Craving P.F. Chang’s? Make these delicious chicken lettuce wraps at home in just 30 minutes with this easy copycat recipe. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, a healthy lunch or a fun appetizer for guests.
Plus, they’re completely customizable—swap the protein, adjust the spice level and serve them with your favorite toppings.
Table of Contents
These Chicken Lettuce Wraps Are:
- Quick and easy.
- Loaded with flavor.
- As mild or spicy as you want them to be.
- Healthier than takeout.
- Made with lean protein and fresh ingredients.
- Totally customizable.
I’m one of those “if lettuce wraps are on the menu, I’m ordering them” kinda restaurant patrons. From fancy spots to budget-friendly chains, I’ve lettuce-wrapped my way across the spectrum. And if you’ve ever had P.F. Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps, you know how ridiculously good they are.
Something magical happens when soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger come together in a caramel-like, sticky-sweet sauce. Toss in ground chicken to soak up all that flavor, and a short sauté in a hot pan later and you’ll be tossing those takeout menus for good. The best part? You can make them at home in under 30 minutes!
Keep it simple with just a few additional wrap fillings, from chilled cucumber slices or julienned carrots to shredded purple cabbage and toasted sesame seeds. Fill ’em, wrap ’em, eat ’em. And then repeat.
- Ground meat: While ground chicken is a popular filling, this recipe would work just as well with ground turkey (which is often easier to find), ground pork or even ground beef. Try crumbled tofu for a delicious vegetarian variation.
- Soy sauce: I use low-sodium soy sauce so the dish doesn’t get too salty. For a gluten-free option, try tamari or coconut aminos.
- Hoisin sauce: This gives the dish its signature sweet-savory depth. If you don’t have hoisin, try a mix of oyster sauce and a little honey or brown sugar. It won’t be exactly the same, but it’ll still be delicious!
- Rice wine vinegar: Adds just the right tang to balance the flavors in the sauce.
- Brown sugar: Just a hint of sweetness to round everything out.
- Crushed red chili flakes: Totally optional! If you love heat, add more, or swap in a dash of sriracha or chili garlic sauce.
- Garlic & ginger: Fresh is best for maximum flavor, but in a pinch, ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder and ground ginger can work.
- Shallots: They bring a mild, slightly sweet onion flavor. If needed, swap in minced yellow onion.
- Water chestnuts: Chop them up for a little crunch in every bite.
- Cilantro & green onions: Fresh herbs brighten up the filling. Skip the cilantro if you’re not a fan!
- Nuts: I like to top the chicken wraps with chopped toasted peanuts or cashews for added flavor and crunch. For a nut-free version, toasted sunflower seeds work well.
- Lettuce leaves: Romaine or butter lettuce are the best options for sturdy, crisp wraps. Iceberg lettuce works, too, if you love extra crunch.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and chili flakes (if using). Set aside.
- Cook the aromatics. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shallots and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Brown the chicken. Add the ground chicken, breaking it apart with a spatula, and cook until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the water chestnuts.
- Pour in the sauce. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and scallions. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Assemble the lettuce wraps and serve. Divide the chicken mixture among lettuce cups, garnish with chopped nuts and dig in!
For a fun presentation and to give my kids an action item to build their own plates, I pile the ground Chinese chicken atop crispy rice noodles on a platter alongside the romaine lettuce leaves. I’m a big believer that the more my kids can be involved in the dinner process the less picky they’ll be.
This setup allows them to create their lettuce wraps and add their favorite toppings, whether it’s toasted sesame seeds, chopped nuts or a drizzle of extra hoisin sauce (or chili garlic sauce for me and my husband!).
Meal Prep & Storage Tips
This ground chicken lettuce wraps recipe is one of my go-tos for meal prepping because the filling reheats beautifully!
- Make ahead: Cook the chicken filling up to 5 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep the lettuce leaves separate for maximum freshness.
- Reheat: Warm the filling in a skillet over medium heat or pop it in the microwave until heated through.
- Freeze for later: Let the cooked filling cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. It will keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
These PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps are perfect as an appetizer or a meal. I love serving them with a side of bacon and egg fried rice. If you’re looking for a low-carb option, cauliflower fried rice is a great choice. And for another PF Chang’s favorite, my 30-minute Mongolian beef is always a crowd-pleaser. To round it out, a side of crispy pork egg rolls is always a win with my crew!
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes (optional)
For the lettuce wraps:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons minced ginger
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 1 (8-oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1/3 cup toasted peanuts or cashews, chopped
- Lettuce leaves and chopped veggies, for serving
Instructions
Make the sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and crushed red chili flakes (optional). Set the sauce aside.
Make the lettuce wraps:
- In a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the shallots and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
- Add the ground chicken and using a spatula, break it apart into pieces. Continue cooking until it is cooked through and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the water chestnuts then stir in the sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat then stir in the cilantro and scallions and taste and season it with salt and pepper.
- Divide the chicken mixture among the lettuce cups then garnish with chopped nuts and serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- Make ahead: Cook the chicken filling up to 5 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep the lettuce leaves separate for maximum freshness.
- Reheat: Warm the filling in a skillet over medium heat or pop it in the microwave until heated through.
- Freeze for later: Let the cooked filling cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. It will keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
So easy and so delicious! I made it with turkey burger and my family loved it. It’s now one of my go-to recipes. There was extra sauce so I used a slotted spoon to take out the meat before serving.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mary!
This was very delicious and also a saving grace for dinner for us two nights ago. Perhaps annoying, but also possibly helpful disclaimer for anyone else who is working with bare cupboards and a near empty fridge, I had to sub ginger paste for fresh, and was fresh out of scallions, water chestnuts and enough fresh lettuce leaves for wraps (sigh)… I served this over brown rice. Though missing components and lacking color and texture it STILL was tasty and very satisfying. Thanks just for inspiration to rescue dinner and we look forward to having it again with the full ingredient list!
You are so welcome, Pamela! I’m so glad it worked out :)
It was delicious, very flavorful…easy to make…next time I think I would use more chicken. It had leftover sauce.
That said, my family says this is a keeper!
I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Claudia!
What is a keto version of the sauce?
Hi Frances! I’ve never made a keto-friendly version of this sauce so I’m not sure what substitutes you’d need to make.
These wraps had SO much flavor! The sweet and savory marinade was perfect.
Thrilled to read that!