These copycat PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a healthy low carb 30-minute meal made with ground chicken and mushrooms.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Ground chicken – you could also make these wraps using ground turkey, ground pork or extra-lean ground beef.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Shittake mushrooms – swap out for another kind of finely-chopped mushroom of your choice.
- Yellow onion – white onion, shallots or red onion can be used instead.
- Matchstick carrots – or another vegetable of your choice like cucumber.
- Water chestnuts – leave these out if you can’t find them at the store.
- Green onions – scallions would also be good.
- Boston leaf lettuce – romaine lettuce, butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce are all great for lettuce wraps too.
Sauce
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes here.
- Sesame oil – you could use a neutral cooking oil like olive oil or canola oil, but it’ll have a milder flavor.
- Honey – maple syrup or brown sugar would also help make the sauce a bit sweet.
- Garlic – use freshly minced or jarred minced garlic.
- Ginger – fresh ginger is best, but if you don't have any, dried ginger would also work. Use 1 teaspoon dried instead of 1 tablespoon fresh.
- Sriracha – use another hot sauce or leave this out if you’re not a fan of spice.
How to make PF Chang's lettuce wraps
Step 1: Cook the ground chicken and veggies.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium high heat. Add the ground chicken, season with kosher salt and pepper, and cook until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms, yellow onion, carrots and water chestnuts, and cook until the veggies have softened.
Step 2: Make the sauce.
While the veggies cook, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger and sriracha in a small bowl.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients.
Add the sauce and green onions to the chicken and veggie mixture. Sauté until combined, then remove from heat and let it cool.
Step 4: Assemble your wraps and serve.
Add the chicken mixture to the lettuce leaves, serve and enjoy!
Tips & tricks for chicken lettuce wraps
Here are some tips and tricks to ensure your lettuce wraps turn out perfectly every time:
- Choose a sturdy lettuce: Romaine, iceberg, butter or Boston leaf lettuce are best and will hold all your toppings without falling apart.
- Peel the lettuce: Carefully peel the lettuce away from the head so you have a fully intact lettuce wrap for an Instagram ready meal. No cutting required!
- Adjust the spice level: Add in more or less sriracha based on your spice tolerance.
- Add even more flavor: Try adding some hoisin sauce or oyster sauce for additional flavor.
- Make the filling beforehand: You can cook the chicken filling up to 2 days in advance. Reheat it in a skillet or in the microwave, then add to fresh lettuce wraps and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use Boston leaf lettuce for this recipe, because it’s nice and sturdy and provides a nice vessel for the chicken mixture. Romaine lettuce would also work, as would butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce (which is the lettuce that the original PF Chang’s lettuce wraps are made with).
Yes! You can use pretty much any kind of ground meat for these lettuce wraps like ground turkey or ground pork.
These chicken lettuce wraps are super filling on their own, but if you’re looking for side dish ideas, they'd be delicious with some rice noodles, fried rice or spring rolls. If you want to keep the carbs low, go with cauliflower fried rice or steamed vegetables. You could even cut down on the serving size and serve one or two wraps as appetizers to a main course like PF Chang's spicy chicken stir fry.
PF Chang’s lettuce wraps have 330 calories per serving, and each serving contains two lettuce wraps. In comparison, my lettuce wrap recipe has 366 calories per serving, but each serving contains three lettuce wraps – so you’re getting a bigger portion size for around the same amount of calories.
This recipe can easily be made gluten-free – all you have to do is swap out the soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari.
Storing and reheating
The leftovers from this PF Chang's lettuce wraps recipe will last up to 5 days in the fridge. I recommend storing the lettuce and the filling separately so that the lettuce doesn't get soggy. To reheat the filling, sprinkle a bit of water over top then microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway through, or reheat it in a skillet on the stovetop.
You can also turn these chicken lettuce wraps into mason jar salads. Add the chicken filling to the bottom of the mason jar, then top with chopped lettuce. You can bring the jars to work then eat them cold! I’d recommend dumping everything into a bowl or a plate as it can be tricky to eat straight from a mason jar.
Freezing this recipe
While you can’t freeze the full lettuce wraps, you can freeze the filling for up to 3 months. After cooking the filling, wait until it cools completely before transferring it to glass containers or Ziploc bags.
When you’re ready to make your lettuce wraps, let the filling defrost in the fridge overnight, then reheat as normal and serve with fresh lettuce. Easy-peasy!
Make healthy eating easy! Join our Dinner Prep Pro app.
- ZERO ADS on over 450 recipes
- Customizable weekly meal plans
- Grocery and meal prep checklists
- Bonus resource library and community
More restaurant takeout recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- You can order water chestnuts online if you can't find them in stores.
- Order some coconut aminos if you're looking for a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce.
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing these lettuce wraps up for lunch!
- And of course I get all my free-range ground chicken from Butcher Box!
- Freeze the filling in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Copycat Recipe}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 pinch salt & pepper
- 1 lb shittake mushrooms any mushrooms will work here, make sure they are finely chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 (227mL) can water chestnuts finely chopped
- 4 green onions sliced
- 1 head Boston leaf lettuce
Sauce
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos or tamari
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp freshly minced ginger or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tsp sriracha optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat. Add ground chicken, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Next add mushrooms, yellow onion, carrots and water chestnuts. Cook for 5-6 minutes until veggies have softened.
- Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together.
- Add sauce and green onions, mixing all together and sauteeing for 1 minute until combined. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
- Add chicken mixture to lettuce leaves then serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Gia M. Elie says
This is the best PF Chang’s lettuce wrap recipe out of all the ones I’ve read in the web. The shittake mushrooms are an authentically accurate way of adding another vegetable and more flavor..
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you like them, thank you so much!
Cindy says
This recipe is perfect as is. Loved it!
Christie says
The video shows shredded carrots, but the ingredients call for matchstick. Does using one versus the other change cook times or flavor?
Taylor Stinson says
Sometimes you can’t find matchsticks in the store so I list both as options. Same cook time, no need to change anything.
Estefania says
Any side dishes ideas to go with the lettuce wraps?
Taylor Stinson says
Rice immediately comes to mind but here are my side dish archives as well: https://thegirlonbloor.com/category/recipes-food-2/side-dishes/
Morgan says
Made this recipe for a potluck and it was a hit! It was everyone’s favorite dish, lots of requests for the recipe.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for leaving your review 🙂
Mada says
Hello, can I replace the water chestnuts with anything else?
Thank you
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Mada! You can just leave them out – I can’t think of a great replacement except maybe celery for some extra crunch!
noe says
can be peanuts, too,
patty says
i add peanut butter or chopped peanuts.. DELISH!
Amy says
You could try slightly blanched or raw turnip or daikon radish.
Lynn says
Jicama is a great replacement.