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20-Minute Ponzu Ginger Chicken Bowls – Chicken and peanuts simmered in a tangy, ginger-lemon sauce, then tossed with my homemade ponzu dressing. I serve the chicken in butter lettuce cups, over a bed of jasmine rice, with sliced cucumber, fresh basil, and green onion. On the side? Fried wonton chips for scooping—plus extra ponzu sauce, of course. That’s it. Nothing fancy. Don’t overcomplicate it.
When I first started developing this recipe, I was aiming for simple lettuce wraps. No rice, minimal fuss. But honestly? I was bored. I made the dish, tasted it, and…meh. It wasn’t satisfying. Something was missing.
So I put a pin in it. I left the idea alone for a few days—didn’t think much about it—until just before a recent trip, when I gave it another go.
This version? It’s everything. A cross between a lettuce wrap and a rice bowl. The textures, the flavors—it all came together so easily, and it was so much more satisfying.
With summer just around the corner, this dish is perfect—fresh, light, and quick to throw together. It even works great for meal prep!
These bowls are salty in the best way, a little sweet, perfectly tangy, and have just the right amount of spice. And the best part? They come together in 20 minutes—start to finish. Wahoo!
A quick tip on ponzu sauce: I buy mine from Whole Foods. Look for one without added sugar and just a few clean ingredients—think soy sauce, vinegar, and citrus or lemon juice.
That’s all you need to know. Just make it and enjoy!
These are the details
Ingredients – for the sauce
- ponzu sauce
- rice vinegar
- honey
- chili paste – I like sambal oelek or gochujang
- toasted sesame oil
- black pepper and chili flakes
Ingredients – for the chicken
- salted butter
- chicken thighs or breasts – or use a mix
- ginger
- garlic
- lemongrass – or use lemongrass paste
- tamari/soy sauce
- orange marmalade
- honey
- green onions
Special Tools
Just a large skillet and a glass jar to shake the sauce in.
Steps
Step 1: Make the Ponzu Sauce
This sauce is super easy—just mix all the ingredients together and season to taste with chili flakes. I also highly recommend adding sesame seeds for extra flavor and texture.
While it’s not a fully homemade ponzu, it’s delicious and comes together fast. No shame in taking a little help from the store!
Step 2: Cook the Chicken
Melt some butter in a skillet (you can use oil, but I prefer butter for the flavor). Add the chicken, followed by the ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked through.
Next, stir in the tamari, marmalade, honey, and a generous pinch of black pepper. Add the peanuts now, too. Let everything cook together until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the chicken. Then remove from the heat.
Tip: Want to add veggies? Toss in chopped broccoli or bell peppers with the peanuts. Mango or pineapple would be amazing here too!
Step 3: Add the Ponzu Sauce
With the skillet off the heat, stir in a few spoonfuls of the ponzu sauce from step 1. This gives the chicken a tangy, citrusy finish.
Step 4: Assemble Your Bowl
Start with a base of steamed jasmine rice. Take two butter or Bibb lettuce leaves and fill them with the chicken. Place the lettuce wraps right on top of the rice.
Add sliced cucumber, fresh basil (Thai basil is my favorite), and green onions.
Serve with extra ponzu sauce on the side. I love pairing this with fried wonton chips—pan-fried in butter or avocado oil and finished with a sprinkle of salt. They’re addicting, especially dipped in that ponzu.
Family Approved
Everyone thought this dish was YUMMY! I actually remade it for my family just the other night.
My younger sister, Asher, said that without the peanuts, it’s probably one of her favorite dishes.
My older brother, Creighton, added avocado slices—not a bad idea. Mom did the same, but also doubled the rice and skipped the green onions.
Dad? He just shoveled it in—typical. And little Oslo? He stuck to the chips, happily dipping them in ponzu sauce.
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
20 Minute Thai Basil Beef Rolls
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Thai Basil Beef and Lemongrass Rice Bowls
Lastly, if you make this 20 Minute Ponzu Ginger Chicken Bowls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Ponzu Ginger Chicken Lettuce Bowls
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 365 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or tenders - thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon dried ginger)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass
- 1 Fresno pepper, sliced or chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup tamari/soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade/jam
- 2 teaspoons honey
- black pepper/chili flakes
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 cups steamy jasmine rice
- butter lettuce leaves
- basil, sliced cucumbers, and green onions for serving
Ponzu Sauce
- 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili paste (sambal oelek or gochujang)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- 1. To make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or bowl. Season with chili flakes.2. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the chicken, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and Fresno pepper, if using. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tamari/soy sauce, the honey, marmalade, and peanuts. Cook for 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens around the chicken. Remove from the heat.3. Mix a few spoonfuls of the ponzu sauce into the chicken.4. Serve the chicken inside the lettuce leaves over bowls of rice. Add basil, cucumbers, and green onions. Serve with ponzu sauce.
