Chicken Larb Bowls from cookbook #2 is happening today. GET PUMPED. This was hands down the most popular recipe from that cookbook! The first time I had Chicken Larb (Larb Gai) I was at Night + Market in West Hollywood. The moment I tried this amazing dish I knew that I had to try and make it at home.
Table of Contents
If you haven't snagged a copy of my 2nd cookbook yet, you're totally missing out! It's packed to the brim of California inspired recipes that are easy to make and even easier to eat. It's been so fun watching everyone make their favorite recipes over the last 4ish years and 1 recipe that keeps popping up again and again on social media is the larb bowl!!
What is Chicken Larb?
It's incredibly flavorful, kids of all ages will love it, adults will devour it and it's easy. I make it at least once a week for Thomas and I and neither of us can get enough.
If you've never heard of Larb before - it's a meat dish and is a staple dish of both Laos and Thailand. The Laotian version of Larb uses fish sauce and the Thai version omits the fish sauce and relies more on spices. The version below is by no means super traditional - but it's incredibly flavorful and after seeing you guys make it for years on end, I know we're all obsessed.
Where does Chicken Larb come from?
Chicken larb (also spelled laab or laap) is a popular dish in the cuisine of Laos and northeastern Thailand.
Larb is believed to have originated in Laos, and it has since become a popular dish throughout the region, particularly in the northeastern provinces of Thailand, where it is known as "larb gai" (chicken larb). It is often served with sticky rice and fresh vegetables, and can be found in local markets, street food stalls, and restaurants.
Larb has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in North America, Europe, and Australia, where it is often featured on Thai restaurant menus.
And if you love a chicken-rice bowl situation, I hope you have already made the ginger scallion chicken bowls, and if not, that is a great one to have on rotation as well!
Ingredients
Traditional Chicken Larb is a type of salad made with minced chicken, lime juice, fish sauce, chili peppers, roasted rice powder, and fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro, and scallions.
My iteration of this recipe calls for the following ingredients
For the quick pickles
- Persian Cucumbers
- Red Onion
- Rice Vinegar
For the chicken
- Vegetable Oil
- Kale
- Ground Chicken
- Garlic
- Scallions
- Soy Sauce
- Sambal Oelek
- Brown Sugar
For the rice
- Water
- Coconut Milk
- Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Jasmine Rice
- Lime
To garnish:
- Mint leaves
- Basil leaves
- Cilantro leaves
Other Great Recipes:
- Ginger Scallion Chicken Bowls
- Skillet Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Bake
- Grilled Lemonade Chicken
- Lebanese Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Schnitzel
- Homemade Orange Chicken
Stuck in a dinner rut? Looking for new delicious dinner ideas? Check out my roundup of 50+ easy dinner ideas here.
Chicken Larb Bowls
Ingredients
For the quick pickles:
- 2 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 ounces kale deveined and chopped
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 6 scallions white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the rice:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- zest and juice of 1 lime
To garnish:
- fresh mint leaves
- fresh basil leaves
- fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
To make the quick pickles:
- In a small bowl, toss the cucumbers, red onion, and vinegar. Set aside to marinate while you cook the chicken.
To make the chicken:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the kale and cook until wilted, 5 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and carefully transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add the ground chicken to the same skillet and cook, breaking it apart with the back of a wooden spoon and stirring frequently until no pink remains, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and scallions and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the soy sauce, sambal oelek, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Return the cooked kale to the skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and reduce the heat to low until ready to serve.
To make the rice:
- Combine the water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the mixture starts to simmer. Add the rice and bring back to a low simmer. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook undisturbed for about 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for another 5 to 10 minutes, until fully cooked and soft. Uncover, fluff, and toss in the lime zest and juice.
To assemble:
- Divide the rice among 4 bowls, followed by the chicken and kale, pickles, and plenty of fresh mint, basil, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson
My family loves this recipe so much that I triple the recipe and usually make it once a week! My 7.5 month old grandson eats it with two hands.
Made this for dinner tonight with friends. I’m so grateful I doubled it for leftovers! Major hit with friends and even my toddler. Thank you, Gaby!
Should I use sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk?
unsweetened!
This recipe is AMAZING! Thank you. I made it with ground turkey and substituted siracha for the sambal oelek. Easy to make and so many flavors!
This was AMAZING!!!! I’ve been wanting to make it since I got the cookbook and decided on Game of Thrones premier night! Today was the happiest day ever! I cannot wait to make this over & over & over!
Made these tonight and they were amazing. Such a variety of flavors and textures. I did use half cauliflower rice and half jasmine. My boyfriend said we need to make them for friends!
I loved this as is, but added a couple splashes of fish sauce and it took it over the top. Great dinner and already excited for leftovers tomorrow!
Oh I need to make this! Love all those fresh herbs!
This. Is. So. Good. Quick, easy and delicious! Trader Joe’s was out of ground chicken AND ground turkey, so made it with ground pork — can’t wait to try it with chicken. Welcome to my regular dinner rotation, larb. 🙂
My husband and I loved this dish so much! Unfortunately, it wasn't too kid friendly until a little sweet chili sauce was added on top. I plan to bring this in to our meal rotation. I love how versatile it is. You can use any vegetable and you can add other herbs/spices such lemongrass or ginger. I modified a little to make it gluten free by using gluten free tamari. And I used a little fish sauce instead of salt. I also used gluten free Sinto brand gochu jang sauce instead of sambal oelek. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Love this recipe - tried it tonight and got rave reviews from my family. Do you typically use ground white meat chicken or dark meat? Thanks.
either or - but I prefer dark
I made this and the family loved it so much that I made it again two days later! Second time I used broccoli instead of kale since that's what I had. So good!
Love love love this recipe! We double the kale and use ground turkey, but other than that it is unchanged. The fresh herbs are a must, especially the mint. This is in our weeknight rotation forever! I keep meaning to take a pic for Instagram but we scarf it down before we remember. Next time, I promise!
Looks and sounds yummy.
My concern is the calories in the coconut rice!
And you add sugar!!
Any way to decrease the high sugar content without deflating taste?
you can omit the sugar and use low-fat coconut milk!
This is my favorite recipe from the book! I double it and take for lunches and it holds up amazing to being reheated! It does not last long in my house! Love love love!