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!
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Why this Recipe Works
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 recipe, a copycat of those made famous by P.F. Chang’s, is full of bold flavor and almost bullet-proof. We’ve made these countless times over the last ten years, and they never let us down.
What Goes into this Recipe
Lettuce Wrap Filling Ingredients
One of the most appealing things about lettuce wraps is all that fresh flavor!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Ground chicken: Use a good quality ground chicken. (We like Iserno brand for this recipe.)
Substitutions: 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.
★ 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.
★ Sriracha: If you like your lettuce wraps spicy, just a little more Sriracha to the chicken mixture.
Substitutions: The best substitute for Sriracha is sambal oelek. Gochujang sauce will also work.
★ Seasoned rice wine vinegar: Seasoned rice wine vinegar is sweeter than regular rice wine vinegar, and brings bit more flavor to the overall dish.
Substitutions: Rice wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
★ 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. There is no easy substitute for hoisin; however, if you are in a bind, oyster sauce will work.
★ Sambal oelek (dipping sauce ingredient): Sambal Oelek is a mildly spicy Indonesian chili paste made with hot red peppers.
Substitutions: Sriracha, gochujang, or crushed red chili flakes.
How to Make this 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.
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.
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.
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. Garnish with additional green onions.
FAQs & Expert Tips
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!
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.
Related Recipes
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P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Copycat Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet or heavy skillet
Ingredients
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
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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Originally published October 15, 2014. This post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.
Kristen says
Can the filling be made a day ahead?
Renée ♥ says
YES! Absolutely. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.
Isernio's Sausage Company says
Wow! We LOVE this recipe! We'd like to send a package of goodies your way and also invite you to join us sometime in the test kitchen! Thanks!
Renée ♥ says
So glad you like it, Nicole - that sounds great!!
Marlynn @UrbanBlissLife says
I love this twist -- much more party food friendly than a big ol' lettuce wrap, and it looks absolutely delicious!
Pech says
This looks amazing! I'll have to pin this as a possible future wine party nibble to serve!
kelsey says
these look delicious!
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