P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe (No Hoisin)
This is my P.F. Chang's chicken lettuce wraps recipe. The chicken gets an umami sauce made from oyster sauce and mushroom dark soy sauce instead of hoisin, and it comes with the special dipping sauce and crispy rice sticks. It takes about an hour and serves 4, and everything but the 2-minute stir-fry can be made days ahead.
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How P.F. Chang's Makes Them
If you look up a P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps recipe, almost every one you'll find uses hoisin sauce. From everything I found, the restaurant doesn't use any in its lettuce wraps.
The chicken gets its dark color and savory flavor from what I call the umami sauce, which is just oyster sauce, mushroom dark soy sauce, Michiu rice wine, sugar and white pepper. If you've made lettuce wraps at home and they came out too sweet and tasted more like a generic stir-fry, the hoisin is probably why.
The other thing most recipes overlook is the shiitake mushrooms. They're chopped small and mixed into the chicken, and once the umami sauce goes in, the whole filling turns so dark that you can't really see them.
My guess is that's why they get left out. But if you pull a finished wrap apart, they're in there.
At the restaurant, the chicken isn't cooked to order from raw. People who've worked there have said so in the comments on my video, and one who says they worked there for 17 years explained that the chicken is cooked ahead in large batches, cooled, mixed with the mushrooms and water chestnuts, and portioned out by weight. That means the wok only has to heat it through and get the sauce in.
The top comment on the video is from another person who's worked there, who said the method is pretty much correct and that they chilled the lettuce in the sink as soon as a delivery came in. They remembered using more mushrooms than I do, and said the chicken was fresh chicken minced in a machine along with the mushrooms and water chestnuts, rather than ground chicken. At home, ground chicken is the easiest way to get pieces that small.
What I Tested
Updated October 2026: I added step photos and rewrote the post. A few things changed in the recipe: the umami sauce, the special sauce and the hot mustard sauce now keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, the USDA's figure for leftovers, the cooked chicken mix keeps 3 to 4 days, and the reheated chicken should reach 165°F.
I followed the restaurant's order of operations, because it works just as well at home, and it means the only cooking left at dinnertime is about 2 minutes in the wok.
The special dipping sauce took a few rounds. I compared the versions I could find online, and nearly all of them had water, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and Chinese hot mustard in them. My first batch had a little oyster sauce and came out too sweet, so I cut the sugar back to 5 teaspoons and dropped the oyster sauce.
The rice sticks changed too. My early notes had me frying them at 350°F, and at that temperature they don't puff up fast enough.
They sit in the oil soaking it up and turn a weird shade of brown. At 425 to 450°F they puff up white and crispy in a few seconds.
Why These Lettuce Wraps Work
- An umami sauce with oyster sauce and mushroom dark soy sauce. It gives the chicken its savory flavor and dark color, and it's a lot less sweet and thinner than hoisin.
- Chopped shiitake mushrooms in the chicken. They give the filling a meaty flavor and a little more texture than the chicken alone.
- Chicken cooked ahead and only reheated in the wok. The chicken is already done, so the final cook is just long enough to heat it through and get the sauce absorbed.
- Rice sticks fried at 425 to 450°F. At that heat they puff up within a few seconds, before they can absorb much oil.
- Lettuce cups peeled under running water and kept in ice water. The water helps the leaves come off whole, and 30 minutes in ice water makes them crunchier for the whole meal.
What Are P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps?
P.F. Chang's chicken lettuce wraps are a starter of cooked minced chicken with water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, green onions and garlic, finished with sesame oil. The chicken is spooned over crispy fried rice noodles, and you wrap it up yourself in cold iceberg lettuce cups with a dipping sauce on the side.
You're meant to eat the rice sticks with the chicken in every wrap, so each one has the crispy noodles along with the warm filling and the cold lettuce.
The Lettuce Wrap Sauce
There are actually two sauces, and people mix them up a lot. The umami sauce gets cooked into the chicken in the wok, and it's the one that's usually made with hoisin in other recipes.
