diff --git a/providers/p4runtime/packet/src/main/java/org/onosproject/provider/p4runtime/packet/impl/P4RuntimePacketProvider.java b/providers/p4runtime/packet/src/main/java/org/onosproject/provider/p4runtime/packet/impl/P4RuntimePacketProvider.java
index 2fa7493..edf95de 100644
--- a/providers/p4runtime/packet/src/main/java/org/onosproject/provider/p4runtime/packet/impl/P4RuntimePacketProvider.java
+++ b/providers/p4runtime/packet/src/main/java/org/onosproject/provider/p4runtime/packet/impl/P4RuntimePacketProvider.java
@@ -16,8 +16,9 @@
 
 package org.onosproject.provider.p4runtime.packet.impl;
 
-
 import org.onlab.packet.EthType;
+import org.onlab.util.PredictableExecutor;
+import org.onosproject.cfg.ComponentConfigService;
 import org.onosproject.mastership.MastershipService;
 import org.onosproject.net.Device;
 import org.onosproject.net.DeviceId;
@@ -40,22 +41,34 @@
 import org.onosproject.p4runtime.api.P4RuntimeEvent;
 import org.onosproject.p4runtime.api.P4RuntimeEventListener;
 import org.onosproject.p4runtime.api.P4RuntimePacketIn;
+import org.osgi.service.component.ComponentContext;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Activate;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Component;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Deactivate;
+import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Modified;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Reference;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.ReferenceCardinality;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.util.Dictionary;
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 
+import static com.google.common.base.Strings.isNullOrEmpty;
+import static org.onlab.util.Tools.get;
+import static org.onlab.util.Tools.groupedThreads;
 import static org.onosproject.net.flow.DefaultTrafficTreatment.emptyTreatment;
+import static org.onosproject.provider.p4runtime.packet.impl.OsgiPropertyConstants.P4RUNTIME_PACKET_PROVIDER_WORKERS;
+import static org.onosproject.provider.p4runtime.packet.impl.OsgiPropertyConstants.P4RUNTIME_PACKET_PROVIDER_WORKERS_DEFAULT;
 import static org.slf4j.LoggerFactory.getLogger;
 
 /**
  * Implementation of a packet provider for P4Runtime device.
  */
-@Component(immediate = true)
+@Component(immediate = true,
+        property = {
+                P4RUNTIME_PACKET_PROVIDER_WORKERS + ":Integer=" + P4RUNTIME_PACKET_PROVIDER_WORKERS_DEFAULT,
+        })
 public class P4RuntimePacketProvider extends AbstractProvider implements PacketProvider {
 
     private final Logger log = getLogger(getClass());
@@ -72,10 +85,18 @@
     @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY)
     protected MastershipService mastershipService;
 
+    @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY)
+    protected ComponentConfigService cfgService;
+
     private PacketProviderService providerService;
 
     private InternalPacketListener packetListener = new InternalPacketListener();
 
+    /** Number of P4Runtime packet provider workers. */
+    private int workers = P4RUNTIME_PACKET_PROVIDER_WORKERS_DEFAULT;
+    // Predictable executor to stitch the packet processing always to the same thread
+    private PredictableExecutor packetWorkers;
+
     /**
      * Creates a new P4Runtime packet provider.
      */
@@ -84,20 +105,48 @@
     }
 
     @Activate
-    protected void activate() {
+    protected void activate(ComponentContext context) {
+        cfgService.registerProperties(getClass());
         providerService = providerRegistry.register(this);
+        modified(context);
         controller.addListener(packetListener);
         log.info("Started");
     }
 
     @Deactivate
     public void deactivate() {
+        cfgService.unregisterProperties(getClass(), false);
         controller.removeListener(packetListener);
         providerRegistry.unregister(this);
         providerService = null;
+        stopWorkersIfNeeded();
         log.info("Stopped");
     }
 
+    @Modified
+    protected void modified(ComponentContext context) {
+        if (context != null) {
+            Dictionary<?, ?> properties = context.getProperties();
+            int newWorkers;
+            try {
+                String s = get(properties, P4RUNTIME_PACKET_PROVIDER_WORKERS);
+                newWorkers = isNullOrEmpty(s) ? workers : Integer.parseInt(s.trim());
+            } catch (NumberFormatException | ClassCastException e) {
+                newWorkers = workers;
+            }
+
+            // Stop previous executor and start a new one when there are changes in the config
+            // OR during the start up of the service
+            if (newWorkers != workers || packetWorkers == null) {
+                workers = newWorkers;
+                stopWorkersIfNeeded();
+                packetWorkers = new PredictableExecutor(workers, groupedThreads("onos/p4rt",
+                        "packet-worker-%d", log));
+                log.info("Settings: p4RuntimePacketProviderWorkers={}", workers);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void emit(OutboundPacket packet) {
         if (packet != null) {
@@ -112,6 +161,14 @@
         }
     }
 
+    private void stopWorkersIfNeeded() {
+        if (packetWorkers != null) {
+            ExecutorService oldWorkerExecutor = packetWorkers;
+            oldWorkerExecutor.shutdown();
+            packetWorkers = null;
+        }
+    }
+
     private EthType.EtherType getEtherType(ByteBuffer data) {
         final short shortEthType = data.getShort(12);
         data.rewind();
@@ -151,6 +208,58 @@
         }
     }
 
