Not‑Really‑PF‑ Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The first time we tried the original at this popular chain, we knew we had to re-create the sweet, salty, aromatic dish for the Instant Pot. In truth, this copycat recipe is pretty straightforward, except it must be cooked on low pressure to keep the ground chicken from drying out and to preserve the aromatic flavors. The liquid levels may seem low, but they’ll work (only!) with this pressure setting. And here’s our little trick: We save the celery until after the dish is finished for the sake of more crunch per bite. Note that the celery is diced, not thinly sliced. Slice each stalk lengthwise into halves or even thirds, then cut these spears into 1/4- to 1/2-inch bits.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15-30 min

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

15-30 min, 4 servings, boston lettuce leaves, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, chicken broth, contributed, cook 15 min, dinner, easy, ground chicken, hoisin sauce, instant pot chicken recipe, instant pot chicken wraps, instant pot recipes, light brown sugar, lunch, main course, medium celery stalks, medium garlic cloves, medium scallions, minced peeled fresh ginger, modern, prep 5 min, pressure cook, regular or low-sodium soy sauce, sauté, thin red chile sauce, toasted sesame oil, unseasoned rice vinegar

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

15 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

4 medium scallions
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsbp minced peeled fresh ginger
2 medium garlic cloves
1 lb ground chicken
2 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
3 tbsp regular or low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp thin red chile sauce
2 medium celery stalks
Boston lettuce leaves

Instructions

Divide the scallions into the white and green parts. Thinly slice each but keep them separate.
Press Sauté and set the Instant Pot for High or More for 5 minutes.
As the pot heats, warm the oil in the insert set in a 5- or 6-quart Instant Pot. Add the white parts of the scallion, the ginger, and garlic. Stir until very aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Crumble in the ground chicken and stir well to break it up into small bits. It should not brown. Stir in the broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, red chile sauce, and the green parts of the scallions until the brown sugar dissolves and the ground chicken is evenly coated. Turn off the heat and lock the lid on the pot.
Set the Instant Pot for Pressure Cook/Manual and set the pressure to LOW for 2 minutes.
When the pot has finished cooking, use the quick-release method to bring the pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Stir in the celery. Set the lid askew over the pot and set it aside for 3 to 5 minutes so the chicken continues to absorb the sauce. Use a big spoon to transfer the chicken mixture to a serving bowl and serve with the lettuce leaves on the side to fill and make wraps.

Notes

Other Pots
• For a 3-quart Instant Pot, you must halve almost all of the ingredient amounts except you must keep the broth at 1/4 cup.
• For an 8-quart Instant Pot, you must increase all of the ingredient amounts by 50 percent.
• For a 10-quart Instant Pot, you must double all of the ingredient amounts
Beyond
• A better balance to the sweet chicken mixture might be radicchio lettuce cups, rather than Boston lettuce.
• Substitute one 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, drained, for the celery.
• Garnish the wraps with more hot sauce, particularly Sriracha.