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In just 30 minutes, you can enjoy PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps but better at home! The chicken filling is saucy, full of flavor, and topped with crispy rice sticks on top of crisp lettuce leaves – so satisfying and delicious! Save yourself the $18 it costs to order Chicken Lettuce Wraps at PF Chang’s and make them at home!
Watch the Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe Video Below!
Table of Contents
- Watch the Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe Video Below!
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps Ingredients
- Minced vs. Ground Chicken
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- How to Keep Lettuce Crisp (a PF Chang’s Secret!)
- Expert Tips for Making The BEST Chicken Lettuce Wraps at Home!
- What Should I Serve with Chicken Lettuce Wraps?
- Storage, Reheating, and Make Ahead Tips
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Exact PF Chang’s Copycat!) Recipe
- Expert Tips for Making The BEST Chicken Lettuce Wraps at Home!
I love developing “copycat” recipes – some of my most popular recipes on this website are “copycat”, like my Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad, Din Tai Fung Green Beans, and Din Tai Fung Fried Rice! One of my first recipes was inspired by my love for Panda Express Chow Mein and recently, I’ve fallen in love with making copycat sauces at home, like Raising Cane’s Sauce and Chick-Fil-A Sauce!
Chicken Lettuce Wraps Ingredients
Chicken
- chicken thighs – see note below
- kosher salt
- white pepper
- baking soda
- sesame oil
Vegetables
- water chestnuts
- dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and roughly chopped
- I love cooking with shiitake mushrooms – they really shine in recipes like Mushroom Fried Rice and Creamy Mushroom Udon!
- If you don’t have shiitake mushrooms on hand, you can substitute with another mushroom of your choice.
- scallion
- garlic
- vermicelli rice noodle, use Three Lady Brand or Lungkow Brand for the signature crispy rice sticks to top Chicken Lettuce Wraps – I’ll talk about the exact technique I use to get them super crispy and puffed up below!
- Vermicelli noodles are also used for Bihun Goreng and the filling for your favorite Egg Rolls!
- iceberg lettuce – use a cold, crisp lettuce that can hold up to being used as a wrap. Butter and iceberg lettuce are the best options. You can also use romaine lettuce but they’ll be less like wraps and more like scoops, due to the long, thin and firmer nature of romaine lettuce leaves.
Sauce
- oyster sauce
- mushroom water – this is water from the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms; if you used fresh mushrooms or didn’t use shiitake mushrooms, you can substitute with broth or stock.
- light soy sauce
- dark soy sauce
- white vinegar
- sake – You can substitute sake with another dry cooking wine (such as white wine or sherry) or chicken broth.
- sugar
- sesame oil
- cornstarch
PRO TIPS
Minced vs. Ground Chicken
For Chicken Lettuce Wraps, I recommend hand-mincing boneless skinless chicken thighs. Hand-mincing the chicken (vs using ground chicken) results in a chunkier, less uniform texture that holds up nicely when mixed with the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Ground chicken cooks down to a finer texture than I prefer for Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I also find that using chicken thighs add more flavor.
If you are pressed for time or prefer to use ground chicken, that is okay! Use what you have or prefer.
Want to Use a Different Protein?
If you want to substitute with another protein, like ground beef or ground turkey, both work well for Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
1. Prepare and Season The Chicken
Finely mince the chicken thigh. (If you are using ground chicken, skip this step.) But notice how the texture is irregular vs ground chicken. I find that the chunks are more desirable and produce a better end result most similar to the version at P.F. Chang’s.
Season minced or ground chicken with salt, white pepper, sesame oil, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. Make the Sauce
In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, mushroom water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, sake, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Make the Crispy Rice Sticks
In a wok or large pan, heat 1 quart of neutral oil over high heat to 400F. This might seem like a very high temperature (and it is!) but this temperature is required to allow the rice vermicelli noodles to puff up. This puffing up will happen in just a few seconds.
Add in the rice vermicelli. Once the rice vermicelli puffs up, remove immediately and set on a paper towel to drain.
Once all of the rice vermicelli has been fried to crispy rice sticks, remove most of the oil with a paper towel – only leave 2 tbsp in the wok.
4. Cook the Chicken and Vegetables
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil over medium heat in the wok. Add the garlic and scallion whites and stir fry for 15 seconds.
Add the chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes over high heat until 80% cooked through. Add the mushrooms and water chestnuts and stir fry for another minute until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Add the Sauce
Add the premixed sauce and stir fry over medium high heat until the sauce is absorbed and looks slightly thickened and glossy.
Add in the scallion greens, mix to incorporate well, and finish with an optional drizzle of sesame oil. Serve with crisp lettuce (see note below).
PRO TIPS
How to Keep Lettuce Crisp (a PF Chang’s Secret!)
A key but overlooked component to the best Chicken Lettuce Wraps is serving it with crisp lettuce! This makes all the difference in how your wraps will taste.
Here is PF Chang’s secret to keeping lettuce crisp –
- Pull off each lettuce leaf and rinse to clean.
- After they’ve been cleaned, submerge the leaves in ice water and keep them there until just before serving.
- Immediately before you are ready to serve your Chicken Lettuce Wraps, remove the lettuce leaves and dry thoroughly with a towel or a salad spinner.
What Kind of Lettuce Should I Use?
For the best results, you should use a cold, crisp lettuce that can hold up to being used as a wrap.
