No need to head to PF Chang’s for their famous lettuce wraps, you can make the most amazing, irresistible lettuce wraps right at home. These Chicken Lettuce Wraps taste incredible, and come together in under thirty minutes.
Enjoy as an appetizer or serve with some egg drop soup or a side of rice for a complete meal.
Copycat PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps
A while back we recreated the PF Chang’s banana spring rolls dessert at home, and it was finally time to do the same with their crazy popular lettuce wraps. They’re a super tasty, filling lower-carb option that still has all the great Chinese takeaway flavors, and luckily quick and easy to make, coming together in under 30 minutes.
The chicken filling is well balanced, with just enough salt from the soy sauce, tang from the vinegar, a touch of heat, and balanced out with the sweet honey. It tastes just like what you get at PF Chang’s! And we can’t forget the sauce….The dipping sauce is savory and tangy, with a little spice to wake up your palate.
I think these lettuce wraps are perfect for a light lunch on their own but feel free to add some rice or another favorite side dish to go with them for a larger meal.
Ingredients Needed
The great thing about this recipe is that it uses easy to find ingredients and many of the ingredients in the sauce and chicken filling are the same.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Soy sauce – The base of our dipping sauce. I always use low sodium.
- Rice wine vinegar – Adds some tang to the dipping sauce.
- Honey – Sweetens and thickens the sauce.
- Dijon mustard – Chinese spicy mustard can be used in place of the dijon in the dipping sauce.
- Sriracha – Sriracha or sambal add a bit of heat to the sauce but are optional.
- Chicken tenderloin – Chicken tenderloins are more forgiving when exposed to high heat, and will remain tender even if overcooked a bit. They are also more affordable than chicken breast.
- Garlic & onion – For aromatics and flavor.
- Seasonings and spices – Fresh or ground ginger, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes season the chicken lettuce wrap filling.
- Neutral cooking oil – I use canola oil.
- Sesame oil – For added flavor.
- Water chestnuts – Adds a lovely crunch to the filling. Rinse and drain before using.
- Lettuce – See notes below.
- Scallions & sesame seeds – Optional garnishes.
FAQ’s
Yes! You can use chicken breasts, just cut into 1” cubes before processing. Choose chicken breasts that are small, and pink in color. Ground chicken can be used as well, but fresh ground chicken usually contains rosemary as a preservative, which will affect the flavor of the dish. To use ground chicken, skip the food processor and go straight to the pan, but finely dice your onion. Chicken thighs can also be used.
You want lettuce with big, strong leaves that will easily hold the chicken filling for your lettuce wraps. Boston lettuce, iceberg, butter, or romaine hearts will all work well.
Absolutely! Want to make these Asian lettuce wraps even healthier? Load the filling up with veggies. Toss in some tiny broccoli florets, shredded cabbage, or mushrooms at the beginning of the cooking process. Or you can add in a handful of shredded carrots or bean sprouts about halfway through cooking.
I do not recommend using olive oil, it has a low smoke point and can burn quickly. For a healthier oil option with a higher smoke point, try avocado or coconut oil.
How to Make PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps
This copycat PF Chang’s recipe comes together in just 30 minutes – faster than you could order takeout!
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details and don’t miss the helpful tips and video below.)
- Prepare the dipping sauce. Whisk all dipping sauce ingredients together. Taste test and adjust the amount of honey and sriracha based on how sweet or spicy you want it.
- Prepare the chicken mixture. Add the chunks of chicken to a food processor with the onion, garlic, a tablespoon of soy sauce and vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the chicken is in small chunks.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the cooking oil and sesame oil over high heat. Once shimmering, immediately add the chicken mixture and water chestnuts. Spread evenly in the pan then don’t touch it for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until the chicken is deeply browned. Add the remaining soy sauce and vinegar. Taste test and add more seasoning as needed. Stir in the scallions and serve sesame.
- Serve. Scoop the chicken mixture into the lettuce cups. Enjoy with the dipping sauce.
Recipe Tips
These lettuce wraps are super quick and easy and fairly straightforward but here are a few tips to help you perfect the recipe.
- How to prep chicken tenderloins. Use kitchen shears to remove the top 1” of the white cartilage in the tenderloin, and remove the membrane from the top side of the tenderloin, if present.
- Make sure the pan is hot BEFORE adding the oil. Be sure to get your pan screaming hot and then add the oil to the hot pan so it doesn’t have a chance to scorch while the pan is heating.
- Remove excess water from the pan. If your chicken is not browning, push it to one side of the pan and tilt the pan to allow excess water to flow to the empty side of the pan. Use tongs to carefully blot the excess water with a paper towel.
Video: Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
What to Serve With Asian Lettuce Wraps
These chicken lettuce wraps make a great low carb lunch all on their own. If you want to turn it into a bigger meal, serve with a side of steamed white rice, fried rice, or cauliflower rice.
Keep the Chinese takeout theme going and add some Chinese dumplings, crab rangoon, or egg rolls as well.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Store leftover chicken and sauce in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Reheat gently in the microwave covered with a wet paper towel, or on the stovetop in a covered pan with a splash of water.
More Asian Recipes:
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Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
DIPPING SAUCE
- 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon sriracha or sambal (optional)
FOR THE CHICKEN FILLING
- 1 & 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins , cut into 1” cubes
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , rough chopped
- 4 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce , divided
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar , divided
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon dried ground)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 8 ounce can chopped water chestnuts , rinsed and drained
FOR SERVING
- 1 head large head Boston or butter lettuce , leaves separated
- 3 scallions , green tops only, thinly sliced
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk all dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and add more honey if you’d like it sweeter, or more sriracha for more heat. Set aside.
- Add chicken chunks to the work bowl of a food processor. Add in the onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon vinegar, honey, ginger, salt, and pepper. Pulse until chicken is in small chunks, about 5-8 pulses.
- Heat a large wok or very heavy skillet over high heat. Add in the canola oil and sesame oil, and once shimmering immediately add chicken mixture and water chestnuts. Quickly distribute chicken around pan and then leave undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to brown.Then stir and cook, breaking up larger chunks of chicken, until chicken is deeply browned and almost cooked through, about 8 minutes.
- During the last 1 minute of cooking, add the remaining soy sauce and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Toss in scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve immediately in lettuce cups with the dipping sauce.