salt ®
- 2 avocados sliced or quartered
- Lemon wedges
- Marinated red onions and oil
- Cheddar cheese optional
- Pickles optional
- Giardieniera optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Make the dip/dressing: To a blender or a wide mouth mason jar, add cottage cheese, chives, lemon juice, shallots, parsley, basil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, anchovies, hot sauce, lemon zest, and salt, and blend on high or with an immersion blender until thoroughly combined. Add 2 tablespoons of water if you’re making a dip or ¼ cup water if you’re making a dressing and blend to combine. Cover and refrigerate to allow the dressing to thicken before use.
- Make the chicken fingers: Pat the chicken tenderloins dry with paper towels and lightly season with ¾ teaspoon salt and the poultry seasoning.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl and set aside. In another shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with a splash of water and set aside. In a third shallow bowl, combine the crushed chips with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and set aside.
- With one hand (this will be your dry hand), grab one chicken tender and lightly coat it in the flour. Using your dry hand, place the tenderloin in the bowl with the egg. With your other hand (this will be your wet hand), flip the tender in the egg to coat then place in the bowl with the crushed chips. With your dry hand, turn the tender in the chip mixture to coat, pressing down slightly to make sure the chips stick to the chicken, and set aside on a cutting board or large plate. Repeat this step with all of the chicken tenders. When all of the tenders are coated, spray the baking sheet lightly with olive oil spray and place the tenders on the baking sheet so they close but not touching.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the chicken tenders for 20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces, or until golden, crispy, and cooked through. At 13 minutes, lightly spray the tops of the tenders with olive oil spray and flip and, if you have the option, turn the convection oven on. Remove the baking sheet from the oven when done and set aside.
- With a paring knife, cut the core out of the head of iceberg lettuce. Gently peel away the outer 2 to 4, largest, iceberg leaves, making sure to keep them in one piece. Rinse the iceberg leaves and allow the excess water to drip off before placing on a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet and placing in your refrigerator. If you didn’t get 4 large leaves from the first head of the iceberg, repeat with the other head of the iceberg.
- On a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, nestle the leaves together to form a lettuce bowl. You’ll want to assess which way you’ll be rolling the wrap so that you can add the filling lengthwise
- I always season my greens so sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, then layer chicken fingers, fennel and avocado. If you would like, add chives on top. Add marinated red onions. Drizzle the dressing and lemon juice to finish.
- Carefully, using both hands, begin to roll the leaves up into a wrap. Begin with the edge of the leaves closest to you and start wrapping it over the filling. Pull the filling in toward you as you roll and tuck or fold in the sides of the lettuce as you go. Continue rolling as tightly as you can until the sandwich is completely wrapped, like a burrito. Then tightly roll the paper around the wrap. Twist the ends of the paper, and cut the wrap in half. Repeat to make more wraps, then serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Wrap your lettuce wrap tightly in parchment paper to hold it together and make it easier to eat.
- Feel free to use regular flour for your chicken fingers if you do not need them to be gluten free.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days.
