Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Better than P.F. Chang’s)!
Posted Feb 29, 2016, Updated Dec 05, 2023
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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!
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!
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!
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!
FAQs about Lettuce 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!
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!
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, along with these spring rolls dipped in peanut sauce, to some of our favorite Asian meals, like cashew chicken, vegetable stir fry, Asian quinoa salad, and this baked crispy tofu.
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!
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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (better than P.F. Chang’s)!
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
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:Â
- Ground chicken:Â Finely diced chicken breasts are a great substitute for ground chicken!
- Peanut Oil:Â 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:Â 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:Â 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I have made these a few times but have never told you how much I enjoy them! I have made several versions of PF changs lettuce wraps but this sauce is to die for. I don’t use the honey anymore (it’s plenty sweet IMO from hoisin and sweet chili sauce), but the peanut butter just makes it awesome. I also like to add equal parts minced mushrooms to the ground turkey…it’s a good way to get my kids to eat them without noticing. Thanks for a great recipe!
I was nervous about this because I haven’t tried anything like this before. They were amazing. My husband loved them, too. I used different meat/veggies, but followed the sauce directions. If anyone is interested–I used shrimp, carrot, and green onion. Thank-you!
YAY! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe Deborah!
Hi! Looking forward to making these for dinner. The recipe calls for 1T of oil but the detailed directions say to heat 2T. Which one is your recommendation? Thanks!
I’d start with 1 and add more as needed!
These are the best lettuce wraps I’ve ever made. Absolutely delicious. The whole family loved them.
Thank you Sarah!! I’m so glad you enjoy them! They’re a favorite around here for sure!
I made these lettuce wraps today and they are delicious. I did not change a thing in the recipe and I couldn’t stop eating them. I use a small food processor to chop up the onion, red pepper and chestnuts very small. I served in Boston lettuce leaves. Soooooo good!!!
Thank you Kari!! I’m so glad you loved them!
Hi there!
I LOVE this recipe, I made yours this summer, and loved it. Then tried a few others out there, and this is the winner for sure. However, I was just looking it up again to make for my parents this week, I noticed that you call this a gluten-free recipe. For the record, Hoisin Sauce is NOT gluten free. You can find G-free hoisin sauce out there, but as a rule, the basic stuff you buy in the store is not g-free.
Just wanted those that don’t know that sneaky little detail not to officially call it a G-free thing at a potluck – you’ll hurt the celiacs out there without knowing it.
Doesn’t change the fact that I love this recipe and make it all the time…
Thanks thanks!
Hey there! That is true! I made sure to note that in the recipe card!
Mom of three age three and under from Cincinnati, OH. I’ve been making these for two months now and I’m obsessed!
I double the batch, add two chopped zucchini, 2 red bell peppers, 1 large diced carrot and about a pound of sugar snap peas. My kids and husband eat with rice and I eat over spinach and romaine. So yummy! Thanks for the recipe, love sharing it with family and friends.
This recipe is AMAZING!!!! In fact, we are enjoying it twice this week. Thank you so much for sharing!! I totally agree when it comes to the sauce—do not alter, it is perfect and oh so tasty!! I’m not too fond of the messiness of lettuce wraps (but LOVE the flavor!) so we shredded the lettuce the first night, and had chow mein noodles the second time. Both delicious! Try this recipe—-you will LOVE it!!!
Thank you SO much Penelope for stopping by to let me know how much you love it!!
These were delicious!! We will be making them again!
Thank you Laura!
Made this recipe the other night and it was delicious! Will definitely be making it again!
(Just left out the water chestnuts because *blech*)
LOL to each their own! 😉 You can always add a different ingredient for a little crunch!