Larb Gai (Thai Chicken Salad) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Spring

by: Alexandra Stafford

May26,2021

4.8

8 Ratings

  • Serves 4

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Author Notes

This recipe is inspired by the Larb Gai at Summer Summer Thai Eatery in Emeryville, California. I ate it nearly every day for lunch for about 2 weeks, and I never tired of it—it was fresh, light, and satisfying. Summer Summer's larb is seasoned with toasted rice powder, which is so good, though I haven't missed it in my homemade larb—the herbs, shallots, scallions, and lime dressing provide plenty of flavor. I've been serving it as they do at Summer Summer (and many other Thai eateries) with steamed brown rice and lettuce leaves on the side.

Recipe adapted from this Bon Appétit recipe. —Alexandra Stafford

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 1 poundground chicken (I've been grinding thighs at home)
  • 1/3 cupfresh lime juice, from about 2 limes
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonssugar
  • 1 cupthinly sliced scallions
  • 3/4 cupthinly sliced shallots
  • 1 tablespoonthinly sliced hot chili such as Thai bird, Serrano, or jalapeño or more to taste
  • 1/2 cuproughly chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cupfinely chopped mint
  • Lettuce cups for serving: romaine, Little Gem, or Boston
  • Steamed rice for serving
Directions
  1. Place the chicken and 1/4 cup water in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally to break up any clumps of meat, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes—you don’t want to brown the chicken, so lower heat as needed.
  2. Meanwhile, stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar in a small bowl, until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
  3. Add scallions, shallots, and chili to skillet, and cook over low heat just until the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the sauce, cilantro, and mint, and toss to coat.
  4. Serve the larb with the lettuce leaves and rice on the side.

Tags:

  • Chicken Salad
  • Salad
  • Thai
  • Chicken
  • Cilantro
  • Mint
  • Lettuce
  • Vegetable
  • Green Onion/Scallion
  • Shallot
  • Lime Juice
  • Summer

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Nic O

  • Debra Poole

  • stephanieRD

  • Susan W

  • Pork n' Tofu

I write the blog alexandra's kitchen, a place for mostly simple, sometimes fussy, and always seasonal recipes. My cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs is available everywhere books are sold.

Popular on Food52

21 Reviews

Nic O. September 13, 2017

Made this several times and it is always great. Easy week day meal
Serve it over rice or cabbage. Goes well with steamed broccoli too.

Debra P. June 7, 2017

This sounds incredible; making this weekend for sure.

vrinda August 25, 2016

WOW great thanks
I should get one of those
can I use ground beef ?

Alexandra S. August 25, 2016

I think ground beef would work well, too! Go for it!

vrinda August 25, 2016

Sounds delicious so I'd love to try it but I'm always scared buying ground chicken from a store.
How do you grind it ?

Alexandra S. August 25, 2016

I agree! I have a grinder attachment to my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I know, I wish there were more trustworthy options for ground chicken out there. Some shops might grind it for you, if you pick up a pack of thighs (or whatever cut you like) from their meat case — you could ask? Or if you have a reliable source for ground pork or chicken, I think those would be nice here, too.

stephanieRD July 20, 2016

I love this recipe. I've never had it before making it at home, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I think it's really great! Especially for those hot summer days when few meals will do. I live in CO and it's been 90+ every day!!!

Alexandra S. July 20, 2016

Yay! So happy to hear this! I had been obsessed with making this in April after returning from a trip to CA, where I ate it nearly every day, but have been thinking about it recently so much because it has been SO hot out and this is SO refreshing. Stay cool!!

Susan June 2, 2016

Hi Alexandra - Thanks for the recipe! As someone who also can't get fast & easy access to lemongrass I did want to share - I bought the biggest, freshest-looking bunch last summer and stuck it in a huge mason jar full of water and put it on my windowsill. Slowly but surely (and I do mean slowly - like 4-6 weeks) later, roots sprouted, and eventually I planted it. It lived on my brightest windowsill all winter in a pot, and I snip away at it here and there - just little bits to brighten up whatever I'm cooking. It's not a plethora of fresh lemongrass by any means, but it's more than I used to have, and is so easy to keep growing!

Alexandra S. June 2, 2016

Such a great tip! I am absolutely going to try this this summer. And thank you for giving the time frame because I never would have thought to wait 4 to 6 weeks. Exciting! This sounds like something I can handle :)

jlbriggs June 1, 2016

I just made this for a party and it was a smash hit. Very tasty!

Alexandra S. June 1, 2016

Yay! So happy to hear this! I love the idea of making this for a party.

hookmountaingrowers May 25, 2016

Do you think this would work with ground pork or beef?

Pork N. May 25, 2016

Yes! With grilled beef it is Nua Nam Dok - Waterfall Beef. With ground pork it is Larb Mu. Both are delicious.

Alexandra S. May 26, 2016

Thanks Pork n' Tofu! I'm dying to try it with pork.

