Larb Gai sometimes known as Laab is a spicy, citrusy, and slightly sweet minced Thai chicken salad with chiles + fresh herbs! Mine is totally not authentic but still delish! Serve in lettuce leaves or nestled over rice.
Laab or Larb Gai - Minced Thai Chicken Salad
One of my New Years resolutions is to share more recipes that I'm actually eating... instead of just sharing pictures of stuff that I know will get a ton of likes on instagram.
I'm not going to lie, instagram's algorithm isn't the easiest thing to deal with these days. Especially as someone who makes the majority of my living on how people "engage" or "like" my content.
But ya know what? I don't want to be a slave to instagram and I don't want to censor my content based on how many likes I'm getting.
Now don't get me wrong, I still dive head first into a cheese plate a few times a week and taste test everything that's coming out of the kitchen at Black Dolphin Inn. But that also means I also HAVE to eat clean-ish during my other meals to help equal everything out.
And I should probably mention that I lost 35 pounds last year which is what prompted this predicament. And believe me, it was not easy... especially while I was writing my cookbook! But I'm here to prove that it actually is doable!
And once you lose it, you can still have what you want AND you can keep it off thanks to lots of delicious veggie dishes and meals like this Laab! So let's get to it, shall we?
If this recipe sounds good to you, you might also like this Ina Garten Inspired Curry Chicken Salad these tasty lil pho deviled eggs or my favorite Vietnamese Rice bowl! 
What is Laab or Larb Gai
Laab (also known as Larb Gai or Chicken Larb) is a traditional Thai salad made with minced chicken, fresh herbs, lime juice and chiles. Depending on which region you get it, this salad includes fresh vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, and long beans.
Most of the time, it's served as-is on a plate, but you can also serve it with brown rice or wrapped in lettuce leaves.
My laab recipe, although inspired by the traditional variety, is pretty untraditional. Upon googling larb gai, you'll see that most of the recipes call for toasted rice powder.
I ended up ordering some from amazon because I can't find it where I live. But to be completely honest, I don't think it makes much of a difference. So don't fret about not using it.
You might also notice that my recipe calls for thick soy sauce which is much thicker (obvi lol) and sweeter than the regular kind. If you don't have this, you can totally use regular soy sauce but cut the amount in half and add about 2 teaspoon of white sugar. Or you could probably us teriyaki sauce but again with the traditional factor - this would be way out there!
How to make Chicken Larb
Laab is beyond easy to make and can be done in under 20 minutes! All you have to do is cook up some ground chicken - no added salt, no oil - nothing! While it's cooking, you'll whisk the sauce together. It's made simply with fish sauce, sweet chili, dark soy sauce, lime juice and sambal.
Once the chicken is done cooking and you have your sauce made, it's time for the veggies. Add in the carrots, tomatoes, and shallots and turn the heat off. The residual heat will soften the veggies just perfectly to still maintain their crunch.
Next, add the sauce and toss everything together until it's coated and absorbed.
Right before you're about to serve, top with fresh mint and cilantro.... and thai basil if you have it!
Depending on how healthy I'm being, I'll either serve it with brown rice or just straight on lettuce leaves.
And if you'd like to save this Laab recipe for later, pin it below!
RECIPE: Laab - Minced Thai Chicken Larb Gai
Recipe
Laab (Chicken Larb)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 shallots roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoon sweet chili
- 3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sambal or sriracha
- 2 limes
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint roughly chopped
Instructions
- Begin by adding the ground chicken to a pan and cook over medium-high heat until it’s cooked through and broken up. No need to add oil or salt.
- Meanwhile, mix together fish sauce, sweet chili, dark soy sauce, sambal + lime juice. Set aside.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, add the shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, and shallots and stir. Turn the heat off and let the residual heat slightly cook the vegetables for 2 minutes. Add in the sauce and toss to coat.
- Top with cilantro and mint, toss again and serve with either rice or lettuce wraps!
Notes
xoxo,
GCS
Sheila smith
Omg! Authentic taste taste and incredibly easy so glad this southern mom could make this, thank you
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Hey, thanks for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.
Homepage
I really appreciate this post. I¡¦ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again
Natalie
This was SO insanely good and so easy to make!!! Will definitely be adding to my list of regular recipes!