These chicken lettuce wraps are the ultimate PF Chang’s copycat, ready in under an hour. Featuring juicy ground chicken, crisp carrots, and fresh cilantro all tossed in a savory hoisin-based stir-fry sauce and drizzled with a homemade peanut sauce, this recipe is a guaranteed weeknight winner. Use this recipe to create the perfect Asian chicken lettuce wraps right at home.
As a huge fan of the original, I spent months perfecting this recipe to get the flavor just right. After countless tests, I’ve nailed the perfect balance of sweet and savory in the sauce and discovered the best techniques for keeping the filling juicy and flavorful, so you can confidently recreate this restaurant favorite in your own kitchen.
Recipe Ingredients
My copycat recipe for PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps comprises two main parts that work magically with each other: the chicken stir-fry and the peanut sauce.
Most of the ingredients will already be in your pantry, but if not, you can always run to the nearest supermarket for things like hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
For the chicken stir-fry, you will need:
- Vegetable oil: Use a neutral oil like sunflower, canola, or light olive oil so the flavours of the stir-fry shine through. Skip stronger oils like coconut, which can overpower the dish.
- Toasted sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil is made by extracting sesame seeds. These small seeds pack a punch in nutrients and give off this rich, nutty fragrance that’s just so unique! It’s a key ingredient in Chinese dishes, and you won’t know how good it is until you’ve tried it in person.
- Lean ground chicken: Opt for breast meat to get the leanest cut with the lowest amount of fats.
- Large carrots: They add a touch of sweetness and crunch that balances the savoury chicken.
- Shallots and garlic: The power couple of Chinese stir-fry dishes!
- Ginger: Grate fresh ginger always! I add plenty here because it’s my secret ingredient that makes these lettuce wraps so flavourful. It adds a fresh, zesty kick that ties everything together.
- Hoisin sauce: A thick, sweet and spicy sauce made of soybeans and a variety of spices. If you can’t find it, oyster or teriyaki sauce works, though the flavour will be slightly different.
- Fresh cilantro leaves: Refreshing, citrusy leaves for garnish. Discard stems before use.
- Butter lettuce: Broad, smooth leaves that can hold the weight of delicious chicken filling. See below for alternatives.
For the peanut sauce, you will need:
- Creamy peanut butter: The base of peanut sauce shockingly is peanut butter. To create extra texture, use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy.
- Reduced sodium soy sauce: Still full of flavour, but lighter on the salt so the sauce doesn’t overpower everything else.
- Lime: Pick a large lime and squeeze to make lime juice.
- Brown sugar: A spoonful mellows out the lime’s acidity and rounds out the sauce.
- Garlic: To give a tinge of spice to the peanut sauce.
- Ginger: When freshly grated, the sharp flavor of ginger is reduced and hints of it make peanut sauce very appetizing.
What Kind of Lettuce Can I Use for This Recipe?
What a question to ask, right? But trust me, I’ve been down the rabbit hole, reading up on lettuce varieties, and here is my take on it.
I always opt for butter lettuce when making chicken lettuce wraps because of its smooth texture and broad leaves. But if you can’t find butter lettuce in the store, don’t just grab something green and leafy! You can also go for romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, and little gem lettuce.
We are ideally looking for leaves that are firm enough and can hold the weight of the fillings. We also want big leaves like on iceberg lettuce, that can fold up with filling inside and are easy to hold.
Romaine lettuce, although firm and crispy, are smaller. Little gem lettuce leaves, true to their name, are much smaller and will allow you to make lettuce cups instead of lettuce wraps.
Remember that depending on the size of lettuce leaves you are getting, you may have extra servings of chicken lettuce wraps to go around.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these steps and you’ll be having PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps in no time.
Step One: Prep the fresh veggies — Peel and shred the carrots, mince the shallots and garlic, grate the ginger, and chop the cilantro (just the leaves, not the stems). Prepping everything ahead makes stir-frying easier and keeps you from scrambling once the heat is on. Pro Tip: Forget the peeler — use the edge of a spoon to scrape ginger skin right off. It’s quicker, wastes less, and keeps those knuckles safe.
Step Two: Make the peanut sauce — This will be drizzled onto your wraps and will also make a mouthwatering dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and ginger until smooth. If it feels too thick, add 2–3 tablespoons of water until it’s pourable. Pop it in the fridge — chilling helps the flavours meld while you cook the chicken.
Step Three: Heat the oils — In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil over medium-high heat. Combining the two balances things out: the neutral oil gives you a clean base while sesame oil layers in that nutty aroma that makes the kitchen smell like takeout night. Add in the ground chicken, carrots, and shallots.