This post was originally published on May 27, 2025
I made this last night and it was totally delicious, like almost every recipe I make from this site. I used mango chutney & a bit of chili sauce instead of marmalade rather than buy a jar especially, as I don’t use it generally. Another winner, thank you.
Hi Lisa,
Happy Monday!! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xx
Didn’t feel like cooking dinner tonight but I’m glad I did. My husband and I both really liked this meal! It was really easy to make too. Also easy to make kid friendly 🙂 I made it just as written and it turned out great!
Thanks so much, Cassidy:) So glad to hear you both enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it! Have the best weekend! xx
Wow! Never heard of Ponzu, but veryone loved this dish that is bursting with flavors. Even the young kids were asking for 2nds & 3rds!
Hi Susan,
Happy Sunday!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear it turned out well for you. xx
We liked it but 20 minutes is when you have all your ingredients in line and ready to cook, so it was more like 60′ total. My chicken didn’t got that deep color of yours[photo post editing?] and the sauce didn’t really got thick. Nevertheless, I’ll definitely try it again as this is a canvas to work on. Thank you.
ps: fried the Wonton sheets with butter and canola oil.
Hi Gil,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, glad to hear it was enjoyed! For a thicker and darker sauce, just allow the sauce to cooke down longer. I hope this helps! xx
Another hit!
You never disappoint
Hey Carole,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your feedback, I’m so glad it was a hit! xx
Won’t be making this again
Sorry to hear this, Dale.
Really delicious flavors! This came together so fast and was super easy. My kids ate the chicken over the rice and the littlest just ate rice with the sauce- he went back for extra sauce. My husband and I made lettuce wraps. I added avocado. People in the comments seem to be confused how to eat food?! You can eat it however you want! Also your ‘doctored’ up ponzu sauce was great. I often buy a store sauce and then add some extras to it!
Hey Mary,
Happy Thursday!! Thanks a bunch for making this dish and sharing your feedback:) I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed by your family! xxT
Great recipe – so easy and quick for the weeknight and flavorful. We enjoyed it as lettuce cups with rice and chicken inside the cups and then leftovers just on rice. Good both ways!
Thanks so much, Kelsey:) I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this fun recipe, I appreciate you making it! xx
I made this last night and it was so easy and delicious. Will make again. A big hit.
Thanks so much, Stefanie! Love to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great Thursday:)
I have made many of your dishes and I have found them almost always delicious. Your website is my go to place to find some different flavors and combinations. If I don’t like the ingredients or even the picture of the dish, I move on. Absolutely no need to write a comment on a dish you haven’t tried and will not try. The first 7 comments on this post are just plain rude. How do you eat this???? With your hands, utensils, mouth and digestive system. Why does your Ponzu sauce have ponzu in it????? smh. I wouldn’t even dignify these comments with a response, you are a better person than me…..
Hi Valerie,
I appreciate your kind message and making so many recipes:) Let me know how this one turns out for you, I hope you love it! xx
Do you have a ponzu sauce recipe that doesn’t have ponzu sauce in it? Would prefer to do an actual homemade sauce.
Hi Jan,
Sorry, I do not, this is the recipe that I use:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Why does the ingredient list for ponzu sauce have ponzu sauce already in it? I’m confused. Additionally, I don’t understand why lettuce wraps are served on a bed of rice & also adding chips. Seems like a lot going on here.
Hi Rita,
I just added some additional ingredients to make my ponzu sauce, I love all of the flavors:) Feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking. I enjoy the dish as is over a bed of rice allowing me to eat it like a rice bowl and lettuce wrap all in one. I also love using the wonton chips for scooping. I hope this helps! xx
How do you recommend eating this? Since the chicken is in the lettuce cups, but it’s already over a bed of rice, are you supposed to chop the whole thing yourself so you can eat it like a typical bowl? Or are you supposed to pick up the lettuce cup and then spoon the rice into it afterward? Also the wonton squares – use them as crackers or crunch them up with your hands?
Hi Lou,
It really is up to you and what you enjoy:) You can eat like a rice bowl, you can make lettuce wraps, you can use the wontons for scooping. It’s just a fun and different way to make a dish! I hope you love it! xx
Hi HBH, how do you recommend eating this dish?
Hi Ray,
You can eat it like a rice bowl or a lettuce wrap, totally up to you:) I hope you love the recipe! xx
Do you have any tips to not make the wonton chips burnt like yours in the pic? Thanks!!
Hi Quin,
Just fry your wontons until the desired doneness. I hope you love this recipe!
Do you have a recipe for them? I know you mention you don’t fry anything so I wasn’t sure if you had one or not!
I definitely fry things when needed, I just don’t love to do it:)
To make the wontons. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the strips of wontons and let cook, 1-2 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels, then sprinkle with flaky salt.
Hi Tieghan, did you add the white rice because you liked how it looked in the picture better?
Hi Sal,
I added the rice because I liked how the recipe turned into a cross between a lettuce wrap and a rice bowl. Feel free to leave it out:) I hope you love this recipe! xx