Enjoy the best Thai Chicken Larb in under 30 minutes! This flavorful dish combines ground chicken with garlic, ginger, and lime, all bursting with fresh herbs. Serve it over coconut lime rice or in crisp lettuce wraps for a new family favorite!
What is Chicken Larb?
Larb Gai is a Thai and Laotian meat salad, super popular in Thai restaurants and as street food. It’s made with ground chicken or pork and packed with flavors like lime, garlic, chili, palm sugar, fish sauce, and rice powder. Every bite is a mix of spicy, sour, sweet, and salty. It’s usually served with sticky rice, lettuce, and fresh herbs.
This Chicken Larb I’m sharing today is a quick, 30-minute version for weeknights that still hits all those tasty notes. Authentic larb can be a bit of a project, but this recipe makes it easy to enjoy whenever you want.
I’ve made it more accessible by swapping fish sauce with soy sauce, using chili sauce instead of ground chilies, and skipping the toasted rice powder.
Ingredients In Chicken Larb
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil or olive oil works great here.
- Garlic and Ginger: Sauté until just fragrant to release their full flavor.
- Green Onions: Use both white and green parts for extra flavor.
- Ground Chicken: Break it up well while cooking to avoid large clumps and ensure even cooking.
Quick Sauce
- Soy Sauce: Use regular not lite soy sauce if possible.
- Lime Juice & Zest: Remember to zest the lime before juicing.
- Sambal Oelek (or Sriracha): Adds heat and a kick. Start with a small amount if you’re sensitive to spice and increase as needed.
- Brown Sugar: Mix well into the sauce to make sure it dissolves completely.
How To Make Chicken Larb
- Cook Rice (if you’re making it): Mix basmati rice with coconut milk, water, and a little salt. Boil the water, then simmer until it evaporates. Let it sit, then fluff it up and mix in lime zest and juice.
- Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, lime zest and juice, chili paste, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- Prepare Toppings: Slice cucumbers and mix with rice vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Cook the Larb: Heat oil and cook garlic, ginger, and green onions until they smell nice. Add the ground chicken and break it apart while it cooks. Once it’s cooked, add the sauce and cook a little more.
- Serve: Put rice on plates, top with the chicken, sprinkle with herbs, and add some cucumbers on the side. You can also wrap the chicken larb in lettuce leaves if you like.
Quick Tip
Aim to use dark meat ground chicken. Dark meat contains more fat, which keeps the meat tender and juicy during cooking. The lighter the color of the ground chicken, the lower the fat content, leading to a drier texture and flavor.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Add fish sauce: A splash or two of fish sauce will accentuate the Thai flavor.
- Spice levels: Start with 1 teaspoon of the chili sauce and increase from there, going slowly if you’re sensitive to heat. You can also try Sriracha® in place of the chili sauce.
- Swap the meat: I have personally only tested this chicken larb recipe with ground chicken, but I think ground pork would work well in its place. You can also try ground turkey, but you may need to slightly increase the amount of sauce.
- Bulk up with veggies: I love bulking up recipes with extra veggies. So, while not fully authentic, you could add some finely diced mushrooms, carrots, and bell peppers to the larb mixture. If you add a lot, you’ll likely want to increase or double the sauce.
Chicken Larb FAQs
Chicken Larb should be slightly sweet, lightly spicy, and tangy from lime. I use 1 tablespoon of chili paste, making it kid-friendly, but you can add more for extra spice.
Traditionally, larb comes hot, right after cooking. Some restaurants serve it cold or at room temperature in salads or wraps, but I prefer it hot, as soon as it’s done!
Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to make this larb gluten-free. Just make sure all your ingredients are gluten-free and not processed in a facility that handles gluten.
More 30-Minute Dinner Recipes
Chicken Larb
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pan
Ingredients
Chicken Larb
- 1-1/2 tablespoons coconut oil can use olive oil
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1-inch piece
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions white and green parts; 4 to 6 onions
- 1 pound ground chicken darker meat will be more tender and flavorful
Quick Sauce
Toppings
- 1/4 cup chopped mint see note 2
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- 3 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lime
Coconut Lime Rice (optional)
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1-1/2 cups coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 large lime plus more optional lime wedges for serving
- Lettuce leaves optional, for serving
Instructions
- Cook rice first (if making): Combine basmati rice, full-fat coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste). Stir and place over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover the rice. Allow to simmer 13–18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand 10–15 minutes; don’t rush or it will be sticky! Fluff the rice with a fork, then zest and juice lime to get 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice; add in. Stir and evenly divide onto plates.
- In a small bowl, whip together the sauce ingredients: add soy sauce, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, Sambal Oelek (see note 1), brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste; it will depend on the saltiness of the soy sauce, but ground chicken needs a good amount of seasoning). Stir to combine.
- Prep toppings: Thinly slice Persian cucumbers and place in a medium bowl. Add rice vinegar, olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir and give the mixture a few more stirs while cooking the chicken. Give the herbs a quick coarse chop and place in a bowl (see note 2).
- Prepare the meat portion: Add coconut oil to a large, cast-iron pan and melt over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add minced garlic, minced ginger, and thinly sliced green onions. Sauté 3–4 minutes or until fragrant and tender. Add ground chicken. Break up the ground chicken with a wooden spoon so there are no large clumps. Sauté 7–9 minutes (breaking up/stirring almost constantly) or until mostly cooked through and white all over. Drain any accumulated liquid and return to medium-high heat. Pour the prepared sauce over the chicken and cook another 2–3 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked (no pink remains) and the sauce coats everything. Remove from heat.
- Serve appetizer style with lettuce leaves, larb meat, coconut lime rice, a bowl with the herbs, and cucumbers. Either layer everything (coconut lime rice, larb meat, chopped herbs, cucumbers) or fill up lettuce wraps. Enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made this. I used chicken breasts which I ground up in a food processor. This was delicious and filling as main meal. 100% gonna make it again
So thrilled you enjoyed this meal! 🙂
This recipe was a big hit in my house, especially the rice.
I am so happy to hear how much you guys enjoyed this Chicken Larb! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Love these flavors!! This is one of my favorite appetizers to get at a restaurant! They are so tasty, light, & I am so glad I can make them at home!
This recipe was really yummy. I didn’t have ground turkey so I sautéed chicken breasts and chopped them very fine. Worked great. Thank you for a wonderful and tasty recipe.
I saw your recipe and knew I needed to give it a try! It was delicious and easy to make! Thank you1
I could eat this everyday..no joke! It is so good & flavorful!