Step Four: Cook and build flavour — Cook, breaking up the chicken as it browns, while the carrots soften and the shallots turn translucent. Browning equals flavour, so don’t rush this part. Once the chicken is nicely browned, stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute to wake up those aromatics.
Step Five: Coat with hoisin — Pour in the hoisin sauce and stir until every piece of chicken is evenly coated. This is where the magic happens — the hoisin transforms the chicken into the sticky, savoury-sweet filling we’re after.
Step Six: Finish with cilantro — Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cilantro leaves. Fresh herbs added off-heat keep their flavour bright instead of wilted.
Step Seven: Assemble the wraps — Rinse and pat dry the lettuce leaves, then lay them out like little cups. Adding the peanut sauce first helps anchor the filling and keeps the chicken from sliding around. Spoon in a portion of the chicken mixture, fold the sides up taco-style, and drizzle with more of the chilled peanut sauce. Serve extra sauce on the side for dipping — because there’s no such thing as too much peanut sauce.
Other Toppings and Variations
If you want to adapt this recipe and switch it up a little, here are some yummy recommendations I’ve personally tried and enjoyed.
With shiitake mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms will add lots of umami into whichever recipe, making it extra tasty. If you are using it in this recipe, I recommend chopping it and stirring it into the mix together with the chicken.
Fresh green spring onions for garnish: Some people just aren’t fans of cilantro or parsley or the family of fragrant herbs. If that’s your case, you can swap the cilantro with spring onions. I love how the stems of spring onions are crunchy to bite into. It also makes your dish have a pop of bright green!
Roasted peanuts or crunchy peanut butter: In this recipe I’ve used creamy peanut butter for the peanut sauce. But if you have crunchy peanut butter, that will introduce a new texture to the sauce. You can also stir chopped, roasted peanuts into the sauce.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Ingredients
For Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- 2 pounds lean ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 large carrots peeled and finely shredded
- 3 shallots finely diced
- 6 large garlic cloves minced
- 6 tablespoons ginger peeled and freshly grated
- 3/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (not the stems), chopped
For Peanut Sauce
- 4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 lime freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and freshly grated
For Serving
- 2 heads butter lettuce
Instructions
- Make Peanut Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and ginger. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water, if needed, until the desired smooth consistency is reached. Set the sauce in the fridge until ready to use, and re-whisk just before serving.
- Prep The Vegetables: Peel and shred the carrots, finely dice the shallots, mince the garlic, grate the ginger and chop the cilantro.
- Cook The Chicken Mixture: Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken, carrots, and shallots, crumbling the chicken as it cooks.
- Stir in Garlic and Ginger: Once the chicken is almost browned, stir in the garlic and ginger, and cook for a few more minutes until the chicken is browned.
- Stir In Hoisin Sauce: Stir in the hoisin sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
- Finish With Cilantro: Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.
- To Serve: Spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style. Drizzle with peanut sauce before serving.
Serving Suggestions
These chicken lettuce wraps are versatile and can work as both an appetizer or a main dish — it just depends how you want to enjoy them.
- As a Standalone Meal: For a light, low-carb option, serve the chicken filling directly in lettuce cups. They’re surprisingly hearty and make a delicious meal all on their own.
- With Grains: Want to bulk it up? Spoon the chicken mixture over brown rice, quinoa, or noodles. This is also a great option for kids who may find the wraps a little tricky to hold.
- Low-Carb Alternative: Skip the grains and serve the filling over cauliflower rice for another low-carb option that still feels fresh and flavourful.
- As an Appetizer: These wraps make a fun starter for a bigger meal. Pair them with something fresh like my Bruschetta recipe or Pico de Gallo for a spread that’s light, colourful, and perfect for sharing.
Storage Instructions
Keeping these for future use? Great idea! Chicken lettuce wraps are a quick and easy fix if you are pressed for time.
Allow the chicken stir-fry to cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. If you pack cooked food while it’s hot, it tends to go bad faster. The same goes for the peanut sauce.
As for the leaves, keep them separate from the chicken stir-fry in an airtight container with a paper towel. I’ve been using this trick for the longest time, and my lettuce leaves stay crispy even after a week.
There it is – my copycat chicken lettuce wraps recipe. Which PF Chang’s recipe should I try next?
If you’re looking for more starters and appetizers for big parties, you might want to check out these recipes:
These were unbelievable and so addicting! We all loved the taste and how simple they were to make, would absolutely recommend.