+    private void handleP4RuntimeEvent(P4RuntimeEvent event) {
+        //Mastership message is sent to everybody but picked up only by master.
+        //FIXME we need the device ID into p4RuntimeEvnetSubject to check for mastsership
+        if (!(event.subject() instanceof P4RuntimePacketIn) || event.type() != P4RuntimeEvent.Type.PACKET_IN) {
+            log.debug("Unrecognized event type {}, discarding", event.type());
+            // Not a packet-in event, ignore it.
+            return;
+        }
+        P4RuntimePacketIn eventSubject = (P4RuntimePacketIn) event.subject();
+        DeviceId deviceId = eventSubject.deviceId();
+
+        Device device = deviceService.getDevice(eventSubject.deviceId());
+        if (device == null) {
+            log.warn("Unable to process packet-in from {}, device is null in the core", deviceId);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (!device.is(PiPipelineInterpreter.class)) {
+            log.warn("Unable to process packet-in from {}, device has no PiPipelineInterpreter behaviour",
+                    deviceId);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        PiPacketOperation operation = eventSubject.packetOperation();
+        InboundPacket inPkt;
+        try {
+            inPkt = device.as(PiPipelineInterpreter.class).mapInboundPacket(operation, deviceId);
+        } catch (PiPipelineInterpreter.PiInterpreterException e) {
+            log.warn("Unable to interpret inbound packet from {}: {}", deviceId, e.getMessage());
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (log.isTraceEnabled()) {
+            final EthType.EtherType etherType = getEtherType(inPkt.unparsed());
+            log.trace("Received PACKET-IN <<< device={} ingress_port={} eth_type={}",
+                    inPkt.receivedFrom().deviceId(), inPkt.receivedFrom().port(),
+                    etherType.ethType().toString());
+        }
+
+        if (inPkt == null) {
+            log.debug("Received null inbound packet. Ignoring.");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        OutboundPacket outPkt = new DefaultOutboundPacket(eventSubject.deviceId(), null,
+                operation.data().asReadOnlyBuffer());
+        PacketContext pktCtx = new P4RuntimePacketContext(System.currentTimeMillis(), inPkt, outPkt, false);
+
+        // Pushing the packet context up for processing.
+        providerService.processPacket(pktCtx);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Internal packet listener to handle packet-in events received from the P4Runtime controller.
      */
@@ -158,55 +267,9 @@
 
         @Override
         public void event(P4RuntimeEvent event) {
-            //Masterhip message is sent to everybody but picked up only by master.
-            //FIXME we need the device ID into p4RuntimeEvnetSubject to check for mastsership
-            if (!(event.subject() instanceof P4RuntimePacketIn) || event.type() != P4RuntimeEvent.Type.PACKET_IN) {
-                log.debug("Unrecognized event type {}, discarding", event.type());
-                // Not a packet-in event, ignore it.
-                return;
-            }
-            P4RuntimePacketIn eventSubject = (P4RuntimePacketIn) event.subject();
-            DeviceId deviceId = eventSubject.deviceId();
-
-            Device device = deviceService.getDevice(eventSubject.deviceId());
-            if (device == null) {
-                log.warn("Unable to process packet-in from {}, device is null in the core", deviceId);
-                return;
-            }
-
-            if (!device.is(PiPipelineInterpreter.class)) {
-                log.warn("Unable to process packet-in from {}, device has no PiPipelineInterpreter behaviour",
-                        deviceId);
-                return;
-            }
-
-            PiPacketOperation operation = eventSubject.packetOperation();
-            InboundPacket inPkt;
-            try {
-                inPkt = device.as(PiPipelineInterpreter.class).mapInboundPacket(operation, deviceId);
-            } catch (PiPipelineInterpreter.PiInterpreterException e) {
-                log.warn("Unable to interpret inbound packet from {}: {}", deviceId, e.getMessage());
-                return;
-            }
-
-            if (log.isTraceEnabled()) {
-                final EthType.EtherType etherType = getEtherType(inPkt.unparsed());
-                log.trace("Received PACKET-IN <<< device={} ingress_port={} eth_type={}",
-                          inPkt.receivedFrom().deviceId(), inPkt.receivedFrom().port(),
-                          etherType.ethType().toString());
-            }
-
-            if (inPkt == null) {
-                log.debug("Received null inbound packet. Ignoring.");
-                return;
-            }
-
-            OutboundPacket outPkt = new DefaultOutboundPacket(eventSubject.deviceId(), null,
-                    operation.data().asReadOnlyBuffer());
-            PacketContext pktCtx = new P4RuntimePacketContext(System.currentTimeMillis(), inPkt, outPkt, false);
-
-            // Pushing the packet context up for processing.
-            providerService.processPacket(pktCtx);
+            // Offload to another executor to prevent the ejection of the listener - it uses
+            // the device id to stitch the packets coming from a device always to the same worker
+            packetWorkers.execute(() -> handleP4RuntimeEvent(event), event.subject().deviceId().hashCode());
         }
     }
 }