Thai Chicken Larb

Thai Chicken Larb is one of the easiest Thai dishes to make and tastes just as good as the restaurant version! You only need a skillet and some basic ingredients for an Asian-inspired weeknight meal you'll want to keep on repeat.

Larb Gai, or Chicken Larb, is basically a salty, spicy, and slightly sweet ground meat dish. It is traditionally served as a "salad" with lettuce wraps and sticky rice.

Once you start making it, you will find millions of ways to serve this dish! We love the traditional larb lettuce wraps, but I also serve it with rice, cauliflower rice, on big green salads, and as a tasty Thai Bowl with quinoa!

You don't want to miss these other delicious Thai recipes, like Thai Basil Ground Beef or Thai Chicken Skewers!

What is Chicken Larb?

Larb Gai is a dish that is traditionally made in both Thailand and Laos, and essentially is a warm meat salad. It's normally made with ground chicken or pork that is flavored with garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, chili peppers, and palm sugar. It's a popular street food dish and can also be found on most Thai food restaurant menus. Normally, it is served with sticky rice, lettuce, and fresh herbs like mint, basil, and/or cilantro.

This recipe for Chicken Larb contains all the same flavor elements, but I switched out a few things to make it easier to make at home. First, I swapped in soy sauce for the fish sauce since it is something most people have at home already. I also use Asian chili paste instead of fresh Thai chilies or Thai chili powder since it is much easier to find. Lastly, I cut back on the sugar to keep things light and healthy. This dish traditionally wasn't made with much sugar, but over the years, many restaurants have taken the liberty to add extra. Honestly, it doesn't need it.

Add Toasted Rice Powder for An Authentic Twist

Truly authentic larb recipes use toasted rice powder to add a subtle nutty flavor and a thicker texture! Here's how to make it from scratch:

Add plain uncooked white rice (jasmine is traditional) to a skillet over medium heat and toast and stir until it's golden brown and smells nutty. This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Once the rice has cooled, grind it into a coarse powder using a spice grinder, blender, or mortar and pestle. Rice powder acts as a thickener for many Asian dishes and can be used instead of a cornstarch slurry!

How can I serve Chicken Larb?

There are so many delicious ways to serve chicken larb:

• Lettuce wraps: Grab a head of butter lettuce and serve this wrapped up in lettuce leaves as a main dish or appetizer. Serve it with plenty of fresh herbs, limes, and extra green onions on the side.
• Sticky rice: Traditionally, this is served with Thai sticky rice on the side along with fresh lettuce. Fill the lettuce leaves with sticky rice, top with the Larb, and enjoy.
• Cauliflower rice: For a lower-carb option, serve it on a bed of plain cauliflower rice, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, or make cauliflower rice and larb lettuce wraps.
• Cucumber salad: Make a quick cucumber salad with thinly sliced cucumber, red onions, and rice vinegar. If you like things extra spicy, add some jalapenos. The basic recipe is 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, and 2-3 tablespoons of rice vinegar.
• Thai salad: Turn this into a nice Thai salad by adding Romaine, cucumbers, red onion, fresh herbs, and bean sprouts. For some sweetness, consider adding some green papaya or mango.
• Slaw: Asian Peanut Slaw is the perfect side for chicken larb! It's crunchy, a little creamy, and is full of fresh Thai flavor.
• Zucchini noodles: Asian Zucchini Noodles add crunch and a light, tangy sesame-soy flavor that balances the heat and richness of chicken larb without adding extra carbs.
• Veggies: If you want to keep things low-carb but want to add more greens, I love making Asian Sautéed Broccolini or Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts to pair with chicken larb!

Recipe Ideas for Chicken Larb

Here are some easy ways to customize this recipe to make it your own:

• Swap in new protein: Feel free to switch out the protein and try other ground meats. Traditionally, it is made with either ground chicken, like in this recipe, or ground pork. However, you could also use ground turkey or beef.
• Add veggies: Although it isn't traditional, feel free to add some veggies to the mix. Kale and spinach both work really well, as do things like broccoli, cabbage, sugar snap peas, or mushrooms.
• Fish sauce: Traditional Larb is always made with fish sauce. For a more authentic flavor, add a few splashes of fish sauce to your dish to bring out a more Thai flavor.
• Kid-friendly: If you are making this for kids who don't like spicy things, just serve the chili sauce on the side. It's easy to add on top, and then you have a meal everyone can enjoy.
• Lower sodium and gluten free: Swap in coconut aminos for the soy sauce for a lower sodium version that is also gluten free and Whole30 friendly.

Storage and Reheating

• Storage: Chicken Larb will stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing it as the herbs may not hold up well in the freezer.
• Reheating: Reheat in the microwave until warmed or warm it up in a skillet with a little coconut oil.
• Leftover ideas: Serve leftover chicken larb with grains, veggies, and drizzle with some homemade peanut sauce!