I can’t even tell you how many people in the HKLE community requested this recipe I’m not going to lie, I had my doubts on this recipe. I’ve had a lot of chicken wraps before and I wasn’t sure how special this one was going to be. So when I was asked for the recreation, I ordered it to try out and I don’t know what it was about it, but I couldn’t stop eating it.
So for everyone that messaged me to tell this was all you at the Cactus Club, I totally understand why.
Why You’ll Love This Szechuan Chicken Wraps Recipe
At first glance, this looks like might not sound like much, but there are so many components of this dish that make this a restaurant favourite.
The sweet and spicy Szechuan chicken is perfectly complimented by the crisp lettuce and tied together by fried wontons, toasted peanuts and topped off with two addictive sauces. Seriously, the spicy yogurt sauce is one of those things I couldn’t stop going back too, which especially bad when I was preparing this post because I was scared I would eat all of it before I finished putting it all together!
How To Serve This Szechuan Chicken Wraps Recipe
This recipe is served with 2 sauces:
One is a Korean Chilli Vinegar and the second sauce is a spicy yogurt. They are both worth it to make and takes about 5 minutes to put together!
This wrap also has a number of toppings including cilantro, green onion, peanuts and fried wontons.
Szechuan Chicken Wraps Recipe Tips
My secret to getting anything extra crispy is using potato starch, but corn starch also works very well!
If you like it spicy, you can also add additional red chillis when frying the chicken or szechuan peppercorns (be careful with this spice, it’s the numbing kind!).
The spicy yogurt is usually made with a specific ranch packet called Uncle Dan’s Ranch Seasoning. I have also provided a copycat of that recipe below as it’s mostly available in BC/Canada. Optional but I also added 5 Spice powder to the spicy yogurt to enhance the spice and tie in the asian flavours!
The Szechuan Chicken Wraps Recipe
Ingredients
Szechuan Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if preferred), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp white pepper (or black pepper)
1 tsp sugar
1 egg white
1/3 cup cornstarch (for coating)
Neutral oil (for shallow frying)
Optional If You Like Spice: Red Thai Chillis, Szechuan Peppercorns, and/or Red Pepper Flakes
Sweet Chilli Sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp garlic chili sauce or sambal oelek
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water (slurry)
Korean Vinegar
1/4 Cup of Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Goguchang
1/2 Tsp Honey
1/2 Tsp Lemon juice
Spicy Yogurt
1/4 Cup of Plain Yogurt
1/4 Cup of Mayo
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Cayenne
1 Tsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tsp Dill (Fresh is best but dried works too!)
Optional: 1 Tsp of 5 Spice Powder
Additional Wrap Ingredients
1/2 Iceberg Lettuce
3 Wonton Wrappers (Cut into strips)
1/4 Cup of Roasted Peanuts
6 Stems of Cilantro (or as preferred)
3 Green Onions Cut into thirds (or as preferred)
Instructions
In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, garlic powder, white pepper, sugar, and egg white.
Add chicken pieces and marinate for at least 15–20 minutes.
Just before cooking, toss chicken in cornstarch to coat evenly.
Shallow fry in neutral oil over medium-high heat until golden and crispy (about 3–4 minutes per side). Drain on paper towels.
To make the sweet chili sauce, combine all ingredients (except slurry) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and cook until glossy and slightly thickened (2–3 min). Set aside to cool.
- To make the Korean vinegar, mix together the rice vinegar, gochujang, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- To make the spicy yogurt, mix together the plain yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic powder, lemon juice, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, rice vinegar, and dill in a small bowl.
- Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the lettuce leaves (It should be about 3-4 Wraps depending on how big your lettuce is). Top each lettuce wrap with wonton strips, peanuts, cilantro, and green onions.
- Drizzle the sweet chili sauce and Korean vinegar over the top of the wraps. Serve with the spicy yogurt on the side. Enjoy!
Hi Kim! I just found your website and I’m excited to try making this!
One question though, you mention that Cactus uses the Uncle Dan’s ranch powder in the Spicy Yogurt – if I have that, what would I leave out of your recipe above? And what quantity of the ranch seasoning would I use?
Thanks so much!
Hi Meghan, thank you so much! I just bought the powder too but haven’t tried it. I would recommend about 1 tsp though because it’s quite strong, and remove the garlic powder, smoked paprika, lemon juice and dill. You can also let the sauce sit for a bit (up to an hour) and it will get spicier as the cayenne kicks in. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Kim, this sounds wonderful. Is this a appetizer? Your recipe does not detail how to cook the chicken, is it deep fried or pan fried? Your picture shows cooked chicken in a pan with what looks like green onion and something else green. I do not know this restaurant as I am from Ontario so am not sure how to serve this. Did you deep fry your wonton strips? I love Joey’s Chicken wraps and was hoping to try yours to compare.
Look forward to your reply.
Thanks, Kim