P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you’re a fan of P.F. Chang’s, I promise that you’re going to love this recipe. I’ll go as far as to say that you’ll think this P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wrap Recipe is better than the original. I know, but stick with me 😉

I took everything great about the original lettuce wrap you order at P.F. Chang’s and tweaked it to be even better. Don’t believe me? I dare you to try 😉

If you’ve never been to a P.F. Chang’s (that was me a few years ago) what are you waiting for? Living in New York City, we don’t have some of the larger chain restaurants that the rest of the country has. We just don’t have the space!

But a few years ago, my wife and I took a short road trip to Philadelphia to explore. It’s something New Yorkers constantly do. We get fed up with rent prices and go to other cities to see if we could live. It’s a vicious cycle, and we still live in New York. 

 But back to my story about the best chain restaurant on the East Coast. We left after work for our road trip and by the time dinner time rolled around we were starving! But we weren’t in Philly yet. So we pulled off the highway and we were met with an Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, and a P.F. Chang’s. We fell in love. The rest is lettuce wrap history. 

The good news? There is finally going to be a P.F. Chang’s in Manhattan! Ok, enough with the story no one cares about but I love to tell. Ready to get cooking? Let’s get to it.

Can I Use Ground Turkey Instead of Ground Chicken?

Of course, you can use ground turkey in your P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps! You can use whatever ground meat you prefer. A few recipe variations that would work well are pork and turkey. I also think this recipe would taste delicious with ground lamb. I haven’t tried it yet, but will let you know if I do 😉 

Vegetarian/Vegan Copycat P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, or just looking to cut back on the amount of meat you’re consuming, you can definitely make these without meat. There are a few different ways you could go about this, depending on your preference. 

Also, just a call out, since the only animal product in this recipe is ground chicken when you turn these babies vegetarian, they also are immediately vegan! You’re welcome.

Up the Mushrooms

I’ve done my research on the internet and not all recipes for chicken lettuce wraps include mushrooms, at least not all the P.F. Chang copycats. 

So if you’re interested in making these vegetarian, I’d substitute ground chicken by increasing the number of mushrooms you use. Here’s a great article on the amount of mushrooms to substitute for ground meat. 

But in general, you want to: 

• Use about 8 ounces of mushrooms for 1 pound of meat. 
• Or use a 1-1 ratio.

This variation is best for those who love mushrooms (duh!), or are not a fan of tofu or processed meat substitute. 

Note: Since mushrooms cook down a lot (ground meat not as much), these guidelines really depend on how much you’ll cook down your mushrooms. In short, you’ll need to play around to find out what makes the most sense for your tastebuds.

Use Tofu

If you’re an old-school type when it comes to meat substitutes, you can replace the ground chicken with extra firm tofu. There are a few steps you’ll want to take in order to make your tofu a good ground beef substitute, but it can be done! 

I will say, this method will take longer because you have to cook the tofu in the oven first to give it that crumbly texture. But if you’re a die-hard tofu fan, go for it. 

I’m going to make a call out here: tofu may not be a good option for everyone. There are definitely health benefits to soy. However, as someone living with endometriosis, a painful reproductive disease, I try to avoid soy. For many years I’ve been told that soy is not good for you if you have endometriosis. 

However, some now say that not enough is known about the effects of soy on endometriosis. So if you have concerns, talk to your doctor. Because I, my friends, am not one. 

Use a Meat Substitute

This is probably the easiest way to turn your P.F. Chang lettuce wraps into vegetarian and vegan. Whatever you call it (fake meat, plant-based meat, meat substitutes, etc.), a meat substitute is a simple way to turn this recipe into a veggie one. 

 In general, meat substitutes are 1:1 ratios. So it’s more about what meat substitute to use, as opposed to how to use it. 

So what are the best meat substitutes for this recipe?

All of the below brands have products that mimic the texture of ground meat. Note, these are just a few of the major brands out there. These below are the ones commonly found in the grocery store and they can all be purchased on Amazon.

Brand	Stars on Amazon	What People Are Saying
Beyond Beef	4.5 stars, 6K+ review	“Made tacos for the family and they didn’t notice & I still won’t tell them (shhh).”
Quorn	4.5 stars, 1.7K+ review	“As a meat eater the texture and taste reminds me strongly of ground beef.”
Impossible	4.5 stars, 6.2K+ review	“I nearly just about crapped myself at how much this tastes like real ground beef when I used it.”
Beyond Meat	4.5 stars, 8.4K+ review	“Absolutely delicious!! I like it better than a regular burger.”
Gardein	4.5 stars, 6.2K+ review	“This tastes amazing and like real beef if you hook it up right.”

Best Lettuce for P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps

Typically, recipes call for butter lettuce when making P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps or any lettuce wraps really. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. As long as the lettuce you’re using allows you to have a nice little cup to hold your filling.

This means that arugula, spinach, kale, etc. are probably not the best because the lettuce leaves are big enough to hold your filling.

Lettuce that does work include:

• Butterhead lettuce
• Iceberg lettuce
• Little gem lettuce
• Romaine lettuce

You could even use endive or cabbage leaves!