- Butter and iceberg lettuce are the best options.
- You can also use romaine lettuce but they’ll be less like wraps, more like scoops, due to the long, thin and firmer nature of romaine lettuce leaves.
PRO TIPS
Expert Tips for Making The BEST Chicken Lettuce Wraps at Home!
Hand Minced Chicken
- I recommend hand mincing chicken for Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Hand-mincing the chicken (vs using ground chicken) results in a chunkier, less uniform texture that holds up nicely when mixed with the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Hand minced chicken thighs also add more flavor to the dish. However, you can use ground chicken if you prefer!
Different Protein Substitutions
- If you want, you can also substitute with another protein, like ground beef or ground turkey.
Lettuce Options
- For Chicken Lettuce Wraps, you should use a cold, crisp lettuce that can hold up to being used as a wrap. Butter and iceberg lettuce are the best options. You can also use romaine lettuce but they’ll be less like wraps, more like scoops, due to the long, thin and firmer nature of romaine lettuce leaves.
How to Keep Lettuce Crisp
- To keep the lettuce crisp, pull off the individual lettuce leaves and submerge them in ice water until just before serving. When ready to serve, dry them with a towel or salad spinner – this is a PF Chang’s restaurant trick to keep the lettuce leaves springy and fresh!
What Should I Serve with Chicken Lettuce Wraps?
Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a crowd favorite at PF Chang’s, so why not have a PF Chang’s themed dinner at home? These are all dishes sold at PF Changs that you can make better and cheaper –
- Start with some noodles, like Chicken Lo Mein, Beef Lo Mein, Shrimp Lo Mein or a recent addition to their menu, Pad Thai! Don’t forget the Fried Rice!
- I always order some soup there, whether it’s Wonton Soup, Egg Drop Soup or Hot and Sour Soup, with a side of Pork Dumplings or Shrimp Dumplings.
- There are so many main dish options – like Beef with Broccoli, Monglian Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, or Sweet and Sour Chicken. If you feel like seafood, make Salt and Pepper Shrimp or Miso Glazed Salmon. I can’t resist Sticky Ribs and we always get an order of Mapo Tofu, too!
- Don’t forget a vegetable side, like Chinese Eggplant or Spicy Sichuan Green Beans!
Storage, Reheating, and Make Ahead Tips
You can make the Chicken Lettuce Wrap filling ahead of time (1-2 days) and warm it up quickly on a pan or in the microwave right before serving.
You can store any leftover Chicken Lettuce Wrap filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Store the lettuce separately – I like to wrap the clean lettuce leaves in paper towels and keep them in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper drawer of my refrigerator.
If you tried this Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Exact PF Chang’s Copycat!)
Equipment
- Outdoor Wok Station not required, but really fun to cook on!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken thigh, minced (see note)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
Vegetables
- ¼ cup water chestnuts, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms rehydrated and roughly chopped
- 1 scallion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 oz vermicelli rice noodle, use Three Lady Brand or Lungkow Brand
- 1 head iceburg lettuce
Sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp mushroom water
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sake
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Finely mince chicken and season with salt, white pepper, sesame oil, and baking soda
- In a bowl mix together the oyster sauce, mushroom water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, sake, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch.
- Heat a high smoke point neutral oil to 400F and add in the rice vermicelli. Let them puff up and immediately remove and drain on a paper towel. Remove the oil leaving 2 tbsp in the wok.
- Heat the oil over medium heat in the wok and add the garlic and scallion whites and stir fry for 15 seconds. Add the chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes over high heat until 80% cooked through, then add the mushrooms and water chestnuts and stir fry for another minute until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Add the sauce and stir fry over medium high heat until the sauce is absorbed and slightly thickened and glossy. Add in the scallion greens, mix and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil.
Notes
Expert Tips for Making The BEST Chicken Lettuce Wraps at Home!
Hand Minced Chicken: I recommend hand mincing chicken for Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Hand-mincing the chicken (vs using ground chicken) results in a chunkier, less uniform texture that holds up nicely when mixed with the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Hand minced chicken thighs also add more flavor to the dish. However, you can use ground chicken if you prefer! Different Protein Substitutions: If you want, you can also substitute with another protein, like ground beef or ground turkey. Lettuce Options: For Chicken Lettuce Wraps, you should use a cold, crisp lettuce that can hold up to being used as a wrap. Butter and iceberg lettuce are the best options. You can also use romaine lettuce but they’ll be less like wraps, more like scoops, due to the long, thin and firmer nature of romaine lettuce leaves. How to Keep Lettuce Crisp: To keep the lettuce crisp, pull off the individual lettuce leaves and submerge them in ice water until just before serving. When ready to serve, dry them with a towel or salad spinner – this is a PF Chang’s restaurant trick to keep the lettuce leaves springy and fresh! Rice Vermicelli Noodles: I’ve tested many different brands and versions to get those signature crispy puffed rice noodles. The two brands that I recommend are Three Lady’s Brand and Lungkow Brand rice vermicelli.Storage, Reheating, and Make Ahead Tips
You can make the Chicken Lettuce Wrap filling ahead of time (1-2 days) and warm it up quickly on a pan or in the microwave right before serving. You can store any leftover Chicken Lettuce Wrap filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Store the lettuce separately – I like to wrap the clean lettuce leaves in paper towels and keep them in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper drawer of my refrigerator.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
