Thai Chicken Larb (Larb Gai)

The Thai ground chicken larb salad that eats like a stir-fry — fast, fiery, and alive.

Ingredients for Chicken Larb

• Chicken: Use ground thighs if you can. They absorb flavor better than breast, staying moist when kissed by lime and fish sauce. In Laos, cooks mince chicken by hand with cleavers — you can taste the texture difference when you don’t overwork the meat. follow our how to mince meat with a clever or chef knife guide.
• Fish Sauce: The heart of Southeast Asia — salty, funky, unapologetic. Red Boat or Megachef brands have the depth and caramel notes that balance perfectly with lime.
• Toasted Rice Powder (Khao Kua): The soul of larb. Toast raw jasmine rice until it smells like popcorn, then grind it into a sandy crumble. It adds a roasted nuttiness and gentle crunch that makes every bite multidimensional.
• Lime Juice: Must be fresh. The acid pulls the fat forward and ties the herbs into the chicken’s warmth. Bottled juice will flatten the flavor — squeeze, taste, adjust.
• Herbs: Mint and cilantro are the pillars, scallion adds punch. In Northern Thailand, you might find sawtooth coriander or holy basil — use what’s bright and fresh.

Chicken Larb Recipe

For the chicken

• 1 lb ground chicken (preferably thigh)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• ¼ cup chicken stock or water

Toasted Rice Powder:

2 tablespoon uncooked jasmine rice

For the Sauce Base:

• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 Thai chili (to taste), thinly sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 1 scallion, chopped

For Serving Chicken Larb Salad:

• Butter lettuce or cabbage leaves for wraps
• Extra herbs and lime wedges

How to make Chicken Larb

Toast the Rice: Toast jasmine rice in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and nutty. Cool, then grind to a coarse powder.

1. Cook the Chicken: Heat oil in a wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and stock, stir-frying until just cooked through.
2. Season While Warm: Off heat, stir in fish sauce, lime juice, shallots, chili, and rice powder. Toss gently to coat.
3. Finish Fresh: Fold in herbs and scallion just before serving. Taste for balance — add lime for brightness or fish sauce for depth.
4. Serve Warm: Spoon into lettuce cups or over jasmine rice. Serve immediately.

Related Recipe Table Itinerary: Laos & Northern Thailand

• Drink Pairing: Light lager, Sauvignon Blanc, or sparkling coconut water.
• Side Dishes: Sticky rice, green papaya salad, grilled pork skewers, sliced cucumber with chili salt.

Equipment & Tools

• Carbon Steel Wok — High heat, fast cooking — essential for proper texture
• Granite Mortar & Pestle — For pounding toasted rice and releasing herb oils (Affiliate Link Placeholder)
• Digital Kitchen Scale — Ensures precise balance for sauce ratios
• Fish Sauce (Red Boat 40°N) — Cleanest, richest flavor for larb
• Zester or Microplane — For fine garlic and lime zest
• Rice Grinder or Spice Mill — To grind toasted rice powder to perfect texture
• 10" Mixing Bowl — Tosses the larb evenly while still warm

Thai Chicken Larb (Larb Gai)

Sam

Chicken larb is the kind of food you eat barefoot, maybewith one hand while the other holds a glass of crisp white wine. It’s warm andcool, spicy and soothing, light but indulgent. It’s also intimate — food toshare, not to pose. A plate of larb is an invitation to touch, to scoop, to eatwith abandon.

This fast and flavorful recipe you will want to make time and again.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine asian, Thai

Ingredients

  

Ingredients

Protein Base:

• 1 lb ground chicken preferably thigh
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• ¼ cup chicken stock or water

Toasted Rice Powder:

• 2 tablespoon uncooked jasmine rice

Suace:

• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1 Thai chili to taste, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 1 scallion chopped

Optional Garnish:

• Butter lettuce or cabbage leaves for wraps
• Extra herbs and lime wedges

Instructions

 

Instructions

• Toast the Rice: Toast jasmine rice in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and nutty. Cool, then grind to a coarse powder.
• Cook the Chicken: Heat oil in a wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and stock, stir-frying until just cooked through.
• Season While Warm: Off heat, stir in fish sauce, lime juice, shallots, chili, and rice powder. Toss gently to coat.
• Finish Fresh: Fold in herbs and scallion just before serving. Taste for balance — add lime for brightness or fish sauce for depth.
• Serve Warm: Spoon into lettuce cups or over jasmine rice. Serve immediately.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!