If you’ve ever dined at a P.F. Chang’s restaurant chances are you’ve tried their Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps…and loved it! And when you love something so much, chances are you’re going to crave for more. Unfortunately for me I live thousands of miles away from the nearest P.F. Chang’s (I live in The Netherlands), but no problem because I have the best recipe for Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps and it tastes just like the one from P.F. Chang’s.
Lucky for me I was able to adapt the recipe from Jen at Carlsbad Cravings. She created an incredible sauce that gives this dish that identical taste you get from P.F. Chang’s. I’ve made this recipe so many times now, and each time it turned out perfectly. It’s very flexible in terms of the ingredient portions you use (you don’t have to be so exact) and there is a variety of toppings you can choose from to garnish your wraps. Don’t forget though to invite a friend or 2 when you make these Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps. All the ingredients are set at the table and everyone makes their own individual wraps as they eat. It’s a meal to be shared and a fun experience together.
For this new Cooking With Friends post I’ve invited my fellow American girlfriend who also lives in The Netherlands, Farrah Ritter. Originally from Michigan she moved to the Netherlands 5 years ago with her husband and 3 boys. She actually started her Dutch adventure on TV; she was featured on an episode of House Hunters International, The Netherlands edition. How cool is that??! A former teacher and avid traveler she’s soon putting a bittersweet end to her Dutch life and heading back home to the USA. The next chapter awaits for the Ritter family, but I’m sure it’s going to be as adventurous as the previous. Check out Farrah’s website (www.thethreeunder.com) for tips and ideas for relocating, living abroad, travel, raising kids, or anything else in between.
Recipe is adapted from Carlsbad Cravings. I’ve adjusted the ingredient proportions to accommodate my family of 5.
A little bit of background about P.F. Chang’s. The Chang comes from the name Philip Chiang (son of Cecilia Chiang, known as the ‘Chinese’ Julia Child), and the P.F. comes from Paul Fleming (a restaurateur and businessman from Louisiana). Together they co-founded P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and opened their first location in 1993 in Arizona. Now they have over 300 locations domestic and international. They specialize in American-Chinese cuisine, and other Asian-inspired dishes.
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
If you've ever had chicken lettuce wraps from P.F. Changs or Cheesecake Factory then you will love this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 heads butter lettuce (or any other lettuce that is wrappable will do)
- SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
- 6 tablespoons hoisin sauce (i use Lee Kum Kee brand)
- 4 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (add at the end)
- GARNISH INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup carrots, julienned
- 2 stalks green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- FILLING INGREDIENTS:
- 1.5 lbs ground chicken
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
Directions
- Step 1 Wash the lettuce. Dry and set aside.
- Step 2 PREPARE THE SAUCE: Whisk together all the sauce ingredients (EXCEPT cornstarch, water, and peanut butter) in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Step 3 In a small bowl make the cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch and water together. Set aside.
- Step 4 PREPARE THE GARNISH INGREDIENTS: It is handy to have all the garnish ingredients ready before the filling (in Step 5) is cooked. The garnish is very flexible. You can use all the ingredients I listed, or as little as just one or two from the list. The wraps will still taste delicious.
- Step 5 PREPARE THE FILLING: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add peppers, carrots and celery and saute for about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sauce and stir to a boil. Once the sauce is at a boil add in the cornstarch slurry. This will thicken the sauce. Lower the heat a bit as it thickens. Remove from heat and now stir in the peanut butter until smooth.
- Step 6 Fill lettuce leaves with chicken filling, add your garnish, fold the lettuce sides to keep the ingredients inside. Enjoy.
- Step 7 TIP: The filling is also delicious over a bowl of white rice (with of course the garnish on top). And if you don’t mind a little kick in flavor don’t forget to top your wraps with a bit of Sriracha sauce.