The special sauce is the thin dipping sauce served on the side. It's a variation of P.F. Chang's potsticker sauce, and my version is made with sugar, water, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and Chinese hot mustard.
At the restaurant, servers used to mix the special sauce at the table with hot mustard and chili sauce to each person's taste. You can do the same thing at home with the hot mustard sauce and the chili oil from the recipe card, plus a little white vinegar or soy sauce if you want to adjust it.
Lettuce Wraps Ingredients
The full list with amounts is in the recipe card below. These are the ones worth knowing about before you go shopping, and you'll find most of them at an Asian grocery store.
Oyster sauce. When I made the video, P.F. Chang's was using Lee Kum Kee's Panda brand oyster flavored sauce in the green bottle, the gluten-free one with no added MSG. If you can find Lee Kum Kee's premium oyster sauce, the one with the mother and son serenely harvesting gargantuan oysters on the label, that's the one I recommend.
Mushroom dark soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is mostly there for color, and the mushroom version adds a little extra savoriness. When I made the video, P.F. Chang's was using Lee Kum Kee's. Regular dark soy sauce works fine, but it won't have the mushroom flavor.
Low sodium soy sauce. For the dipping sauce, I use Lee Kum Kee's low sodium soy sauce, the one in the green bottle. Regular soy sauce works too, but the sauce will come out a little saltier.
Michiu cooking wine. It's a clear rice wine that's a staple in Taiwanese cooking and used all over China. It's a lot like Shaoxing wine, which is easier to find.
Shaoxing is darker and a little stronger, but it works fine here, so if you can't find Michiu, grab a bottle of Shaoxing.
Dried shiitake mushrooms. They usually come in plastic bags, and they need about 20 to 30 minutes in hot water before you chop them.
Water chestnuts. Get the canned ones labeled "sliced," drain them, and chop them into small pieces. If you can't find them, chopped cashews or peanuts will give you some crunch, but they'll taste a little different.
Ground chicken. If your store doesn't sell it, ground turkey works well, and once the umami sauce is in, you'll have a hard time telling the difference.
Dehydrated minced garlic. It's in the spice aisle at most grocery stores, and it needs 20 to 30 minutes in hot water before you use it. I use it because it doesn't burn and stick to a hot wok as easily as fresh garlic, and it has a slightly smoother garlic flavor. If you'd rather use fresh garlic, use the same amount and just don't let it burn.
Chili garlic sauce. When I made the video, P.F. Chang's was using Huy Fong. It's usually sitting right next to sambal oelek, and either one works in the special sauce, since the only real difference is that chili garlic sauce has garlic in it and sambal oelek doesn't.
Rice vermicelli. You'll see it labeled rice vermicelli, rice sticks or mei fun, and they're all thin dried rice noodles. I've gotten the best results with Three Ladies brand in the medium size, but other brands of thin rice vermicelli work too.
Neutral oil. For cooking, any neutral oil works. For frying the rice sticks this hot, use one that can take the heat, like peanut oil or vegetable oil, rather than canola.
How to Make Lettuce Wraps
The two sauces, the chicken mix, the lettuce and the rice sticks can all be made ahead, in any order. Once everything is ready and sitting next to the stove, the wok part takes about 2 minutes. If you want the optional chili oil, start it the day before, since it has to sit overnight.
The two sauces
1. Make the umami sauce
In a small bowl, add the oyster sauce, the Michiu, the mushroom dark soy sauce, the white sugar and the white pepper, and whisk until the sugar has totally dissolved. It'll be thin and very dark.
2. Make the special dipping sauce
Put the sugar, water, low sodium soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and Chinese hot mustard in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk until it reaches a light simmer and all the sugar has dissolved, then take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature before you serve it.
The chicken mix
3. Prep the mushrooms and chestnuts
Cover the dried shiitake mushrooms with hot water for about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain them and gently squeeze out the extra water, cut off the stems, which are kind of tough, and roughly chop the caps into small pieces. Drain the sliced water chestnuts and chop them about the same size.
