Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps is an easy and fun appetizer or main course, similar to what you get at Pei Wei and P.F. Chang’s, but better!
Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps is an easy and fun appetizer or main course, similar to what you get at Pei Wei and P.F. Chang’s, but better!
The flavorful chicken cooks with a thick and flavorful sauce.
It is a quick recipe on the stove, but, using an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker, helps to infuse the flavors much better.
I haven’t been to P.F. Changs or Pie Wei in years.
Their prices are on the higher side and their food, in my opinion is mediocre.
However, they have some great ideas, so I love to try to replicate their recipes and then make them super fantastic.
For this recipe, I used my Instant Pot DUO Mini Plus 3 Quart Pressure Cooker, since I was filming and it is easier to take photos with a smaller appliance.
These Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps are perfect for an appetizer or a main course meal.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
My Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe is one of the easiest recipes on the blog.
You just mix up the sauce, sauté the meat a little and you are good to go!
For this recipe ground turkey works just as well as ground chicken.
Both types of meat have so little taste and will pick up all the flavors of the luscious secret sauce.
Luscious Spiced Sticky Sauce
Grab a glass measuring cup and whisk up all the sauce ingredients.
You will use half now and half later.
You know how Pei Wei and P.F. Changes serves a dipping sauce with their Lettuce Wraps?
I’ve included the dipping sauce in with the cooking sauce to make this a one pot meal, but if you want to make a batch of my Homemade Asian Stir Fry and Dipping Sauce for other recipes, it will store well in the fridge for a couple of weeks!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps?
- Hoisin Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste – adds a little heat. It’s a bit spicy, but the lettuce cools it down. This can be adjusted up or down.
- Ground Mustard Seed (Hot Mustard)
- Pure Sesame Oil – Pure Sesame Oil is for cooking, Toasted Sesame Oil is for drizzling after cooking.
- Kosher Salt
- White Pepper – if you ever wondered why a Chinese recipe didn’t quite taste authentic, this is why. White Pepper adds a unique flavor.
This sauce is so good, think about making a triple batch and using it as a “stir-fry” sauce for meat, chicken, turkey, pork.
Sauté Onions and Turkey
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
- Always start with a hot pot.
- Then the fat, in this case extra virgin olive oil is added.
- Brown and sauté onions and chicken.
- Pour out any excess liquid.
- Make your Chicken Lettuce Wraps Sauce and then cook.
Mix in Luscious Sauce
Since we are using an Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker, we need liquid so that the pressure will properly build.
As a result, after cooking, you will have to simmer the meat in the pot, for just a few minutes to remove any extra liquid or it can quickly be drained from the meat.
Therefore, reserve half the sauce for after simmering! We want to add a big flavor punch, right before serving!
Perfectly Cooked Chicken Lettuce Wraps
You will love these Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps so much more than you can get at a restaurant.
The restaurants add the sauce after they brown the meat and onions and then they serve them with a side of dipping sauce.
Using my method and an multi-cooker or Pressure Cooker, such as Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker, the flavor is deeply infused into the meat, giving a higher level of flavor.
Because more sauce is added after prior to serving, there will be an extra punch of flavor.
Kinda sorta like a dipping sauce, but all in one, easier to eat and less messy!
Ultra Sharp Stainless Steel Dual Julienne & Vegetable Peeler
Use a Spiralizer, a Food Processor with shredder attachment or a Vegetable Shredder to shred the carrots.
In this case, I used my Hand Held Vegetable Shredder.
This Vegetable Shredder is super sharp, so be careful if you get one. It is great for small jobs like this and saves pulling out a larger tool.
Flavor Booster – The Kicker
Here is the kicker to this recipe and what will take the flavor up another notch!
Yep, mix it into the veggies.
When to use Pure Sesame Oil and Toasted Sesame Oil?
- Pure Sesame Oil is used for cooking and is super strong.
- Toasted Sesame Oil is used for drizzling on cooked food.
- Think of Toasted Sesame Oil as a condiment, like you would any other condiment like Sriracha or ketchup.
- But, only use a tiny drizzle. It adds a yummy flavor.
Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps Ready to Serve
I always make a double batch of my Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Lots and lots of shredded carrots bulk up this recipe and add more veggie goodness. Are there carrots in the ones at the restaurants; I can’t remember, as it has been so many years since frequenting Pei Wei? But do it, bulk up the veggies!
This recipe is so good and invariably, I wake up the next day thinking, hmmmm, I want more of this for lunch today!
It never fails, so, double batch, coming up.
Tips and Tricks to Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Keep a jar of my Homemade Asian Stir Fry Sauce in your fridge, so whipping up a batch is even easier.
- Fully heat the Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker before adding your fat.
- Make a double batch, you will regret it if you don’t.
- Ground turkey can be used in place of ground chicken.
- Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps can be served on a bed of lettuce, if you don’t feel like eating with your hands.
Instant Pot Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Plus, a trick to how I actually eat them.
The Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps are so cute, but quite messy to eat.
Plus, I love lettuce around my Vietnamese Egg Rolls and always add extra. I do the same with these Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
After pulling all the leaves off my Butter / Boston / Bibb lettuce and making a cute plate, using the smaller leaves……
I’ll grab a big ole leaf and wrap my cute little “taco” like a burrito! And then, chow down!
Other Asian Inspired Restaurant Recipes to Enjoy.
- Pressure Cooker P.F. Chang’s Garlic Noodles {Instant Pot}
- Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings
- Pressure Cooker President Obama’s Short Ribs {Red Rooster Harlem}
- Air Fryer Spicy Bang Bang Chicken Wings
- Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out General Tso’s Chicken
- Crazy Good Bang Bang Shrimp {Bonefish Grill}
I’d love to see a picture of your meal. Please tag me at #thisoldgalcooks on Instagram!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot DUO Mini Plus 3 Quart Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Culina Stackable (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
- Rachael Ray Stoneware EVOO Oil Dispensing Bottle
- Alpha Armour Salt Box with Spoon
- Sonder LA End Grain Teak Cutting Board, Juice Grooves & Compartments
- Hand Held Vegetable Shredder
Caring is sharing! If you would like to support This Old Gal, please share this recipe on Social Media, so that I can continue to bring you more wonderful recipes!
If you share a picture of something you make from our blog, tag it with #thisoldgalcooks so we can see it. We might feature it on Instagram! It makes my day when I see you’ve made one of our recipes!
Here is the handy printable recipe:
Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup Yellow/Brown Onion diced
- 1 pound Ground Chicken or Turkey
- 3 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
- 1.5 inch piece Fresh Ginger Root minced
Sauce
- 5 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste
- 1 teaspoon Dry/Ground Mustard Seed
- 1 teaspoon Pure Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
For Finishing
- 1 cup Carrots shredded
- 8 ounces (1 can) Water Chestnuts drained/chopped
- 1/2 cup Scallions chopped
- 1 head Butter, Bibb, Boston Lettuce leaves separated
- 1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil optional
Instructions
- Mix up the sauce ingredients and set it aside.
- Select Sauté or Browning on your Pressure Cooker and allow to heat.
- When hot, add olive oil and swirl to coat bottom of pot. Add onions and ground chicken/turkey and mash the meat until crumbled.
- Sauté until meat is browned and then drain out all liquid. Add garlic and ginger and mix through.
- Add half of the sauce and mix through.
- Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure for 2 minutes. When beep sounds, wait 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
- Select Sauté or Browning and simmer until all liquid has evaporated (or pour out extra), if needed. Mix in the rest of the sauce to warm.
- Turn off pressure cooker and dump in shredded carrots, water chestnuts, scallions and 1 teaspoon of Toasted Sesame Oil (if using). Mix through.
- Spoon a few Tablespoons into each piece of lettuce. If you want to eat them like I do, then take a second piece of lettuce and wrap like a burrito. Yum!
Nutrition
PIN this Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps!
Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Hi! How would i double this recipe?
Can you substitute ground pork or ground beef for the chicken? Hubby won’t eat chicken.
I don’t see why not, and I think the sweetness of ground pork would work wonderfully with this sauce! Great idea!
You can, but I think the sauce might be too rich for the beef and pork.
Such a wonderful recipe. Keep it up Jill 🙂
Thank you, Katelyn. Jill