Chicken Lettuce Wraps (copy cat of PF Chang's)

 I’ve always loved lettuce wraps—especially the PF Chang’s ones I constantly crave—and they’ve become a staple as I focus more on clean, low-carb, protein-rich meals. They make eating lettuce feel fancy and fun, and they’re always my go-to healthy appetizer when dining out. So when Thanksgiving 2025 potluck sign-ups came around, I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. With so many heavy dishes on the table, these chicken lettuce wraps felt like the perfect fresh, flavorful option—and they ended up being a total crowd-pleaser. Here’s the recipe that made Thanksgiving just a little lighter and a lot more delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Meat:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp - coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp - cumin powder 

Veggies:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper finely diced
• 4 to 5 mushrooms finely diced
• 1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained & diced
• 2 jalapeños, sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sriracha or chili garlic sauce 
• 1 tbsp Peanut butter (Optional)

To serve:

• 1 head butter lettuce or romaine
• Extra sliced jalapeños (for some kick)
• chopped peanuts (optional for some crunch)
• sesame seeds (optional, use for garnish)

Method:

1. Cook the chicken: heat the heavy bottom pan, add ground chicken. break it apart with a spoon and cook until browned, ~5–6 minutes. add salt, chili powder, coriander and cumin powder and mix it well so that meat gets infused with the spices. Transfer it to the plate
2. Cook the veggies: In the same pan, stir fry the veggies along with oil for 2 to 3 min. veggies should be semi cooked and slightly crunchy. keep these aside.
3. Prepare the sauce: Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all the ingredients in the sauce section, mix it well, until the sauce becomes thick. taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste needs
4. Putting it all together: add cooked meat and veggies to the sauce pan and toss it well so that everything is coated evenly with the sauce. ( for 2 to 3 min)
5. Garnish: Transfer this to a wide bowl, garnish with diced jalapeños for some kick, chopped peanuts and sesame seeds for some crunch. 
6. Assemble wraps: Separate the lettuce wraps and wash and dry them gently and leave them on a wide platter. Spoon warm filling into lettuce leaves. Top with sesame seeds and green onions.

Lettuce Wraps - Romaine Lettuce

Tips:

• Make it vegetarian: Swap chicken with finely chopped crumbled tofu.More crunch: Add shredded carrots or chopped peanuts.
• Star ingredient: Water chestnuts are the star secret ingredient, it's must. Don't skip it. It adds a nice crunch in between the bites. Hoisin sauce is must, don't make this dish with out that sauce. 
• Peanut Allergy alert: If you are allergic to peanut butter, replace it with honey or 1 tbsp brown sugar for slight sweet taste. avoid peanut crunch in the garnish.
• Scale up: The ratio fo the sauces is critical, use this ratio to scale up or down for more servings (Hoisin:Soy:RiceVinegar:SesameOil:Sriracha = 3:2:1:1:1)

Enjoy it and do let me know your response in the comments. :-)

keep smiling and spread the joy

-Mythreyi