4. Cook the chicken mix
Heat a little neutral oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the ground chicken. As it cooks, break it up with a spatula or a potato masher, because you want very small pieces instead of big chunks.
When it's about 2 to 3 minutes from done and there's very little liquid left in the pan, stir in the water chestnuts and mushrooms and keep cooking until the chicken is done. Let it cool before it goes in the fridge.
The lettuce cups
5. Cut and peel the lettuce
Pull off the limp outer layers of a whole head of iceberg lettuce. Cut it in half, cut each half lengthwise into quarters, and cut the core out of each quarter.
Then peel the layers apart under cold running water. For some reason, the water makes it much easier to get whole cups. You only need the outer layers, so save the inner part for a salad.
6. Chill the cups in ice water
Put the cups in ice water for about 30 minutes, then dry them well before serving. They come out crisper and hold up better when they're full of warm chicken.
The rice sticks
7. Fry the rice sticks
Pull the bunches of rice noodles apart and tear them into pieces about 1 inch long. Heat your oil to 425 to 450°F and test it with one or two noodles. They should puff up within 3 to 5 seconds.
Fry the rest in very small batches, because they puff up a lot, and flip them so both sides cook. Each batch only takes a few seconds.
Drain them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. If they turn brown and greasy, the oil isn't hot enough.
The final stir-fry
8. Rehydrate the garlic
Cover the dehydrated minced garlic with hot water for about 20 to 30 minutes, then drain off all the water.
9. Heat the garlic and chicken
Heat some neutral oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the rehydrated garlic and cook it for 10 to 15 seconds, just to flavor the oil; don't let it brown. Then add the scallion whites and the chicken mix and stir for about 30 seconds, until the chicken is steaming hot all the way through.
Since the chicken was cooked ahead, it should reach 165°F, the USDA's number for reheated leftovers.
10. Add the sauce and sesame oil
Pour in the umami sauce and stir until the chicken has totally absorbed it, about 30 to 45 seconds. There shouldn't be any sauce pooling in the bottom of the wok. Drizzle the sesame oil around the rim of the wok, stir it into the chicken, and turn off the heat.
11. Serve
Make a bed of crispy rice sticks on a plate and spoon the chicken over them, with the lettuce cups and a small bowl of the special sauce on the side. To eat one, put some chicken and rice sticks in a lettuce cup, spoon a little sauce over it, and wrap it up.
Optional Hot Mustard and Chili Oil
These are for mixing into the special sauce at the table, the way P.F. Chang's servers did it.
Hot mustard sauce. Whisk 4 parts Chinese hot mustard with 1 part white vinegar and thin it with water until it's slightly runny. If you're using mustard powder, mix it with an equal amount of cold water first and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes before you add the vinegar. The longer the mustard sits before the vinegar goes in, the hotter it gets.
Chili oil. Sichuan chili flakes still have visible pieces of pepper in them, so look for those rather than a fine powder. The dried Chinese black beans are salted, fermented black soybeans, which is a different thing from the dried black beans at a regular grocery store; they should feel slightly squishy when you pinch them.
The oil cooks slowly at 200 to 225°F with a thermometer. Let it cool uncovered on the counter for no more than 2 hours, then move it to the fridge, still uncovered, to sit for at least 8 hours so the flavors move into the oil.
Leaving it uncovered matters, because condensation drips moisture back into the oil and ruins it. Then strain it through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
Variations
- Vegetarian lettuce wraps. P.F. Chang's makes a vegetarian version. In a 2015 cooking segment on KHON2, a Hawaii TV station, one of their chefs described the filling as baked tofu with water chestnuts and red onion, and their menu today calls it a vegetarian protein with mushrooms and water chestnuts.
To make it at home, swap the chicken for diced baked or five-spice tofu, add the mushrooms as usual, and use a vegetarian oyster sauce made from mushrooms in the umami sauce. I haven't made a full recipe for it yet, so treat this as a starting point. - Ground turkey. It works in place of the chicken with no other changes. Break it up just as small.
Making It Ahead and Storing It
- Chicken mix: covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, the USDA's figure for cooked leftovers.
