Chicken Larb Tots

5 from 4 votes

Crispy chicken larb tots with coconut-lime rice, quick pickles, and fresh herbs. A fun, flavorful DIY dinner perfect for entertaining.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai, Laotian

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

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
1 pound ground chicken
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
6 scallions white and light green parts, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
1 teaspoon kosher salt

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
little gem lettuce

Instructions

To make the quick pickles:

In a small bowl, toss the cucumbers, red onion, and rice vinegar. Set aside to marinate while you cook the chicken

To make the Tots:

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sambal oelek, and kosher salt. Mix until just combined.
Form into mini balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball, then gently flatten them.
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook the tots for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through

To make the rice:

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the jasmine rice, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook undisturbed for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the lime zest and juice.

To assemble:

Arrange the chicken tots, quick pickles, herbs, and Little Gem lettuce on a serving platter for DIY wraps. Serve with the coconut-lime rice on the side.

Notes

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.

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