Susan W. May 19, 2016

I'm going crazy over your fun recipes. My daughter is here with her 4 month old from out of state and I've been obsessed with them. I owe you an email. Hoping to get it done tomorrow while chomping on Larb. I love it!! Do try it with the rice powder. It's more texture than taste.

Alexandra S. May 19, 2016

You are so sweet! I can't wait to get your email but you should enjoy your daughter and grandchild — how fun?! I really must try the larb with the rice powder — next time for sure. Enjoy your family, Susan!

emgoh May 19, 2016

Is tamarind also used in salads like this? I keep thinking I've tasted it when at Thai restaurants but now not so sure.

Alexandra S. May 19, 2016

I don't know enough about Thai cooking to say, but if you've tasted it, you're probably right. The original recipe I was working from called for lemongrass, but I can only find that at Whole Foods. I'll check my Thai Food cookbook and see if I learn anything.

Pork N. May 19, 2016

Thank you for posting this recipe, this is pretty much exactly how we made this at the Thai restaurant I worked at all through college. It highlights the amazing flavors you get with the simplest ingredients, the hallmark of Thai cooking in my opinion. Try adding some ground rice powder, for me that was always the ingredient that made this dish drool-worthy.

Alexandra S. May 19, 2016

Great to hear this! I was amazed by how something so exotic tasting could be so easy to prepare at home, though I would agree that the rice powder adds another dimension of flavor. I will try it soon for sure!

Larb Gai (Thai Chicken Salad)  Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What does larb salad taste like? ›

The larb is sweet from the natural taste of beef and the sugar, yet slightly tart from the lime and fish sauce. The cilantro, mint, ginger and green onion mix adds a freshness and clean taste to the dish.

What do you eat larb with? ›

Larb should be served warm or at room temperature with a mixture of crunchy fresh vegetables (lettuce leaves, cucumber sticks, raw beans or cabbage) and steamed sticky rice.

What does larb mean in Thai? ›

Larb means that the dish is chopped. Chopped to the max. And how you add flavor to these chopped creations varies vastly from region to region. The larb spice mix that we have just received comes from Northern Thailand. Laap Muang.

What are the 4 Thai condiments? ›

Have you ever noticed the four glasses set up on dining table at restaurants in Thailand? These glasses form a set of must-have condiments which consist of sugar, fish sauce, chili flakes and vinegar with sliced or crushed chilies. Those condiments are similar to salt and pepper in western culture.

How do you eat chicken larb? ›

You can serve chicken larb warm, or lightly chilled making it a refreshing and light meal. I love serving chicken larb in bowl form with steamed rice, cucumbers, lettuce cups, and loads of fresh herbs.

Why is larb so good? ›

larb Isan is known for its robust spiciness. Minced meat is usually seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli powder, grounded roasted rice, shallots, and spring onions. Some recipes also include coriander and mint leaves.

Why does larb smell? ›

Why? Authentic larb gai is made with padaek which is a fermented fish made into a thick fish sauce. Fermented fish is what makes larb smell. If you can't get over the smell, this is one of the ingredients that can be omitted from the recipe without any substitutions.

What is the difference between LAAB and larb? ›

What is this? "Larb" is the most popular way Thai restaurants write out the dish on menus because when Thai people speak Thai-accented English, we don't pronounce the R (we pronounce "car" as "ka," for example). Anyway, LAAB is a ground meat salad that hails from the northeast region of Thailand known as Isaan.

What is the healthiest Thai curry? ›

People love green curry because of the gentle balance of heat, sweet, and acid from the chiles, lime, and fresh herbs. Green curry is great with chicken and shrimp because it offers a punch of seasoning to the protein. The long list of herbs also makes green curry one of the healthiest Thai cuisine dishes.

What does larb style mean? ›

Larb, which means "chopped up" in Thai, is a minced meat salad made from virtually any protein — pork, chicken, beef, duck, or fish. For a vegetarian Thai larb recipe, substitute tofu, mushrooms, or a plant-based ground meat alternative.

What are the main ingredients in a Thai dish? ›

Each ingredient has its own unique flavor and texture that helps give traditional Thai dishes their distinctive taste. So get ready to explore the world of Thai cooking! Rice noodles, coconut milk & cream, herbs & spices, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chillies, palm sugar, tamarind paste, galangal & lime leaves.

What is the most common ingredient in Thai food? ›

Let's dive into the key ingredients in Thai cuisine! Rice: As with most Asian dishes, rice is key. In general, Thai dishes call for long-grain white Jasmine rice. This fragrant and flavorful rice cools and complements spicy Thai dishes.

What does Thai food usually consist of? ›

Almost every Thai dish includes fresh fruits and vegetables, and the meat, seafood, and sauces are always fresh and flavorful as well. The fresh ingredients make Thai cuisine a great choice for those who are health conscious or need to stick to a specific diet.

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