Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (P.F. Chang's Copycat)

Name: P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Copycat)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons light soy sauce; 3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar; 1½ tablespoons sambal oelek; ½ green onion (thinly sliced; use the remaining green onion half for garnish.); 1½ teaspoons sesame oil; 1 pound ground chicken; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2-3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 medium onion (finely chopped; about 8 ounces); ¼ cup hoisin sauce; 2 tablespoons light soy sauce; 1½ tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar; 1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger; 2 teaspoons Sriracha (or more, to taste); 8 ounces water chestnuts (drained & finely chopped (1 can)); 2 whole green onions (thinly sliced); 1 head lettuce (iceberg, bibb, Boston, or butter)

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Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a savory mix of ground chicken, vegetables, and a delicious, umami-packed sauce, all wrapped in a crisp, fresh lettuce wrapper. Easy to make and ready in under 25 minutes!

Chicken lettuce wraps on a long platter, with sauce and extra filling on the side.

Asian chicken lettuce wraps have become a go-to for us. They are easy to make, budget-friendly, and ready to eat in less than half an hour. Not only that, but they pull double duty – as an appetizer or light meal. If you know you’re going to be in a time crunch, you can even make the filling ahead of time and warm it in the microwave just before serving.

This easy lettuce wrap recipe is a copycat of PF Changs Lettuce Wraps recipe, is full of bold flavor and almost fool-proof. We’ve made these countless times over the last ten years, and they never let us down.

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Lettuce Wrap Ingredients
How to Make this PF Changs Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Substitutions
Storage
Top Tip
FAQ
More Asian-inspired Recipes
What to Serve with Lettuce Wraps
P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Copycat)
Food safety

Lettuce Wrap Ingredients

One of the most appealing things about lettuce wraps is all that fresh flavor!

Ground chicken: Use a good quality ground chicken. (We like Iserno brand for this recipe.)
Lettuce: Use a sturdy lettuce with thick ribs in the leaves; iceberg, bibb, Boston, and butter lettuces are all good choices.
Ginger: For this recipe, please use fresh ginger. Do not use ground or paste ginger. (Paste ginger contains additional ingredients that can change the flavor of the sauce, including sugars, salt, and ascorbic acid.)
Garlic: Fresh is best.
Onion: Use sweet onions.
Green onion
Water chestnuts: Use canned whole or sliced water chestnuts. (I find the sliced ones easier to chopped.)
Sriracha: If you like your lettuce wraps spicy, just a little more Sriracha to the chicken mixture.
Seasoned rice wine vinegar: Seasoned rice wine vinegar is sweeter than regular rice wine vinegar, and brings bit more flavor to the overall dish.
Soy sauce: Use a light soy sauce if you have it. Light soy sauce is thinner and not as strong-tasting as dark soy sauce.
Hoisin sauce: Sometimes called Chinese barbecue sauce, Hoisin sauce is a key ingredient in many Asian dishes.
Sambal oelek (dipping sauce ingredient): Sambal Oelek is a mildly spicy Indonesian chili paste made with hot red peppers.
Olive oil
Sesame oil
Light soy sauce

How to Make this PF Changs Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Dipping Sauce

Whisk dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

We usually finely chopped the portion of the green onion that we use for the dipping sauce, but thinly slicing them also works.

Chicken Filling

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the ground chicken, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until it is no longer pink.

Add onions and garlic and sauté 2-3 minutes; and then add the ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and Sriracha, and stir to mix.

Ground chicken mixture in skillet with hoisin sauce, ginger, and other ingredients added on top but not yet mixed in.

Cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes, until the sauce changes from watery to the consistency of warm honey. Stir in chopped water chestnuts and sliced green onions.

Chopped water chestnuts and sliced green onions on top of browned chicken mixture in large skillet.

Allow filling to cool slightly so that it doesn't cook the lettuce.

Ground chicken and other lettuce wrap ingredients cooked in a skillet.

Serve with fresh lettuce leaves and dipping sauce on the side. Garnish with additional green onions.

Substitutions

Ground Chicken: The best substitute is finely chopped raw chicken. Light-meat ground turkey will also work, but you will notice a hint of turkey flavor in it. Ground pork is also an option.
Sriracha: The best substitute for Sriracha is sambal oelek. Gochujang sauce will also work.
Seasoned Rice Vinegar: Use rice wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
Hoisin sauce: There is no easy substitute for hoisin; however, if you are in a bind, oyster sauce will work.
Sambal oelek: Sriracha, gochujang, or crushed red chili flakes.

Storage

This chicken lettuce wrap filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated when you're ready to eat. Store any leftover filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store lettuce separately.

Top Tip

Easy Party Hack: Endive Wrappetizers

Endive makes a great substitute for lettuce and an easy party app hack, too! Layer a plate with endive leaves and fill them up with prepared lettuce wrap filling, and you're good to go!

Three endive leaves filled with lettuce wrap filling.

FAQ

What are the crispy white noodles that come with the lettuce wraps at PF Changs?

Those are fried rice stick noodles. If you want to make them, look for “Maifun” rice sticks or vermicelli rice noodles at your grocery store or Asian market.

To make crispy rice noodles, simply deep fry them in hot oil, a little at a time. They will puff up immediately when they hit the fryer oil. Remove them with a wire spider as they puff up.

Overhead shot of lettuce wraps on a long platter, with sauce and extra filling on the side.

More Asian-inspired Recipes

What to Serve with Lettuce Wraps

Pair chicken lettuce wraps with light Asian-inspired dishes like fried rice, peanut noodles, potstickers, wonton soup, cucumber salad, or Vietnamese noodle salad for a fresh, light meal.

5 from 3 votes

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Copycat)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a savory mixture of ground chicken, vegetables, and a delicious, umami-packed sauce, all wrapped in a crisp, fresh lettuce wrapper. Easy to make and ready to eat in under 25 minutes!

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Course: Appetizer, Main

Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:15

Total Time:25

Servings: servings

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet or heavy skillet

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Dipping Sauce

3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
1½ tablespoons sambal oelek
½ green onion thinly sliced; use the remaining green onion half for garnish.
1½ teaspoons sesame oil

Lettuce Wrap Filling

1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion finely chopped; about 8 ounces
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1½ tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Sriracha or more, to taste
8 ounces water chestnuts drained & finely chopped (1 can)
2 whole green onions thinly sliced
1 head lettuce iceberg, bibb, Boston, or butter

Instructions

Dipping Sauce

Whisk dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Lettuce Wrap Filling

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add the ground chicken, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until it is no longer pink; 4-5 minutes.
Add onions and garlic and sauté 2-3 minutes.
Add ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and Sriracha, and stir to mix.
Cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes, until the sauce changes from watery to the consistency of warm honey.
Stir in chopped water chestnuts and sliced green onions.
Allow filling to cool slightly so that it doesn't cook the lettuce.
Serve with fresh lettuce leaves and dipping sauce on the side.

Notes

Nutrition information does not include dipping sauce values.

Nutrition

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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Food safety

Cook meat to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat.
Always wash hands after touching raw meat.
Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
Never leave cooking food unattended.
Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
Store food in suitable, covered containers.
To refrigerate, cool to 70°F within two hours, and then down to 41°F (fridge temp) or below within the next four hours.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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Originally published October 15, 2014. This post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.