Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Experience the classic flavors of Pf Chang’s famous chicken lettuce wraps in your kitchen. This easy copycat recipe is a perfect mix of savory and sweet, packed with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor.

Are you looking for a delicious and nutritious meal option? Try this easy recipe for lettuce wraps! Packed with plenty of protein from ground chicken and fresh vegetables like onion, red pepper, garlic, water chestnuts, and butter lettuce, this satisfying and healthy dish is perfect as a main meal or appetizer.

We love to cook and eat Asian dishes. Most Asian recipes have a healthy balance of meat and vegetables and many different layers of flavors and textures. If you like this recipe, try my Szechuan beef, Mongolian chicken, chicken yakisoba, and chicken chow mein.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Hoison sauce: Often referred to as Chinese ketchup but more flavorful
• Soy sauce: Preferably low-sodium
• Rice vinegar: It is also used in my pork stir fry and vegetable stir fry. Substitute apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar.
• Grated ginger: Ginger paste works just as well as fresh ginger, and once opened, it lasts about one month in the fridge.
• Chili sauce or sambal oelek: Sambal oelek is ground fresh chili paste, which you find in the Asian food section of your local grocery store. It is pretty spicy, but when paired with other ingredients like soy sauce and hoisin sauce, it tames it, and the overall taste is very flavorful and satisfying. Store in the refrigerator for up to two months or freeze in small containers for up to six months.
• Lettuce: Use Butter lettuce, Boston lettuce, or Bibb lettuce, which are essentially almost the same as they come from the same family. You can also try iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce.

How to Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.

Whisk the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and chili sauce in a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside for a bit.

Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and break it up as it browns. When the chicken is about halfway browned, add the minced yellow onion and red bell pepper. Cook for several minutes or until the onions and bell pepper soften. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and water chestnuts, cooking for about one minute.

Whisk the sauce you set aside and add it to the skillet with the chicken and veggies. Stir to coat and simmer for a few minutes to heat everything. Spoon several tablespoons of the mixture into the lettuce leaves. Top with the sliced green onion and chopped peanuts. For best results, enjoy promptly.

Preparation Tips

• You can substitute ground beef, turkey, or pork for the ground chicken.
• Other vegetables to add to the chicken mixture while cooking are chopped mushrooms or matchstick carrots.
• If making in advance, store the ground chicken mixture separately from the lettuce. When ready to serve, wash the lettuce and spoon the mixture into the leaves.

What to Serve with Chicken Lettuce Wraps

• Soup – egg drop soup, wonton soup, hot and sour soup, miso soup
  Salad – Asian noodle salad, Asian cucumber salad, Asian chopped salad, kale salad
  Appetizers – gyoza, cream cheese wontons, classic egg rolls, spring rolls

Storage and Reheat

It is best to store the chicken mixture separately from the lettuce leaves. The lettuce leaves do not hold up for that long. Store the chicken mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store the lettuce leaves, preferably unwashed, in the crisper vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop or microwave at reduced power.

These flavor-filled delights make for a healthy light supper or the perfect party appetizer. You can make the filling ahead of time. Then reheat and spoon into the lettuce leaves when ready to serve. 

More Asian Recipes

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chicken lettuce wraps are packed with plenty of protein from ground chicken and fresh vegetables like onion, red pepper, garlic, water chestnuts, and butter lettuce. 

5 from 25 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 324kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Sauce

• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce or sambal oelek

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 lb ground chicken
• ½ yellow onion minced
• 1 red pepper finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts drained and finely chopped
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup dry roasted peanut coarsely chopped
• 1 head Butter lettuce Bibb lettuce

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and chili sauce together. Set the bowl aside for a bit.
• Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and break it up as it browns. When the chicken is about halfway browned, add the minced yellow onion and red bell pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions and bell pepper soften.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and water chestnuts, cooking for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
• Whisk the sauce that you set aside and then add it to the skillet with the chicken and veggies. Stir to coat and simmer for 1-2 minutes to heat everything through.
• Spoon several tablespoons of the mixture into the lettuce leaves. Top with the sliced green onions and chopped peanuts. For best results, enjoy promptly.

Notes

• You can substitute ground beef, turkey, or pork for the ground chicken.
• Other vegetables to add to the chicken mixture while cooking are chopped mushrooms or matchstick carrots.
• If making in advance, store the ground chicken mixture separately from the lettuce. When ready to serve, wash the lettuce and spoon the mixture into the leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 803mg | Potassium: 970mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2351IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 3mg

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