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    Home » Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Better than P.F. Chang's)!

    Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Better than P.F. Chang's)!

    Published: Feb 29, 2016 · Modified: Jun 25, 2021 by Laura · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (better than P.F. Chang's)! A quick (less than 30 minutes), easy, and healthy dinner that tastes delicious! Gluten and dairy-free!

    Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

    I know that's a pretty bold claim...Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps you can make at home that are better than the beloved dish from P.F. Chang's?! It may be bold, but it's true! This Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe is one that took me years of trial and error, and lots of taste-testing, to get it just right.

    These Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps wraps are one of my favorite dinners (along with this cashew chicken stir fry). They are quick and easy and my whole family loves them.  Even my kids eat them, and have tons of fun doing it!

    front view of four Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps on a plate with peanuts sprinkled on top

    How to make Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps 

    Let's walk through the process of making this chicken lettuce wraps recipe step-by-step. Don't forget to watch the video too!

    Make the sauce

    The first step in this lettuce wrap recipe is making the sauce. The sauce is the key to the flavor of this recipe. And I beg you not to tamper with the sauce. It is the part of this recipe that took me years to perfect, and is absolutely delicious as-is!

    It's really simple to make! Just whisk all the ingredients together. If you use a thicker peanut butter that is solid at room temperature, you may need ot warm it slightly before using it to make this Asian lettuce wraps recipe!

    six-photo collage showing how to make the sauce for asian chicken lettuce wraps

    Make the Lettuce Wrap Filling

    • Brown the ground chicken! This recipe is very straightforward! There is, however, one very important step and that is to brown the ground chicken. Making sure the chicken is nice and crispy and brown is essential to the overall flavor and texture of this dish!
    • Use a Wok, Sauté pan, or a cast iron skillet. For traditional Asian recipes I love pulling out my wok. But as you can see in the photo above, a regular sauté pan or cast iron skillet works perfectly!
    • Dice the vegetables very small. This is one of the keys to making sure every bite is bursting with both texture and flavor! Sometimes I even let my food processor do the chopping for me!
    overhead view of six photos showing how to make this Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe step-by-step

    FAQs about Lettuce Wraps

    What lettuce is best for wraps?

    There are three varieties of lettuce that I recommend to use when making these chicken lettuce wraps:
    - Butterhead lettuce
    - Green Leaf Lettuce
    - Romaine Lettuce
    Just be sure to choose a head of lettuce that has large and flexible enough leaves to use as a wrap!

    How do you cut lettuce for lettuce wraps?

    It's actually very simple! Just cut the bottom part of the head of lettuce off. Then carefully peel away each lettuce leaf! Don't forget to wash and dry the lettuce leaves before serving!

    chicken lettuce wrap filling in a skillet

    Store

    Store any leftover lettuce wrap filling in an airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store leftover lettuce separately in the refrigerator, because storing them together will make the lettuce soggy.

    Serving Suggestions 

    I prefer to eat them the traditional way...as lettuce wraps!  However, I usually serve these Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps to my kids over noodles or rice, or with a side of our favorite homemade fried rice, because it's much easier for them to eat with a spoon than wrapped in a piece of lettuce!

    They're also a great appetizer to some of our favorite Asian meals, like this vegetable stir fry, Asian quinoa salad, and this baked crispy tofu.

    up close overhead view of an Asian chicken lettuce wrap on a plate

    Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Ingredients & Substitutions

    As always I recommend making this recipe exactly as it's written! Like I said, I tested and retested this recipe more times than I can count to achieve lettuce wrap perfection! However, here are a few potential substitutions!

    • Ground chicken: Finely diced chicken breasts are a great substitute for ground chicken! You can also use ground turkey or ground beef!
    • Peanut Oil: Any oil can be used here if you don't keep peanut on hand or if you have a peanut allergy. I recommend olive oil or avocado oil!
    • Soy Sauce: If you have a soy allergy you can substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
    • Peanut Butter: If you have a peanut allergy any nut or seed butter could work here, but peanut butter definitely gives the best results!
    overhead view of four chicken lettuce wraps on a plate

    If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!

    Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

    Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (better than P.F. Chang's)!

    Laura
    Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (better than P.F. Chang's)! A quick, easy, and healthy dinner that tastes delicious! Gluten and dairy-free! 
    4.99 from 670 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine asian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 209.1 kcal

    Equipment

    • non-stick fry pan
    • measuring spoons
    • measuring cups

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 lb ground chicken
    • 1 TBS peanut oil
    • ½ onion minced
    • 1 cup red or green pepper diced
    • 1 8 oz can water chestnuts drained and minced

    For the Sauce:

    • 3 TBS soy sauce*
    • 3 TBS hoisin sauce**
    • 1 TBS sesame oil
    • 1 TBS rice vinegar
    • 1 TBS peanut butter
    • 1 TBS honey
    • 2 tsp sweet chili sauce (Trader Joe’s!)
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ¼ tsp powdered ginger

    To serve

    • ¼ cup peanuts crushed.
    • Lettuce or your favorite Asian salad
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Whisk together sauce ingredients until well combined. If you use a firmer peanut butter you may need to microwave the mixture for 30-60 seconds in order to melt it and ensure everything is well-mixed.
    • Heat 2 TBS peanut oil in a frying pan. Once hot, add ground chicken.
    • Cook until some pieces are starting to brown. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is becoming translucent.
    • Add the peppers and water chestnuts and cook about 5 minutes or until peppers are becoming soft.
    • Add sauce and simmer on low heat until the chicken and veggies are evenly coated and everything is heated through.
    • Serve in lettuce leaves, on top of your favorite Asian salad, or over noodles or rice!

