Chicken Lettuce Wraps

posted on May 4, 2011 by Rachel Gurk

My husband and I love chicken lettuce wraps from Pei Wei and PF Changs. We usually opt for Pei Wei because they are much cheaper. I’ve been wanting to try making them at home for a long time, so when I came across this recipe from Our Best Bites, I gave it a whirl. Head on over to their site if you’d like a printable version of the recipe.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

adapted from Our Best Bites

Lettuce Wrap Filling

1tsp canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 lb ground chicken
5 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8 small mushrooms)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 C bagged coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage

1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely minced
1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
4 Tbs soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
1 tsp sesame oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3-4 Tbs juice)

1/2-1 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce
1/3 C roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 heads iceberg lettuce
peanuts for topping, optional

Dipping/Drizzling Sauce

4 Tbs soy sauce (again, reduced sodium)

4 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs water
2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

1) Heat a very large skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top. When hot, add vegetable oil and then garlic and ginger. Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through. Drain excess juices from pan if necessary.
2) Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt.
3) Add soy sauce, sesame oil, the zest from the lemon and the lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
4) To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.

To serve, carefully remove the individual leaves from the head of lettuce. Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce. They are good with some peanuts sprinkled on top too, if you have them in the house.

Verdict: Really good! They were addicting, I couldn’t stop eating them. I had leftovers the next day on top of wild rice.

Husband’s take: He liked them a lot. He had leftovers too. He mentioned that they were a little too lemony, and I agreed, it was a little overpowering.
Changes I would make:Next time, I’ll put in less lemon. Otherwise, they were great!

Difficulty: Easy.

Doesn’t my little helper look happy that I am putting a colander on her head?

Do you have any restaurant favorites that you would like to re-create at home?

posted in Appetizers/Snacks, Poultry

7 comments »

7 comments

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Taylor — May 5, 2011 @ 11:38 pm Reply

Mmm I love PF Chang's lettuce wraps! Good to know about the overpowering lemon flavor…definitely saving this recipe to make soon! :)
Autumn@Good Eats Girl — May 4, 2011 @ 7:26 pm Reply

These look perfect! I usually try to recreate burgers/sandwiches from restaurants!
Lesa — May 4, 2011 @ 12:37 pm Reply

I've never eaten at Pei Wei or PF Changs, but that looks really good. And I love the little one with the colander on her head! :)

The restaurant foods I have recreated at home are Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and their Portobello Ravioli, Chevy's Sweet Corn Tomalito, and Subway's Southwest Sauce. In fact, I have a category on my blog for copycat recipes. http://edesiasnotebook.blogspot.com/search/label/Copycat%20Recipes
Brooklyn — May 4, 2011 @ 11:09 am Reply

The lettuce wraps look easy, fresh, and yum – although, I will have to sub in tofu or tempeh for the chicken :) Can't wait to try them for myself!
Feast on the Cheap — May 4, 2011 @ 1:55 am Reply

I love chicken lettuce wraps – they were actually one of the very first things I learned to make in my tiny apartment. Your helper is totally adorable BTW – that colander fits perfectly ;)