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Home / Pf Changs Mandarin Crunch Salad Recipe Easy

Pf Changs Mandarin Crunch Salad Recipe Easy

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Salad transforms the popular restaurant appetizer into a savory main dish salad, loaded with copycat ground chicken and more!

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Salad, with text overlay

Last week, my boys requested taco salad for dinner. Alas, I was out of taco seasoning -- and out of cumin to make another batch (oh, the horror!) -- so it was onto PLAN B. A quick scan of the fridge and pantry revealed that I may be low on my Tex-Mex seasonings, but I had Asian ingredients aplenty.

Close-up of ingredients lined up in bowl

So with a new idea in mind, I browned my ground beef and grabbed a few bottles to flavor it with, including hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and sweet red chili sauce. Then I put together salads topped with the savory ground beef, extra veggies from the fridge, toasted nuts, and my favorite Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette.

Bottle of dressing

And the verdict? My boys proclaimed that I could make this last-minute, made-up salad again anytime. I loved it, too...but as I ate it, I couldn't help but call to mind my favorite Chicken Lettuce Wraps from P.F. Chang's.

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Salad with serving dish in background, individual serving in foreground, and bottle of dressing to side

So I decided that with a few tweaks, this salad could mimic the flavors of that popular appetizer. Except instead of serving the ground chicken filling in lettuce cups, I'd scatter it atop a bed of lettuce, layered with extra ingredients for bonus flavor and texture. And that same Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette would be the perfect complement!

Salad dressing being poured over P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Salad

Here's how it all shook out. For Take 2, I browned ground chicken and stirred in fresh minced garlic and ginger. Then came the sauce, consisting of bottled hoisin sauce (check the label for one with natural ingredients), soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, and rice vinegar, along with some chopped green onions and diced water chestnuts.

Close up of Chicken Lettuce Wrap ingredients in salad bowl

Then it was time to assemble the salad. I went with romaine, but Bibb lettuce or butter lettuce would also be great choices for the base of the salad. And while I decided to line up the ingredients on top for food blog-worthy photos, the salad would be just as tasty if you layered everything before tossing.

Close-up of rows of ground chicken, sliced almonds, avocado, cucumber, carrots, and lettuce

Those lines (or layers) go as follows: the P.F. Chang's copycat ground chicken, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, creamy diced avocado, and crunchy toasted almonds. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add or delete salad toppings to your liking. Sweet pepper strips, mandarin oranges, ramen noodles (you can find organic ones to avoid the icky additives), edamame, sliced green onions...let you imagination run wild!

Aerial view of salad in bowl

Whatever ingredients you ultimately settle upon, drizzle your masterpiece with plenty of yummy dressing and toss before serving. Simply delicious!

If you're a fan of P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps...if you adore Asian flavors...if you enjoy contrasting textures...if you're craving taco salad but you're fresh out of cumin ( 😉 )...I think you'll ♥go crazy over♥ this P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps SALAD! The beloved restaurant favorite has been reborn, y'all, and you get to welcome it right into your very own kitchen.

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Salad, two-photo collage with text

More Favorite Salads

  • Thai Chicken Chopped Salad with Peanut Dressing
  • Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
  • Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salad
  • Classic Caesar Salad {Egg-Free}

Dressing being poured over P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Salad

For the Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette:

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced or grated
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons (toasted or regular) sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, OR canola oil

For the chicken:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced or grated
  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sweet red chili sauce
  • 1 teaspoon toasted or regular sesame oil
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • ½ cup water chestnuts, diced

For the salad:

  • 12 to 16 ounces Bibb lettuce (OR butter lettuce OR romaine lettuce), torn or chopped
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup sliced cucumber halves
  • ¾ sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1 large avocado, diced

Prevent your screen from going dark

  • Prepare the vinaigrette by measuring all of the ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until the mixture is well-blended. Alternatively, you may chop the garlic and ginger in a mini food processor, then add the remaining ingredients and process until blended. Set the dressing aside.

  • In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, brown the ground chicken. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger and cook for another minute until fragrant, stirring occasionally.

  • While the chicken is cooking, combine the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet red chili sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour over the cooked chicken/ginger/garlic in the saucepan and stir well to combine. Mix the green onions and diced water chestnuts into the chicken mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.

  • Fill a large salad bowl with the lettuce. Top with the chicken mixture, the shredded carrots, the sliced cucumbers, the toasted almonds, and the diced avocado. Just before serving, drizzle with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette, to taste, and toss well to combine.

  • The green onions and water chestnuts can be increased, reduced, or omitted. For example, I used half of an 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, but feel free to use the entire can if you like.
  • You can use more or less lettuce depending on your preferred ratio of salad to toppings.
  • I cut half of an English cucumber in half lengthwise, and then sliced, to yield 1 cup cucumber slices.
  • To toast your sliced or slivered almonds, spread them out on a sheet pan and bake them in a preheated 350° oven, checking every 2 minutes. You will know they are done when they are fragrant with just a hint of color. They will probably be toasted in about 5 minutes, but watch them carefully as they can burn in an instant!
  • Use a spoon, rather than a knife, to scrape the soft skin off of your ginger before mincing or grating.
  • If you're worried about your diced avocado browning too quickly, you can toss the pieces with a splash of lemon or lime juice before adding to the salad.
  • For a little bit of heat, you can stir a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a few teaspoons of Sriracha into the cooked chicken mixture.

Calories: 312 kcal | Carbohydrates: 22 g | Protein: 18 g | Fat: 18 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: 65 mg | Sodium: 709 mg | Potassium: 1048 mg | Fiber: 6 g | Sugar: 10 g | Vitamin A: 8090 IU | Vitamin C: 12.7 mg | Calcium: 78 mg | Iron: 3.1 mg

Ground chicken adapted from CD Kitchen

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Source: https://www.fivehearthome.com/p-f-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps-salad-copycat-recipe/