Asian Style Lettuce Wraps {Copycat PF Chang’s}

Copycat PF Chang’s Asian Style Lettuce Wraps – make your favorite dish at home for much less with no flavors lost!

I have to admit, I’m not much for going out to eat.  I mean, I do it sometimes – but I have serious issues once the check comes.  I start calculating in my head how much I could make it at home for, and you already know it always ends up WAY cheaper.  And then, I start thinking about what I could have bought with my savings if I had just made the meal at home.  This is why, my friends, I rarely go out to eat.  I’d much rather cook at home and then reward myself with some retail therapy… you know, at the thrift store.  😉 What?  My Daddy always taught me to squeeze that penny dry.

So, based on that – you can gather that I’m not exactly a regular at PF Chang’s.  However, I did get a coupon a while back for some free lettuce wraps there.  So, I went and got it – and ate it in my car all by myself.  And then drove home super slow.  It was like a mini vacation. Sometimes I also treat myself to these mini vacations that include an all inclusive trip to the grocery store, by myself.  I’m so wild.

But, back to those lettuce wraps… they were really good!  So, so good!  But, being the cheapskate that my Daddy raised me up to be – I had to go home and recreate them.  I’ve made several modifications of different recipes I’ve found, until I came up with my own version that are absolutely delicious and no one in my family can seem to get enough of it.

Bonus points – they’re super healthy. Triple bonus points, they’re also really simple.  Let’s walk through it, what do ya say?

Here’s what you need:

I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, and then grind them up myself in my food processor.  You can skip this step if you’d like, and purchase already ground chicken instead.  I really prefer grinding my own though, the ground chicken thighs are absolutely perfect – plus I know exactly what goes into it. In the above picture, I have a large pack of chicken thighs – way larger than you need for this recipe.  I just went ahead and ground up a large batch so I could freeze a couple packs for later use.

If you’re grinding it yourself, just throw in 4-6 boneless chicken thighs in your food processor.

Once you’ve got your ground chicken – it’s time to make the sauce to marinade it with.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 heaping tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, & a pinch of pepper.  Pour it over the ground chicken, stir, & let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce you drizzle on top of the finished product.

Scoop 4 heaping tablespoons of hoisin sauce into a small bowl…

And 1 teaspoon of chili sauce, such as Sriracha along with 1 tablespoon of warm water; stir to combine.

Now, dice up about 4 tablespoons worth of water chestnuts – and mince 4 cloves of garlic. While you’ve got your knife & cutting board out, go ahead and chop up some green onions to and set aside for the finished product.

In a skillet, heat 1.5 teaspoons of sesame oil.  Add in the minced garlic, and saute for about 30 seconds.

Add in the ground chicken along with the diced water chestnuts.  Stir to break up the chicken, and saute until the chicken is browned & not pink inside, about 10 minutes or so.

Once the chicken is done, it’s time to load up your chicken wraps.  You can use just about any variety of lettuce for this. Some people like iceberg, some like butter lettuce – but I really enjoy romaine lettuce, with the stem-y ends cut off (and given to our pet rabbits, waste not!).

Make your lettuce wraps by scooping some ground chicken into each piece of romaine lettuce (or other variety lettuce). Drizzle with some of the sauce you made earlier, and then sprinkle on some diced green onions.

Aren’t they pretty?  And they’re even more delicious.

So eat up – without the guilt.  Enjoy!

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Asian Style Lettuce Wraps {Copycat PF Chang's}

Ingredients

• About 1 pound of ground chicken I prefer to grind my own from boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 tablespoons of diced water chestnuts
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 heaping tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1.5 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• a pinch of black pepper
• one bunch of green onions chopped
• One head romaine lettuce or your favorite variety of lettuce, pulled into individual leaves
• For the sauce to drizzle:
• 4 heaping tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce like Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon warm water

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, sugar, & black pepper. Pour on top of the ground chicken, stir to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes to marinade.
• Meanwhile, make your drizzling sauce. Combine 4 heaping tablespoons of hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon of chili sauce, & 1 tablespoon warm water. Set aside.
• Heat 1.5 teaspoons of sesame oil in a skillet. Add in the minced garlic & cook for 30 seconds. Add the marinaded chicken to the skillet along with the diced water chestnuts. Break up the chicken with a wooden spatula, and cook on medium-high heat until the chicken is browned and cooked through.
• Scoop your desired amount of ground chicken into the your lettuce leaves. Drizzle with a little bit of the sauce, & top with chopped green onions.
• Serve immediately.