Thai Chicken Larb
Spiced ground chicken tossed with lime, fish sauce, and fresh herbs—a vibrant Thai dish that comes together in minutes. Serve over lettuce leaves for a light, hands-on meal.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 310
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 whole lime (juiced and zested)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 whole fresh Thai chili, minced
- ½ cup fresh herbs (cilantro and mint, roughly chopped)
- 8 leaves butter lettuce or romaine leaves
Instructions
- 1
Slice the lime in half lengthwise, then use a citrus juicer or squeeze firmly with your hand to extract the juice into a small bowl until you have 3 tablespoons—about 2 limes. Zest the limes by rubbing them across a microplane or grater, collecting the bright green outer skin only into the same bowl.
- 2
Pick the Thai chili stem from the top, then slice it lengthwise in half from tip to stem end. Scrape away the white membrane and seeds with a small knife if you prefer less heat. Place the pepper on a cutting board and mince it into pieces smaller than a grain of rice—pencil-tip dots.
- 3
Gather the cilantro and mint (or whichever herbs you are using), pile them on a cutting board, and chop them roughly into 1/4-inch pieces until you have 0.5 cup.
- 4
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and wait 60 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil; when it shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, add the ground chicken in a single layer.
- 5
Break up the chicken with a wooden spoon into bite-sized crumbles as it cooks, scraping and stirring every 30 seconds. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside and looks light tan throughout, about 5–6 minutes total.
- 6
Pour the lime juice (3 tablespoons) and fish sauce (2 tablespoons) into the pan, then scrape the bottom with the wooden spoon to loosen any stuck-on brown bits. Stir for 20 seconds until the liquid reduces slightly and coats the chicken.
- 7
Remove the skillet from heat. Add the minced chili and chopped herbs to the chicken, then stir gently with the wooden spoon until evenly mixed.
- 8
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate in a single layer, slightly overlapping. Spoon the warm chicken mixture into the center of each leaf so diners can pick up a leaf, cradle the chicken, and eat it like a taco.
Tools you’ll need
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- microplane or grater
- small bowl
- citrus juicer or hands
- large skillet
- wooden spoon
- plate
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
