Today I made fresh ground chicken larb for dinner, just for me. It’s a super easy recipe that doesn’t take long to make, but why make it today?
I adore Thai food. Actually, I pretty much adore most food, especially if it has flavor or something that makes it unique and fun. When I go to eat at Thai restaurants, I am not the one who goes for the Pad Thai. It’s too conventional – and I can make it at home anyway. Usually I do a curry or I’ll go with larb, which is a spicy chicken salad served in a lettuce cup.
It’s supposed to be an appetizer technically, but since it’s designed to share, I usually can get away with ordering it as my meal. Or I’ll go the other route and order it as an appetizer, knowing that I’ll happily eat the leftovers another day. Larb is generally served hot in the cold lettuce cup, but trust me when I tell you it’s just as good when it’s cold.
Tomorrow, I was supposed to go to a Thai restaurant for a friend’s birthday, and I was excited. Then that friend decided she wasn’t keen on the restaurant, and since she’s the birthday girl and all… no Thai for me. Well, no Thai for lunch tomorrow. At home today, I made my own ground chicken larb, and it was – and is – amazing. It’s possible that I’m typing with a small bowl of it next to me so I can pick at it just a little more. It’s that good.
And – even better – it’s surprisingly simple to make. Some of the ingredients aren’t super easy to find, but I found everything I needed with two quick stops. Walmart had the Tyson ground chicken I needed, plus lime and fresh cilantro. Had I needed rice or chicken stock, they would have had that, too. The rest of the ingredients I found at my local produce market, which just goes to show you how common so many ethnic ingredients have become over the last ten years.
It was completely done and cooked well under an hour, and it was perfect. I may never order this in a restaurant again. It’s far too easy and tasty to make at home!
Ground Chicken Larb
Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken
1/4 c chicken stock
2 green onions
1 shallot
2 T fresh lemongrass
1/2 Thai chile
2 limes
1/4 c fish sauce
2 t sugar
2 t Thai chili paste
1/3 c mint leaves
1/2 c cilantro
2 t rice, uncooked
Boston lettuce
Directions:
Heat a heavy skillet on medium heat (don’t use a nonstick pan). Once it’s heated, add the ground chicken and stir periodically with a wooden spoon to break it up into chunks.
While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the green onion and shallot. I cut my shallot in half lengthwise first, then slice, which makes it easier to manage. Mince the lemongrass. You want this to be a great flavor, but you don’t want any of the woody texture in your dish, so be sure to get it as fine as possible. Slice your chili in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Then slice it as thinly as you can. While you’re prepping your veggies, periodically return to the stove to stir and break up the cooking chicken.
Once the chicken is no longer pink, add the chicken stock and turn the heat up slightly. You’ll want to evaporate the liquid and intensify the flavor. Add the veggies you just chopped and stir. Immediately you’ll see how colorful and interesting your dish just became.
While the veggies cook down a few minutes, prepare the “dressing” for the salad. Juice your limes. Add them to the fish sauce, sugar, and Thai chili paste. Add this mixture to your chicken and stir to combine.
Dry toast the uncooked rice over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Shake the pan every thirty seconds or so to keep the rice from burning. After two to three minutes, you’ll start to notice the grains are turning slightly brown and are smelling a little nutty.
Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder. Stir into the larb for a delightful crunch and that nutty flavor it needs to round it out.
Remove the chicken from the heat and let cool slightly. While you’re letting this cool, rough chop the mint and cilantro. Stir them in just before serving to help keep them from wilting too much.
To serve, wash your Boston lettuce and carefully separate the leaves. Use each leaf like a cup and spoon some of the larb mixture into it. Roll and eat.
Ground Chicken Larb
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 green onions
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass
- 1/2 Thai chile
- 2 limes
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons Thai chili paste
- 1/3 cup mint leaves
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 2 teaspoons rice uncooked
- Boston lettuce
Instructions
- Heat a heavy skillet on medium heat (don't use a nonstick pan). Once it's heated, add the ground chicken and stir periodically with a wooden spoon to break it up into chunks.1 pound ground chicken
- While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the green onion and shallot. Mince the lemongrass. Slice your chili in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Then slice it as thinly as you can. While you're prepping your veggies, periodically return to the stove to stir and break up the cooking chicken.2 green onions, 1 shallot, 2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass, 1/2 Thai chile
- Once the chicken is no longer pink, add the chicken stock and turn the heat up slightly. You'll want to evaporate the liquid and intensify the flavor. Add the veggies you just chopped and stir.1/4 cup chicken stock
- While the veggies cook down a few minutes, prepare the "dressing" for the salad. Juice your limes. Add them to the fish sauce, sugar, and Thai chili paste. Add this mixture to your chicken and stir to combine.2 limes, 1/4 cup fish sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons Thai chili paste
- Dry toast the uncooked rice over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Shake the pan every thirty seconds or so to keep the rice from burning. After two to three minutes, you'll start to notice the grains are turning slightly brown and are smelling a little nutty. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder. Stir into the larb.2 teaspoons rice
- Remove the chicken from the heat and let cool slightly. While you're letting this cool, rough chop the mint and cilantro. Stir them in just before serving to help keep them from wilting too much.1/3 cup mint leaves, 1/2 cup cilantro
- To serve, wash your Boston lettuce and carefully separate the leaves. Use each leaf like a cup and spoon some of the larb mixture into it. Roll and eat.Boston lettuce
Notes
- Mince the lemongrass and make sure to get it as fine as possible, so that there won't be any of the woody texture in your dish.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
I love Thai food! Looks yummy.
Love to hear that someone else loves this dish as much as I do. Your recipe is pretty close to mine. I too made it for dinner tonight for my son and I, everyone else fended for themselves! I often make Thai and Vietnamese food for my son and I.
Oh, I forgot to add that I totally agree that this is just as good cold!
the food is sweet