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
Video
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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Nice recipe, I added more heat, with siracha, 1/2 chopped jalapeño, chopped mushrooms , also added a tap of cornflour mixed with cold water and cooked at end, gives a nice shine and some thickness. Do t forget the fried rice noodles to top it with.
Excelente dish in a few minutes!!
It’s my second time making this. I made it a few weeks ago and didn’t have water chestnuts and I added celery and carrots. Yum. I thought the recipe had fish sauce? Was the recipe edited? I really loved it before I just didn’t remember how much to out so I didn’t add it.
The 8 gram of sugar is for the whole meal right?
Print Recipe option shows weird characters instead of the recipe, btw the photos are so good and are tempting me to try the recipe tonight.
Don’t even mess around, double this recipe because it’s that good and you can always have them for leftovers or for lunch the following day. This is a delicious dish that I will esily add to my meal rotation. I think they would also be a perfect appetizer if you can find firm petite romaine lettuce.
The nutrition facts listed are for per serving.
Delish!! We added some finely chopped peppers for some more veg. Will definitely add to the recipe rotation!
Good, but really missed the mushrooms that are in PF Changs recipe. Not necessarily for flavor, but it adds a HUGE textural component that this recipe lacks. While the flavors are spot on, downright delicious, actually, texturally it was just slightly off. I will definitely make this again, but add chopped portabellas to the party.
I, too, wanted mushrooms. The PF Chang’s version used to include shitake mushrooms, but I think they may have gone to ordinary button mushrooms in recent years. I went with a few fresh shitakes and also used Chinese chili garlic sauce instead of sriracha. My small town supermarket is full of Chinese sauces that make better choices and taste more authentic than American-Thai sriracha. I might try chili sesame oil next time.
We thought it tasted VERY good, with only the 2 tweaks I mentioned.
This was so good and easy to make! My husband thought I used some type of PF Changs meal kit and didn’t believe I made it myself. The only change I would make is to use iceberg lettuce, which is sturdier than the butter lettuce.
I did make the side sauce that I saw in one of the reviews, since I had most of those ingredients out anyway. It was good but the recipe is still great on its own.
This dish will definitely be part of my regular rotation.
This recipe was very good; however, I wouldn’t say it tasted exactly like PF Chang’s lettuce wraps. I used ground ginger and didn’t have an water chestnuts. I don’t know that that would make much of a difference though. Also, I didn’t even know that ground chicken was a thing…it is a pleasant surprise. I would make this recipe again, but I am still on a quest to conquer the PF Chang’s recipe.
Made these tonight and soooo much better than the ones at PF Chang’s. I really don’t like ground chicken so I used skinless, boneless chicken tenders. Cooked them first, took out of the pan and cut into bite size pieces and then followed recipe. Added chopped peanuts on top because they’re YUMMY!
This recipe was very good! I would definitely make it again. It’s easy to add in any vegetables you have in your fridge. I recommend adding bean sprouts and shredded carrots as toppings. Next time I’m going to try adding sliced zucchini or cucumber.
This is so good! I usually add a little extra heat, but the flavor is absolutely wonderful!
grandkids love it! So does Grandpa.
This recipe is amazing. I prepared the chicken lettuce wraps for a gathering of my fiancee’s (3) close girlfriends last night, and they were amazed. One of the comments was that they are much better than PF Chang’s. Thanks so much for sharing this Damn Delicious recipe!
really good. does anyone know how many wraps would be considered a serving? i really need an accurate calorie count.
These were delicious and so satisfying. I filled up and felt guilt free. It was so nice being full but not feeling gross and I actually enjoyed the meal which is the best part because it’s a healthy alternative. Highly recommend. I also used ground ginger instead and it came out just as delicious.
how much ground ginger please?
This recipe is wonderful. I did not add the sriracha, and served it on Trader Joe’s jicama wraps. Perfect!
What a great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it. My husband loved it and was so simple to make. We have to agree with you on being better than PF Chang’s.
I deal with a very picky mother and sister so when cooking dinner, I usually have to end up making pasta every night which drives me insane. (I do love pasta but after a while it gets tiring.) Hoping to please them when I go over next by making this recipe. I’ve made this recipe with my grandmother twice and we absolutely love it. With school starting for me soon I won’t have time to cook often and know this recipe will be helpful as I tend to take longer than the original recipe states. (Never has happened with this recipe though)
I am gonna try it! Yemmyyyyyyy
Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe
Terrific recipe. I added some zucchini and mushrooms.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was, in fact, damn delicious. Even my picky kids liked it and ate it without complaint. This is one of my and my husband’s go-to orders at Chang’s, which is unfortunately fairly far away, so this was definitely just like being there. Thanks for another winner!
These turned out super delicious. I altered the recipe by using sesame sauce instead of hoisin and added some shredded carrots for color. The butter lettuce makes for the perfect wrap. A great alternative to our traditional Taco Tuesday.