- Umami sauce and special sauce: covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Lettuce cups: in large zip-top bags lined with paper towels in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
- Rice sticks: covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Keep them out of the fridge, or they lose their crunch.
- Hot mustard sauce: covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Chili oil: covered in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it in small portions. It has garlic and ginger in it, and food safety specialists at Oregon State University say homemade oil with garlic in it has to be kept in the fridge and used within 4 days, or frozen.
The final stir-fry is the one part to make fresh each time, and it only takes about 2 minutes.
There's one ingredient almost every home recipe for orange chicken gets wrong. The right one is in my free recipe pack, along with five more restaurant recipes. You can get it here.
Lettuce Wraps Questions
What lettuce does P.F. Chang's use?
Iceberg lettuce, at least when I made the video; one viewer said in 2026 that their location had switched to romaine. Iceberg holds its shape when you fill it with warm chicken. Butter lettuce looks nicer and is softer to wrap, but it goes limp much faster once the warm filling is in it.
What can I use for oyster sauce?
If you'd rather not use oyster sauce, or you're cooking for a vegetarian, use a vegetarian oyster sauce made from mushrooms. You'll find it at most Asian grocery stores. It's thick and savory like the regular kind, so you can swap it in at the same amount.
What can I use for the rice wine?
You can just leave it out. If you'd like something in its place, try a little chicken broth with a splash of rice vinegar.
Can I freeze the chicken filling?
I haven't tried freezing it. If you do, freeze the cooked chicken mix before the umami sauce goes in, thaw it in the fridge, and finish it in the wok as usual. The water chestnuts may come out a little less crunchy after freezing.
If you make this, leave a star rating in the recipe card below. It helps other people find the recipe.
More P.F. Chang's Recipes
- Mongolian Beef Recipe
- Fried Rice with Dark Sauce
- P.F. Chang's-Style Spicy Chicken
- P.F. Chang's-Style Kung Pao Chicken
- P.F. Chang's Beef with Broccoli
- Dynamite Shrimp Recipe
Recipe
P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
- 1 14-inch Mandarin Wok for the final stir-fry
- 1 Wok Spider/Strainer for removing rice sticks from oil
- 1 Whisk for mixing sauces
- 1 Hefty Storage Gallon Bags for storing prepped lettuce cups
- 1 Mixing Bowls for umami sauce and prep
- 1 Deli Containers for storing prepped components
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer for straining chili oil
- 1 Baking Sheet for draining fried rice sticks
- 1 Infrared Thermometer for monitoring frying oil temperature
- 1 Potato Masher or breaking up ground chicken
- 1 Cheesecloth for straining chili oil
- 1 All-Clad Saute Pan for cooking the chicken mixture
- 1 All-Clad Sauce Pot for making sauces and chili oil
Ingredients
Umami Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce Lee Kum Kee Panda Brand or Premium
- 1 tablespoon Michiu cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon mushroom dark soy sauce Lee Kum Kee
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Special Dipping Sauce
- 5 teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce Lee Kum Kee, the green bottle
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce Huy Fong brand
- 2 teaspoon Chinese hot mustard
Ground Chicken Mix
- 8 oz ground chicken
- 2 tablespoon water chestnuts canned sliced, drained and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon rehydrated shiitake mushrooms from dried, soaked 20-30 min, stems removed, roughly chopped
Chili Oil (Optional)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 teaspoon Sichuan chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried Chinese black beans rough chopped
- ½ teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic rehydrated
- 1 teaspoon ginger diced
Hot Mustard Sauce (Optional)
- 4 parts Chinese hot mustard
- 1 part white vinegar
- water to thin to desired consistency
Crispy Rice Sticks
- 1 package thin dried rice noodles 3 Ladies Brand medium rice vermicelli recommended
- vegetable oil high smoke point oil for frying at 425-450°F
Final Stir-Fry
- vegetable oil neutral frying oil
- 1 teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic reconstituted with water, 20-30 min soak
- 2 tablespoon scallion whites chopped
- 8 oz prepared ground chicken mix from recipe above
- ¼ cup umami sauce from recipe above
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Serving
- 1 head iceberg lettuce quartered, outer leaves separated, soaked in ice water 30 min
Instructions
Make the Umami Sauce
- Add oyster sauce, Michiu cooking wine, mushroom dark soy sauce, white sugar, and white pepper to a small bowl.
