Name: PF Chang Lettuce Wrap Recipe (simplified copycat)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped ((about 1/2 onion)); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 pound (450g) ground chicken ( (white or dark meat)); 3/4 cup corn niblets cut off one large corn cobb ((or 1 1/2 cups frozen niblets)); 1 large head of Bibb, Boston or Butter lettuce, Note 1; 1 cup chopped canned water chestnuts (optional); 2 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon water; 2 tablespoon light soy sauce; 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoon Sherry ((or dry white wine or mirin)); 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 teaspoon sugar; 2 tablespoon oyster sauce ((or Hoisin)); 2 tablespoon Ketchup; 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar; 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce ((for mild-medium heat)); 1/4 cup green onions, chopped; 1/2 cup cashews, chopped ((about 2 ounces)); Others: shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, cilantro, sesame seeds, other crushed nuts, diced peppers.

Jump to Recipe

This popular PF Chang lettuce wrap recipe made with ground chicken is a real treat for weeknights or dinner parties. Great flavors. Great textures. And surprisingly easy to make, especially with our simplified version.

For this copycat recipe, I combined the stir fry savory sauce and dipping sauce instead of making two separate sauces as PF Chang’s does. So it’s not an exact PF Chang’s copy, but close – and definitely delicious.

After reviewing many copycat PF Chang chicken lettuce wrap recipes, I created a version using recipes from Dinner Then Dessert and Recipe Tin Eats as a base. For those who follow Two Kooks, you will know we always try to simplify recipes if possible without compromising taste.

What to expect

Once you gather the ingredients, the dish comes together very quickly. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes. I know the ingredient list looks long, but it’s worth it. You will not be disappointed. My husband’s comments, in between enthusiastic mouthfuls, are typically “you can make these any time” (lucky me) and “are there any more?”.

It’s easy to love this lettuce wrap recipe because:

the ingredients are all easily accessible in most mainstream grocery stores
there are lots of variations to tweak it to your taste
it’s just as good or better than the restaurant version – in my humble opinion 🙂
it’s pretty healthy – low calorie, low fat, good vitamin A and fiber.

Ingredients – tailored to your taste

ground chicken, onions, soy, garlic, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, Dijon, oil, cornstarch, corn, sriracha, ketchup, nuts, lettuce, green onions — **Ingredients:** ground chicken, onions, soy, garlic, rice vinegar, sherry, oyster sauce, sesame oil, Dijon, oil, cornstarch, corn, sriracha, ketchup, nuts, lettuce, green onions (water chestnuts optional)

Chicken: Use ground chicken or, instead, ground turkey or ground pork.

Sauce: The sauce includes soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, Dijon, sriracha hot sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, sugar and cornstarch (for thickening).

Lettuce wraps: I like to use Boston, Bibb or Butter lettuce as they are more pliable. For a sturdier wrap, use iceberg or romaine lettuce. PF Chang’s uses iceberg. Cut the whole lettuce right down the middle and peel off the leaves.

Variations and substitutions

Vegetarian version:
- Omit the chicken and use finely chopped tofu and/or mushrooms instead.
- Replace the oyster sauce with hoisin.
Substitutes:
- Sherry: If you don’t have sherry, you can try fortified wine, mirin or white wine with a dash of sugar. Or leave it out and reduce the cornstarch to a pinch.
- Oyster sauce: Replace the oyster sauce with Hoisin sauce (not the same taste, but still good).
Heat level: The recipe includes a mild-moderate amount of heat with Sriracha, but feel free to add it more liberally (or pass some chili oil at the table)
Add-ins
- Use chopped water chestnuts for crunch instead of the corn. I often use both.
- Add chopped mushrooms if you like and cook them with the onions.
Garnishes
- The recipe calls for cashews but any chopped nuts will work.
- Sprinkle on sesame seeds
- Add some bold color with matchstick carrots, shredded purple cabbage or red peppers.

Step by step instructions

PF Chang's chicken lettuce wrap sauce in measuring cup — Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl or cup.

lettuce leaves separated on board — Lay out lettuce leaves on platter or board

ground chicken with corn and water chestnuts in pan — Sauté onions, ground chicken and garlic. Add corn and water chestnuts (if using).

PF Chang's chicken filling in pan — Stir in sauce and cook for another 3 minutes.

10 PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps on cutting board — Scoop chicken filling into lettuce cups. If lettuce is thin, use a double layer.

one chicken lettuce wrap on plate — Garnish with cashews, green onions, sesame seeds or other garnish options.

How to serve chicken lettuce wraps

In lettuce

One caution…you might not want to serve these ground chicken lettuce wraps to guests who are eating on their laps at a cocktail party. They can be a bit messy if the lettuce is not as sturdy as you’d like it.

I suggest eating them as a starter at the dinner table or perhaps informally around an island counter in the kitchen. Or, try iceberg or romaine lettuce which is sturdier.

Alternatives to lettuce

If you’re not a fan of lettuce wraps, you can serve the filling over pasta or rice as a main dish. Or even in tacos or tortilla wraps. Or how about in hot dog rolls like a Sloppy Joe

With a sauce or drizzle

As I said, we combined the filling sauce and topping sauce. But feel free to use a different sauce to drizzle over the chicken lettuce wraps. Here are a few options.

Peanut sauce
Hoisin
Thai sweet chili sauce
Chili oil, chili crisp or extra hot sauce

What to serve with pf chang lettuce wraps

I like to serve these healthy chicken lettuce wraps as an appetizer or as a main meal with other Asian recipes like vegetable rice paper rolls, peanut noodles with vegetables, wonton vegetable soup or Thai mango salad.

Make Ahead

Here are 3 options:

Prep ahead: Make the sauce ahead and prep/chop your ingredients, leaving just the cooking and assembly to do about 10 minutes before serving;
Make filling ahead: You can also make the entire filling ahead of time, then reheat it on the stove before assembling into the lettuce cups.
Make and freeze filling: Defrost the filling before heating on the stove or microwave. If you choose this route, add a pinch more cornstarch so the filling doesn’t get too watery.

3 PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps on plate p

Other lettuce wraps you might like

shrimp lettuce wraps with mango slaw
dumpling lettuce wraps with peanut sauce (shortcut)
tofu with peanut sauce (in lettuce wraps)
butternut squash salad cups

If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!

5 from 16 votes (15 ratings without comment)

2 Comments

kathyaj says:

March 2, 2021 at 8:23 pm

I made this tonight with boneless chicken thighs. Pain to clean but always juicy. Great. Didn’t have green onions. Used jicama – could also use water chestnuts. Also mango and some guac. All yum!

1. Cheryl says:
  
  March 3, 2021 at 9:29 am
  
  I’ll have to try those tweaks. Thanks!