Are P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps Gluten-Free?

P.F. Chang’s actually has a small but delicious gluten-free menu. It includes a few main entrees, one soup, and fried rice. It does, however, also include their “Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps”!

When it comes to this recipe, however, or any other P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wrap Recipes you find on the internet, the key is two ingredients: hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Both Hoisin sauce and soy sauce are not gluten-free. 

What this means is that if you’re on a gluten-free diet, make sure to purchase gluten-free hoisin sauce as well as gluten free soy sauce or Tamari. Tamari is naturally gluten-free. 

What else is on the P.F. Chang’s gluten-free menu?

• Mongolian Beef (I’ve had this. It’s good!)
• Beef with Broccoli
• Chang’s Spicy Chicken
• Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
• Ginger Chicken with Broccoli
• Chicken Pad Thai
• Singapore Street Noodles
•  Egg Drop Soup (I’ve also had this. It’s also good!)
• Chocolate Soufflé  

What’s in P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps?

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken (you can also use ground pork, ground bison, or even leftover ground beef)
• 1 tbsp peanut oil or sesame oil (you can also use olive oil if you aren’t a fan of either)
• 1 ½ cups chopped mini portobello mushrooms
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3 tsp fish sauce
• 5oz water chestnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced (can also use yellow onion or a green onion substitute)
• Cilantro, for garnish
• 1 head butter lettuce
• ½ tbsp chili garlic sauce (optional)

How to Make P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Prep all your ingredients. Chop your onions. Mince the garlic and ginger. Sliced your green onions, settle aside one sliced green onion for garnish. 

When your ingredients are prepped, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil or peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering add your pound of ground chicken to the skillet or pan and cook until golden brown or cooked through. Stir every so often—about ten minutes.

Then add your onion, mushrooms, garlic and ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and fish sauce. Cook until your mushrooms are soft and your onions are translucent. 

Add your chopped water chestnuts and scallions to the chicken mixture and cook for 2 more minutes. If you’re adding a little heat to your lettuce wrap filling, this is when you’ll want to add the chili garlic sauce.

Serve on butterhead lettuce or with rice. Garnish with scallions, cilantro or both! 

Tips for Making P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This dish comes together so quickly once you start cooking. The part that takes some time is really the chopping of the onions, garlic, and ginger. How you cut all your ingredients will ultimately change the texture of the dish. 

Cooking Tips I Recommend:

Take the time to carefully mince the garlic and ginger finely. You don’t want to bite into a massive piece of either. On the other hand, you also want to make sure your entire dish has the flavor of ginger and garlic. 

Chop your mushrooms small. If you’re replacing ground chicken for mushrooms, the smaller you chop your mushrooms the more the texture will feel like ground meat. Don’t like mushrooms? Leave them out entirely. You can substitute another veggie if you like, or not.

What to Serve with Lettuce Wraps

There are a few different options for this. If you’re a lettuce wrap purist, serve in lettuce cups and call it a day. 

If you want to add some carbs to your lettuce wraps you can also do that. I made this recipe originally and used my Copycat Chipotle Lime Rice recipe. So we had a little lettuce wrap action going and some rice as well. 

If you’re craving rice but watching your carbs, you can also pair this with some cauliflower rice. My go-to with cauliflower rice is the frozen stuff that is pure cauliflower. I’m not brand loyal when it comes to cauliflower rice. Any brand will do.

I then put a heavy hand of garlic powder and some Moldova sea salt in it. I mix it up, cover it and throw it in the microwave for 5 minutes. (This is for a whole bag.)

Cocktails to Go with Your Lettuce Wraps

P.F. Chang’s is not short on cocktails. They have everything from an Asian Pear Mojito to a Japanese Old Fashioned, to Red Sangria. 

Need a fun recipe to round out dinner? If it’s a Thursday, a Friday, or Saturday in our little apartment in Brooklyn, that means we’re cocktail ready. Here are a few to try out on any day of the week you like.

Pink Hawaiian Cocktail

Tropical Sangria with Coconut

Blue Motorcycle Drink

Irish Trash Can Drink Recipe

Sweet Tart Shot Martini

Simple Blue Hawaiian Cocktail

What else does P.F. Chang’s have on the menu?

P.F. Chang’s offers a wide variety of delicious Asian cuisine, from Mandarin chicken to sushi to Peking duck. But if you want something extra-special, there are a few menu items that stand out above the rest.

The spicy shrimp is a great choice for seafood lovers, while the kung pao chicken is perfect for those who like their food with a bit of a kick. If you’re in the mood for something really indulgent, the lobster and crab rangoon is sure to hit the spot.

More Copycat Recipes to Obsess Over

A Guide to America’s Favorite Copycat Recipes

Copycat Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese Recipe

Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Steak Recipe

Olive Garden’s Creamy Mushroom Sauce Pasta

Looking for more light and easy chicken recipes? Check out our ultimate list of summer chicken recipes.

Have questions or suggestions? Leave them in the comments below. Until next time: Stay salty, and sweet 😉