PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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These chicken lettuce wraps is a PF Chang’s copycat recipe, except you can whip this up in just 20 min and it tastes so much better at home!
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Why you’ll love these pf chang’s chicken lettuce wraps
- Lightning fast recipe. This recipe comes together in just 20 minutes start to finish, making it so much quicker than waiting for delivery or takeout.
- Budget-friendly. Making this copycat favorite at home costs a fraction of dining out using pantry staples. For example, the dish costs around $16 for 2 servings, but making a batch at home costs around $10, easily yielding about 4 to 6 servings.
- Low-carb yet so filling. Lettuce wraps are a hearty, low-carb meal choice, cutting out grain-based carbs with lettuce leaves and filling them with lean proteins such as ground chicken or turkey.
- Flexible recipe. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, or adapted to be gluten-free or extra veggie-loaded for picky eaters!
- Freezes so well. The filling is incredibly freezer-friendly and reheats like a dream, making it a perfect candidate for meal prep for busy weeknights ahead.
Ingredients
Ground chicken
This is a great economical, quick cooking option. Ground turkey, pork, or extra-lean beef can also be used.
Garlic
I love subbing in garlic puree, one of my favorite weeknight hacks to cut down on prep time even more.
Onion
Yellow, sweet, or white onion will all work well here.
Hoisin
Hoisin sauce is a key ingredient, adding complementary sweet, savory, and tangy flavors to the filling.
Soy sauce
Tamari or coconut aminos can be used for a gluten-free option.
Rice wine vinegar
Rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar can be used interchangeably.
Ginger
Similar to the garlic, I love subbing in ginger puree in a pinch.
Sriracha
Sriracha adds a little bit of heat! Chili garlic paste is also an excellent swap.
Water chestnuts
This helps bulk up the filling while adding a nice little crunch.
Butter lettuce
Sturdy lettuce such as Bibb or butter lettuce are both excellent options.
How to make PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps
- Cook the chicken. Place a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add a splash of oil. Then add the ground chicken and crumble into small, even pieces until browned, about 3-5 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
- Combine. Stir in the garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and Sriracha until the onions are tender, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add crunch. Stir in the water chestnuts, green onions, salt, and pepper until the chestnuts are heated through and tender, about 1-2 minutes. Pro tip: the water chestnuts are key for that signature crunch.
- Assemble. Spoon several tablespoons of the warm chicken mixture in the center of each lettuce leaf and serve warm. Pro tip: if preparing for leftovers, store the lettuce leaves separately from the filling to prevent soggy lettuce.
what to serve with pf chang’s chicken lettuce wraps
Tools For This Recipe
PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Frequently Asked Questions
Bibb or butter lettuce are both excellent choices – they are both strong and sturdy that can hold up the filling without breaking apart. Romaine lettuce is also a great option for a crisper wrap.
The optional Sriracha adds a little bit of heat but it can be skipped altogether without compromising flavor.
Use gluten-free hoisin sauce and swap out the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Rice wine vinegar is generally gluten-free (such as Marukan Rice Vinegar).
Leftover filling can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, adding a splash of chicken broth when reheating (if needed). Always store the leftover lettuce separately in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to prevent sogginess and wilting.
Yes! Let the filling cool completely and portion into plastic freezer bags. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, gently reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional
- 1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 head butter lettuce
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.
Equipment
Notes
- Choose your favorite protein. This recipe will work well with quick-cooking ground chicken or ground turkey. Finely diced chicken breasts or chicken thighs can also be used.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Dice into small, even pieces. Finely chop the onion and water chestnuts into very small, uniform pieces for even cooking and a consistent bite.
- Load up on veggies. Add nutrient-dense veggies such as shredded cabbage, bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots for extra fiber and vitamins.
- Make it mild. Need something a little more mild for the littles at home? Skip the Sriracha altogether.
- Sturdy leaves are best. Use Bibb or butter lettuce – both are ideal for wrapping as they have wide, pliable and sturdy leaves without falling apart when filled.
- Avoid overfilling. Add a few tablespoons of filling per lettuce leaf, making them easy to serve without overspill.
- Add a garnish. Finish the wraps by garnishing with sesame seeds or crispy rice noodles.
- Freeze leftovers. The filling is very freezer-friendly! Portion the leftover filling into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
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Easy to make and very delicious. Lunch meal with a bowl of soup.
Decreased the Siracha to one teaspoon and added some shredded carrot for color.
Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve made it about 4 times and each time it just gets better!!! Absolutely delicious
Super delicious! I doubled the recipe because I have a big family and the only thing I changed after doubling it was just used 1 onion and 1/2 tablespoon of Siracha. I have picky eaters and they all enjoyed it!
This is a great recipe! The only thing I added was mushrooms but it was easy to make and quick.
Really came out great. I used a bit more hoisin sauce and only about half the can of water chestnuts and these were a hit at dinner tonight. Would definitely make these again as they are fast and easy to make and really do taste like restaurant food.
This recipe looks absolutely amazing and I am hoping to make it for my family, but my daughter is allergic to chestnuts. Would simply omitting them or replacing them with something else be recommended? Thanks!
Water chestnuts are an entirely different plant than normal tree-nut chestnuts, they come from a grass and are more of a asian marsh carrot, so I’m nearly positive your daughter would be totally fine. If you’re very nervous I’d replace them with carrots as they’re mainly in the recipe to add crunch!
jicama for crunch
Super good! The only thing I did different was used oyster sauce instead of hoisin as I didn’t have any. This was super flavorful and just good. I’m bookmarking this recipe as I will use it again and again and again.
I was wondering if anyone has tried this with ground pork. I live at the beach in FL. Not many choices in grocery shopping. Publix has some reasonably price lean ground pork. I am not a fan of their ground chicken. It was spice/herbs like rosemary. Thanks. I have made this before with chicken I minced up and it was yummy.
Yes, I made them with lean ground pork and they were very good. I just made them for the first time tonight (a test drive for a Thanksgiving appetizer). My grocery store didn’t have any ground chicken. I honestly think both meats are mild in flavor. I’d even try ground turkey.
KAREN (NO NOT THAT ONE!) I had to comment on how you’ve embellished your name! I’ve been wondering how people with THAT name are feeling right about now. You sound like a very fun person.
Anyway, I also substituted the chicken but with Plant-Based Meatless Crumbles, which are made with non-GMO pea protein. I got the idea from Chipotle’s new Chorizo, made with the same. If you season the meatless crumbles well enough, as the sauces in this recipe do, you would not know that you’re not eating meat. I have a couple of daughters who eat vegetarian so I’m always looking for yummy recipes. I’m so glad I found this one!
Great recipe first of all! Couldn’t find ground chicken so I subbed chicken for turkey. They were awesome my daughter asked for this meal again and I was able to buy ground chicken but didn’t the turkey was good and inexpensive. Thanks for this winner!!!
I love this recipe – it tastes even better than lettuce wraps in a restaurant.
This recipe was super easy and had great flavor. I do agree with some of the other commenters though – this was too sweet for my taste. I’d probably use a quarter of the white sugar. Otherwise a great dish, I will definitely be making again! I think I may even add some chick peas or kale next time.
I think you reviewed the wrong recipe? I don’t see sugar even listed in the ingredients.
I think this recipe should call for 1 tsp. of ginger, not 1 tbs.. I followed as directed and the ginger was very overpowering. Now I know for next time. Otherwise, very good! Don’t forget the crispy rice noodles!!
Super easy and very tasty. I add some sesame oil. Not always easy to find ground chicken so we have used ground beef and it still was a hit.
This is a keeper.
I am not known for my culinary skills, but I am a hero with this meal. Everyone in my family loves it and tonight after dinner my teenage son made a point of thanking me for the meal! I grind the chicken in my mini food chopper and it’s perfect. I did shop around for hoisin to find a tasty one with no added sugar. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!
LOVE to make these, my partner loves it even more! Thanks for the recipe! I do switch the olive oil for sesame oil and when building my lettuce wrap I put a little white rice, the meat mixture, and add crushed cashews on top! So good!
crushed cashews sounds like a great addition! I’m going to try that tonight 🙂
I made these tonight and my kitchen smelled amazing and the flavor of the recipe was outstanding. Will for sure be in my rotation.
Made these last night and they were so damn delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Easy and fast! Added some carrot shavings to give it some color too!
Use ground chicken thigh meat if you can find. Better for both texture and flavor. You can easily make your own in a food processor. Agree with sesame oil and/ or neutral oil instead of olive oil. Regardless, an excellent knockoff.
I have made this a few times now, always exactly according to the recipe. the funny thing is, i have never been a fan of water chestnuts, but in this recipe they are perfect! everything is in just the right measurements. even the sriracha. my recommendation is to make this recipe exactly as-is and enjoy every bite 🙂