PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps + Dipping Sauce Copycat

This PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps copycat recipe is so good! Ground chicken is wrapped in cooling lettuce cups and topped with a special customizable dipping sauce.

I remember the first time that I went to a PF Chang’s. It was circa 2000 and I was in college, on Spring Break, in California. It seemed like such a novel idea to me. Modern Chinese food with a twist. My friend Alyssa mentioned that she had worked at PF Chang’s on the East Coast and wanted us all to experience it.

The decor was dark and sleek, the cocktails were great, and there was this special sauce that they mix for you at the table based on your personal heat preference (I always like it HOT).

Now PF Chang’s are way more mainstream and I think the novelty has worn off a bit. There’s actually one about 5 minutes from my house that I have yet to go to. However, I still crave the food – especially the lettuce wraps!

I’ve tried several copycat recipes for these lettuce wraps in the past, but they didn’t quite do it for me. They were either too sweet, bland or didn’t have the right texture. But guys, I’ve hit the nail on the head with this one!!! Seriously… DEAD RINGER! 

I even put together a recipe for the PF Changs Lettuce Wraps dipping sauce for you. The first night I made these, Rick told me that this was his FAVORITE recipe that I’ve ever made for him. That’s saying a lot – As I’ve been cooking him dinner (and making him wash the dishes) for over three years now! We’re a good pair that way.

Sooo… Have I convinced you yet?

Make that shopping list right now and run to the store. If you need more convincing, these take under 30 minutes start to finish! PS – You *may* need to run to the Asian foods store. Some of the ingredients (i.e. mirin, oyster sauce, shitaake mushrooms, rice sticks) can be a bit difficult to find.  

However, I’m willing to bet you can find most everything at your supermarket, minus the rice sticks. And, they can always be left off if you don’t want to make a special trip.

What’s in PF Chang’s lettuce wraps?

• Ground Chicken
• Soy Sauce (or try swapping in some kecap manis)
• Mirin
• Oyster Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Vegetable Oil
• Water Chestnuts
• Shitake Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Green Onion
• Iceberg Lettuce

How to make PF Chang’s lettuce wraps

1. Prepare the marinade.
2. Mix ground chicken, mushrooms & water chestnuts with marinade. Let sit 15 minutes.
3. (Optional) Cook rice sticks in hot oil. Remove with a slotted spoon.
4. Saute garlic then add meat mixture. Stir fry until cooked through. t
5. Serve with lettuce cups.

The rice sticks were the scariest part of this recipe for me. I’d never made them before, and as I’ve mentioned before, I have a serious FOF (fear of frying). BUT hey it’s really not that scary. Really. Just pop these guys into a wok of hot oil and in a matter of seconds, they puff up and expand to twice their size.

Make sure that oil is super hot (375 degrees). If it’s not hot enough, the noodles will just get crispy and won’t puff up. It’s a good idea to test the oil by adding in just a small piece of the noodles first.

PF Chang’s lettuce wraps dipping sauce ingredients

• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Chile Garlic Sauce
• Hot Mustard Paste
• Chili Oil
• Green Onions

Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil and green onions. For a mild sauce add 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce. For a medium sauce add 1/2 teaspoon of hot mustard plus 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce. For a hot sauce and 1 teaspoon of hot mustard plus 3 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce.

What kind of lettuce do you use for lettuce wraps?

• I’ve used butter lettuce, little gem lettuce, romaine leaves and iceberg lettuce for these wraps. They all work great, so you can use whatever you have on hand or whatever you prefer. At PF Changs they use iceberg lettuce. In these photos, I used butter lettuce.

How to cut iceberg lettuce for lettuce wraps

• After years of making lettuce wraps, I finally learned how to cut iceberg lettuce so that you get full cups, and not little broken pieces. All you do is slice the top off the head of iceberg lettuce, right through the middle of the head. Then, pull the lettuce cups off the outside of this slice. Mind blown!

Wine pairings

• Sauvignon Blanc or Dry Riesling make excellent companions to this spicy dish.
• A Dry Rosé is another great option.

More lettuce wrap recipes

• 5-Minute Curry Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
• Taco Quinoa & Turkey Lettuce Wraps
• Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps
• Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken // Taco Lettuce Wraps
• Chicken Larb Recipe (Larb Gai)

More copycat recipes

• Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks copycat recipe)
• Din Tai Fung Green Beans
• Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad
• Boston Market Meatloaf (Copycat Recipe)
• Shake and Bake Pork Chops
• Orange Julius Copycat
• Sous Vide Egg Bites (Starbucks copycat recipe)
• Bistro Boxes (Starbucks copycat recipe)

More healthy recipes

• Healthy Juicing Recipes
• Turkey Picadillo
• Chicken Gyro Bowls
• Healthy Wedge Salad

Did you try this PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps Sauce?

If you loved this lettuce wrap dipping sauce I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on  Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.

PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps + Dipping Sauce Recipe

These PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps are a copycat recipe of their popular dish. Ground chicken is wrapped in cooling lettuce cups and topped with a special customizable dipping sauce.

4.57 from 23 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Created by Platings and Pairings

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Marinade

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons mirin
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

Lettuce Wraps

• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground chicken breast
• 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts (drained and minced (about 1 cup))
• 10 fresh or dried shitake mushrooms (stems removed and chopped (about 2/3 cups). If dried, soak in warm water until soft, before chopping)
• 4 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
• 1 green onion (thinly sliced, for garnish)
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups fried rice sticks
• Lettuce cups (for serving)

Special Sauce

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 – 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Chinese hot mustard paste
• 1/8 teaspoon chili oil
• 1 green onion (thinly sliced)

Instructions

• Prepare the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
• Mix the ground chicken meat, chopped mushrooms and water chestnuts with all the Marinade ingredients. Set aside for 15 minutes.
• Prepare the rice sticks by pouring 2 inches of vegetable oil into a wok and heating it on high to around 375 degrees. Add the rice sticks. They will instantly puff up and float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
• Heat the cooking oil in a wok or saute pan over high heat. Saute the garlic until light brown and then immediately add the chicken. Stir-fry the ground chicken, breaking it up with a spoon until cooked through. Set aside.
• Serve the chicken with a side of lettuce cups.

Special Sauce:

• Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil and green onions. For a mild sauce add 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce. For a medium sauce add 1/2 teaspoon of hot mustard plus 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce. For a hot sauce and 1 teaspoon of hot mustard plus 3 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce. Stir well.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 1751mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 815IU | Vitamin C: 6.7mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1.7mg

This PF Changs Lettuce Wraps dipping sauce recipe was originally published in 2015. It was updated in 2020 to add new photographs, and again in 2023 to add new content. The original recipe remains the same. Enjoy!