If you like PF Chang's lettuce wraps, you're going to love this copycat version! A 30 minute recipe from start to finish, these healthy lettuce wraps are easy to make, healthy and low carb, and are perfect for an appetizer, lunch, or snack.
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If you're a fan of lettuce wraps, you're going to love this copycat recipe for PF Chang's lettuce wraps! This is an easy meal to prepare and is budget friendly. An easy 30 minute skillet recipe, this is about to become a family favorite that everyone will love!
Ingredients You'll Need
This is an extremely versatile recipe because you can use many different types of meat. When I'm in a hurry, I use either ground turkey or ground beef. However, if you pay close attention to PF Chang's lettuce wraps, you can see they use finely chopped chicken thighs in their lettuce wraps.
While using finely chopped chicken thighs is delicious, it's also a bit more time consuming. For convenience purposes, I like to use a lean ground turkey or ground beef. But if you want to use chicken thighs, you can. Just make sure the chicken is finely chopped into really small pieces.
These easy lettuce wraps are made with healthy vegetables that include a red pepper, celery, and green onions. The Asian-inspired sauce is full of flavor and the combination of the sweet Hoisin sauce and saltiness of the soy sauce is out of this world delish!
Fresh ginger and garlic gives this dish the zest that it needs and when you add in water chestnuts and almonds, you'll get that amazing crunch just like you do at the restaurant. To add a little bit of heat, add some red pepper flakes.
Lettuce Used For Wraps
You want to make sure the lettuce you use for these PF Changs lettuce wraps is flexible and not too stiff. I love using Boston lettuce or butter lettuce - really any living lettuce when serving these lettuce wraps works well. Another good option to use is green leaf or iceberg lettuce. Romaine lettuce tends to be too crisp and will break in half when you try to wrap the meat in the leaves.
If using a living lettuce, cut the root bulb from the bottom of the head of lettuce. This will help all the leaves detach easily and results in a perfectly shaped leaf to hold the lettuce wrap recipe.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Start by washing the bell pepper, celery stalks, and green onions. Using a knife, cut a red bell pepper in half. Remove the center of the bell pepper and discard. Using a knife or a vegetable chopper, finely chop the red bell pepper into small pieces. Place the peppers into a small bowl.
Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the celery into slivers. Add the celery into the bowl with the red peppers.
Next slice the green onion into small slivers, ensuring you use both the green and white part of the onion. Then, peel the ginger and then finely chop using either a sharp knife or the vegetable chopper.
From there, remove the papery skin of the garlic and finely chop the garlic cloves using either a knife or the vegetable chopper. Drain the can of water chestnuts and chop them into small pieces. Place the green onions, ginger, garlic, and water chestnuts into a separate bowl.
At this point of the process, you should have 2 bowls; 1 bowl containing the chopped red bell peppers and celery and another bowl containing the water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, and green onions.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Once the oil is heated, sauté the chopped red bell pepper and celery slices for 2-3 minutes.
Then, add the ground meat, sliced green onions, chopped ginger, red pepper flakes, fresh chopped garlic, and chopped water chestnuts to the skillet with the pepper and celery.
Continue cooking the mixture over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 min, or until the meat is cooked all the way through. You want to ensuring the meat is no longer pink.
Now it's time to combine the ingredients for the lettuce wraps sauce. Slowly stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and almonds with the lettuce wrap meat until well combined. Once well combined, allow the mixture to simmer on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes.
Now it's time to enjoy these healthy lettuce wraps! Grab a spoon and scoop about ¼ cup of the ground turkey mixture into the leaf lettuce. Roll the lettuce like a wrap, take a bite, and enjoy!
Expert Tips and FAQs
- The easiest and fastest way to enjoy these PF Chang's lettuce wraps is to use ground beef or ground turkey. Ground Italian sausage is also really tasty.