- Whisk until the sugar is totally dissolved. Transfer to a covered container. The umami sauce can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Make the Special Dipping Sauce
- Place white sugar, water, low sodium soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and Chinese hot mustard in a small pot over medium heat.
- Whisk until you reach a light simmer and all the sugar has totally dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before using. The special sauce can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Cook the Ground Chicken Mix
- Heat neutral oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add ground chicken and break it up with a spatula or potato masher. You want very small pieces of chicken, not big chunks.
- About 2-3 minutes before the chicken is done and you see very little liquid in the pan, add the chopped water chestnuts and chopped rehydrated shiitake mushrooms.
- Stir the mushrooms and chestnuts into the chicken and continue cooking until the chicken is done. Remove from pan, cool, and set aside. The chicken mix can be made 3-4 days in advance and kept refrigerated.
Make the Chili Oil (Optional)
- Combine neutral frying oil, sesame oil, Sichuan chili flakes, rough chopped dried Chinese black beans, rehydrated minced garlic, and diced ginger in a small pot over medium-low heat.
- Using a thermometer, bring the temperature to between 200-225°F. Maintain this temperature for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not allow the temperature to exceed 225°F.
- After 10 minutes, raise heat slightly to 250°F and cook for 5 more minutes, monitoring temperature and stirring occasionally. Do not exceed 250°F.
- Remove from heat and let the oil cool UNCOVERED on the counter for no more than 2 hours, then move it to the fridge, still UNCOVERED, for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Do not cover, as condensation can introduce moisture and ruin the oil.
- Strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Keep it covered in the fridge and use it within 4 days, or freeze it in small portions.
Make the Hot Mustard Sauce (Optional)
- For prepared mustard: whisk 4 parts Chinese hot mustard with 1 part white vinegar. Thin with water to desired consistency. The sauce should be slightly runny.
- For powdered mustard: combine equal parts mustard powder with cold water and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Then whisk in vinegar (4 parts reconstituted mustard to 1 part vinegar). The longer the powder sits, the hotter it gets. Store covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Prepare the Crispy Rice Sticks
- Remove rice noodles from packaging, pull apart into small bunches, and cut or tear into approximately 1-inch pieces.
- Heat frying oil to 425-450°F. Test with 1-2 rice noodles to confirm they puff up within 3-5 seconds.
- Fry rice sticks in very small batches. They should puff up immediately and cook in just a few seconds. Flip to ensure both sides are cooked. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Once cool, rice sticks can be stored covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Prepare the Lettuce
- Remove the limp outer layers from whole iceberg lettuce. Cut in half, then quarter each half lengthwise. Remove the core from each quarter.
- Peel the outer layers off under cold running water for easier separation of whole leaves. Only the outer leaves are needed; save the inner core for another use.
- Soak the lettuce cups in ice water for about 30 minutes to crisp them up. Dry before serving. Lettuce can be stored in large zip-top bags lined with paper towels in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Final Stir-Fry and Serving
- Have all components assembled and within reach. Heat neutral oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
- Add rehydrated garlic and sauté for 10-15 seconds to flavor the oil. Do not brown.
- Add chopped scallion whites and prepared chicken mix. Cook for about 30 seconds, until the chicken is steaming hot all the way through and reaches 165°F.
- Add the umami sauce and stir until the chicken has totally absorbed the sauce, about 30-45 seconds.
- Add sesame oil around the rim of the wok and stir into the chicken. Turn off the heat.
- Serve the chicken on a bed of crispy rice sticks, with iceberg lettuce cups and special dipping sauce. Optional: serve chili oil and hot mustard sauce for tableside customization.
