Memorial Day Pei Wei Lettuce Wraps: A Flavorful Addition to Your BBQ

Lettuce wraps are a criminally underrated part of Asian cuisine. Asian cuisine is rich and diverse and contains many popular dishes, but lettuce wraps deserve a mention alongside the others. While it might not be as fancy as sushi, it’s easier to make at home. The best one, however, would definitely be Pei Wei’s lettuce wrap recipe. It makes a delicious dish in just under half an hour.

Admittedly, the ingredient list isn’t the shortest one, but don’t let that scare you away. The filling is made of tender vegetables, the dipping sauce explodes with various flavor profiles, and the crispy lettuce completes the puzzle.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Dietary Restrictions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Memorial Day Pei Wei Lettuce Wraps: A Flavorful Addition to Your BBQ
• Comments

Ingredients

• Olive oil — 3 tbsp.
• Ground chicken — 1 pound
• Soy sauce — 1 tbsp.
• Rice vinegar — 1 tbsp.
• Sesame oil — 1 ½ tsp.
• Garlic — 3 cloves, minced
• Green onions — ⅔ cup, sliced
• Carrot — ½ cup, peeled and shredded
• Iceberg lettuce — 1 head
• Ginger — 1 tbsp. minced
• Water chestnuts — 1 can (8 oz.), finely minced
• Sriracha — 1 tsp.

Instructions

1. Heat 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet.

2. Add the ground chicken and cook until browned, which should only take a few minutes.

3. Combine the soy sauce, Sriracha, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside for now.

4. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet and cook the green onions, carrots, ginger, and garlic until soft and tender.

5. Pour the sauce over the skillet items, and add the water chestnuts. Toss to combine.

6. Serve in lettuce wraps.

Substitutions

• Olive oil — Olive oil works great, providing a great flavor, but the same could be said for canola oil or even butter! Stick to what works best for you.

• Ground chicken — Traditionally, Pei Wei’s lettuce wrap recipe is prepared with ground chicken. But ground turkey won’t make a big difference. So feel free to go with ground turkey.

• Soy sauce — Pei Wei’s lettuce wraps are made with soy sauce, which only makes sense considering that one of the key things with this recipe is authenticity. However, Worcestershire sauce works great, too, especially for Western tastes. If you go with soy sauce, remember that low sodium works the best.

• Sriracha — Pei Wei’s lettuce wrap recipe calls for hot sauce but doesn’t specify which one. It’s no secret that they’ve been mostly using Sriracha. But if that’s not your thing, feel free to go with any other kind.

Variations

• The dip — The dipping sauce sets this recipe apart from the others. A delicious combination of earthy and savory flavors, some might find it too bitter. If that’s the case with you, add some honey to the mix. Maple syrup could be considered as well, though honey works better.

• The filling — Pei Wei’s lettuce wraps recipe is delicious, but you can always add more. Coleslaw is a common ingredient; some shredded cabbage will do the job if that's not an option. You could also consider sauteeing some mushrooms along with the other vegetables.

Dietary Restrictions

• Vegan — Pei Wei’s lettuce wraps are both dairy-free and gluten-free, and they also fit right into the Paleo diet! With that being said, it’s definitely not vegan. But that could change easily with a single swap. While these lettuce wraps are traditionally made with ground chicken (or ground turkey), to make this recipe vegan, substitute tofu, mushrooms, or beans as alternatives.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Mixing bowl

• Skillet

Storage

• Transfer the leftover filling to an airtight container. You could also wrap it with plastic wrap. Store the lettuce and the filling separately.

• Once refrigerated, the leftovers will last for two days.

Pro Tips

• The meat — When purchasing ground chicken, going for a lean one is smart. The 80/20 ratio works the best. Otherwise, your filling will be too soggy. If there is extra fat, drain the ground chicken.

• Serving — You could serve the dipping sauce separately in a serving bowl instead of pouring it over the filling.