- You can also use chicken thighs in this recipe. To substitute the ground meat, finely chop the chicken thighs into small-bite size pieces and saute until it is cooked all the way through. From there, remove the chicken and set aside. Pick up the process and recipe instructions by then sauteing the red pepper and celery.
- If you don't want to eat these as a lettuce wrap, you can eat the meat mixture on its own or on top of a bed of lettuce like a salad.
- Store any leftovers in a container with a lid and place in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 3-4 days.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes You'll Enjoy
I love Asian inspired food and you'll find a lot of Asian recipes on my website. Like my Asian Chicken Noodle Soup, it's healthy and delicious and it's the best authentic Asian chicken soup you'll ever eat! Marinated in a Chinese Five Spice and sauteed with fresh ginger and garlic, this chicken is so tender that it will melt in your mouth!
If you like meatballs, then you need to try my Asian Teriyaki Meatballs. These are marinated and then baked in the oven. These are a great appetizer and a hearty little snack!
And this Asian Sesame Chicken makes for the perfect family dinner! The breading is simple to make and the flavor is out of this world delicious. Serve this one over Basmati rice and steamed broccoli.
Follow Recipes Worth Repeating for more amazing recipes!
Asian Lettuce Chicken Wraps
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground beef, (you can also use ground chicken, ground turkey, orr chicken thighs)
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 8 ounce water chestnuts, drained
- 1 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 ½ Tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅔ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 1 head of your favorite lettuce (Boston, butter, iceburg, ect.)
Instructions
- Wash the bell pepper, celery stalks, and green onions.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the red bell pepper in half. Remove and discard the center of the bell pepper. Using a knife or a vegetable chopper, finely chop the red bell pepper into small pieces. Place the peppers into a small bowl.
- Thinly slice 3-4 stalks of celery into slivers. Place the celery into the bowl with the red peppers.
- Slice the green onion into small slivers, ensuring you use both the green and white part of the onion. Ensure you discard the bottom root part of the green onions.
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peeling from the ginger and then finely chop using either a sharp knife or the vegetable chopper.
- Next, remove the papery skin from the garlic and finely chop using either a knife or the vegetable chopper.
- Drain the can of water chestnuts and chop into small pieces.
- Place the green onions, ginger, garlic, and water chestnuts into a separate bowl.At this point of the process, you should have 2 bowls; 1 bowl containing the chopped red bell peppers and celery and 1 bowl containing the chopped water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, and green onions.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Once the oil has heated, sauté the red bell pepper and celery for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the raw ground meat, sliced green onions, chopped ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and water chestnuts to the skillet with the red pepper and celery.
- Cook the mixture over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 min, or until the meat is cooked all the way through, ensuring the meat is no longer pink.
- Slowly stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and almonds with the meat and vegetable mixture until well combined. Once well combined, allow the mixture to simmer on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Scoop ¼ cup of the meat and vegetable mixture onto the leaf lettuce. Roll the lettuce like a wrap and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The easiest and fastest way to enjoy these PF Chang's lettuce wraps is to use ground beef or ground turkey. Ground Italian sausage is also really tasty.
- You can also use chicken thighs in this recipe. To substitute the ground meat, finely chop the chicken thighs into small-bite size pieces and saute until it is cooked all the way through. From there, remove the chicken and set aside. Pick up the process by then sauteing the red pepper and celery.
- If you don't want to eat these as a lettuce wrap, you can eat the meat mixture on its own or on top of a bed of lettuce like a salad.
- Store any leftovers in a container with a lid and place in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March 2012, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in June 2021.
Mirna
Can't wait to try this, Amanda. I bet it would taste great with turkey too! Thanks.
Amanda Mason
Yes, it is great with turkey too!!
Rick Warne
Made this yesterday, adding a habenaro pepper for extra kick. Very tasty. Using the leftover meat as a topping for pizza.
Will make this again.
Amanda Mason
Awesome! Glad you liked it! It's one of my favorites for snack time!!