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.
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YOU ARE A FOOD WIZARD. these were amazing! I have never had the ones from PF Changs but they looked great on your website; I was going to make these as a starter then move on to your PE orange chicken for the entree, but I am so stuffed I need a wheelbarrow! keep up the amazing recipes, and thank you for ending my search for Asian recipes that taste like takeout! (but yours are better!)
This was so quick and easy! My mom has a very similar recipe, but has more ingredients and would chop up the chicken herself. Growing up it was always our task (my sister and me) to chop up all the ingredients and it always seemed to take FOREVER! So as an adult I’ve avoided making what I thought was a labor intensive dish. This proved me wrong! Certainly being added to our dinner rotation!
This PF Chang’s is spot on, I pointed to it in a buzzfeed article of top PF Chang’s copycats! Really good thanks!
I made this for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I doubled the recipe, and WOW. Delicious. Ate it literally every night for dinner until it was gone. I’m making it again tonight! Lately nothing sounds appetizing to me, but these do, so I better give my stomach what it needs, right?
Hoison sauce had too much sugar for my liking so I used Teryaki and you can skip the soy cause it has enough soy in it. Kids loved it, I love it. Thanks. This will become my new go to dinner. We also added some yummy red peppers and skipped the hot sauce. THANKS!
This is delicious. Great flavors – very fresh. Two observations. I used ground turkey breast since chicken wasn’t easily found and I live in Chicago…? Also, next time i will probably add a teaspoon on corn starch to the liquid(s) before mixing in the meat. The sauce was perfect in flavor just did not cling to the meat and ran out of the warps.
I’ve made this recipe several times, and I was never happy with the “lettuce” part of this…the hot filling made the lettuce wilt and fall apart. I took some leftovers to work with a flour tortilla, and it was delicious. So that’s how I serve it now, with lettuce and tomato. I also add some diced carrots and no hot sauce.
I was excited to try this recipe. But it was too sweet for me. Will use less hoisin next time, but not likely to be any time soon since the husband and kids didn’t like them. (And they like almost everything I cook.)
I made this tonight for myself and my picky boyfriend and he loved them! For spicy lovers, I’d recommend adding 1.5 tsp of Sriracha. I will definitely be making this regularly!
Who would have thought that a wonderful little recipe for lettuce wraps (accolades Chungah!) would have turned into “Politico” discussions? Wow, thought we had enough bashing by our #1 Ugly American nasty, the “Donald”! I love cooking and I’m pretty sure everyone here is a “Foodie” too. Leave the mud slinging to the fools who sling it and let’s sling hash or whatever floats your boat! Besides the time of the year for new beginning…
Peace, out, y’all!
Even though this “discussion” began nearly two (!) years ago, I had the same thought about the Trump-like nature of those comments, the same sort of comments you read for virtually any political article about any presidential candidate these days– i.e. petty, mean, and extremely tiresome. It’s bad enough to read that nonsense in the papers, but I never thought I’d have to contend with that on a food blogging site!
As an almost-senior citizen, my advice is to choose your battles folks. Believe me, there are FAR more important issues to deal with in life than a food fight between the US and UK! Good grief.
On a happier note, I’m trying this recipe, Chungah! Just what I was looking for! Thanks 🙂
This was so good! I made some changes. I used ground turkey instead of chicken, doubled the ginger (I love ginger!) and I omitted the water chestnuts. I will absolutely make it again. Thank you for a recipe that is quick, easy and delicious!
Chunga! This was so awesome!! We are on a low-carb diet and this was the ticket! I’ve used so many of your recipes the last couple of years! Please keep posting your great recipes!!
very good! thanks for sharing 🙂
*palate, not pallet.
Tikka masala was almost certainly invented in Britain, despite the ingredients being brought from India. Brits also did not breed cattle or other farm animals until very late in the game (as it were); sheep and fish were their food sources.
I think many people have mentioned carefully, and not so carefully, is that you two are behaving very crassly about misconceptions about one another’s cultural food behaviouralisms. The board is being kind to the author about her delicious wraps. So why don’t you make her wraps and comment on her wraps?
I absolutely love ginger and water chestnuts, so I am anxious to try them, although for me I think I’ll have some rice along with the “tacos.”
Easy and delicious! We didn’t have ground chicken, so I diced and cooked chicken breasts and a thigh, then put them in the food processor. It came out really well. Will definitely make these again! Thank you
This looks AMAZING! What would yall serve with this dish?
So easy to make. So delicious! Will definitely put these on my favorites list. Thank you! Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much!! These were delicious, easy, and my toddler gobbled them up, even the lettuce with a little encouragement for my little bunny!
Have made these twice now and love them! Thank you!
Made these for New Years Eve for my husband & I as an appetizer & we absolutely loved them! The sauce is so flavorful. I made them with ground turkey. Along with the water chestnuts I added finely chopped carrots and celery for added crunch. Also sprinkled on some sesame seeds. Love your recipes Chungah. I’ve tried a few with great success and will definitely try others. Thanks for sharing them with us!