Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Exact PF Chang's Copycat!)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps on a black plate with fried rice vermicelli noodles and green leaf lettuce.

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Exact PF Chang's Copycat!)

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!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Wok
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