    Video

    Notes

    Notes on ingredients: 

    • Ground chicken: Finely diced chicken breasts are a great substitute for ground chicken!
    • Peanut Oil: Any oil can be used here if you don't keep peanut on hand or if you have a peanut allergy. I recommend olive oil or avocado oil!
    • Soy Sauce: If you have a soy allergy you can substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
      • *be sure to choose a gluten-free soy sauce to keep this asian lettuce wraps recipe gluten-free, like this one.
    • Hoisin sauce: **be sure to choose a gluten-free hoisin sauce to keep this recipe gluten-free, like this one.
    • Peanut Butter: If you have a peanut allergy any nut or seed butter could work here, but peanut butter definitely gives the best results!

    Store

    Store any leftover lettuce wrap filling in an airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store leftover lettuce separately in the refrigerator, because storing them together will make the lettuce soggy.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1lettuce wrap (⅙ recipe)Calories: 209.1kcalCarbohydrates: 14.3gProtein: 18.7gFat: 9.2gSaturated Fat: 1.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 26gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43.6mgSodium: 675mgPotassium: 112.5mgFiber: 1.4gSugar: 8.6gVitamin A: 665IUVitamin C: 55.2mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barb Chew

      February 25, 2023 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for a WINNER recipe. This was made post COVID, so water chestnuts were very hard to find. I only used half of the can so I could make it again. I had a jicama on hand, it crunches just as good! Can't wait to make it again.!

      Reply
      • Laura

        February 25, 2023 at 2:43 pm

        I'm so glad you love it!

        Reply
    2. Christina

      February 21, 2023 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      These are sooooo delicious….I wanted to eat it all myself…. Just a slight discrepancy in the recipe where it calls for 1 tablespoon of peanut oil at top and then the directions says to heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. I kind of went in between. Soo so good… will definitely be making these again in the near future… Thank you

      Reply
    3. Kahn Robert C.

      February 21, 2023 at 12:40 pm

      5 stars
      Fabulous! Have found, also doing it often, that there is lots of flexibility ingredient-wise. Use your imagination. Main thing to me is not to overcook anything, especially chicken. Some crunch is good ie: peanut, carrots, bell peppers, onion.
      Also, dice everything smallish. fun and easy!!

      Roberto
      Tiburon CA

      Reply
      • Laura

        February 21, 2023 at 3:03 pm

        Yes1 Dicing things small is a great tip! Thank you Roberto!

        Reply
    4. Jim K

      February 20, 2023 at 6:07 pm

      Both soy sauce and hoisin says are not gluten free

      Reply
      • Laura

        February 21, 2023 at 4:05 pm

        Most stores carry gluten-free versions of both of those products.

        Reply
    5. Melanie Smith

      February 15, 2023 at 6:21 pm

      This turned out really well, but I was a bit salty about the prep work before the actual cooking. I am still exhausted. 😂

      Reply
      • Laura

        February 16, 2023 at 7:31 am

        LOL Melanie! - it helps to prep the veggies prior to cooking if you'd like!

        Reply
    6. Teri

      February 12, 2023 at 2:40 pm

      5 stars
      These are really great! Flavour of sauce is spot on. I wanted extra crunch so I julienned carrots and baby cucumber to stack on top. I also roasted my crushed peanuts in a pan for the topping.
      My husband isn’t a fan of lettuce wraps so I cooked up vermicellI rice noodles and made his into a summer rolls in rice paper.

      Reply
    7. Lori

      February 11, 2023 at 3:06 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe and my whole family loved it. I didn’t save the recipe and found another to make in a rush one evening. It wasn’t anywhere as good! Thankfully, I found this again and bookmarked it. SO delish!!!

      Reply
      • Laura

        February 12, 2023 at 2:54 pm

        Thank you Lori!

        Reply
    8. Jaynie

      February 08, 2023 at 1:17 pm

      5 stars
      These were absolutely outstanding and my grown family said these are our new go to. Well done and thank you!!

      Reply
      • Laura

        February 08, 2023 at 2:21 pm

        Thank you Jaynie!

        Reply
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    About Laura

    I’m Laura, a former chemistry teacher turned homeschooling mom of six beautiful babies! I create simple and delicious recipes that are tested and perfected to make cooking and baking joyful and fun!

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