Thai-Style Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups
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Based on the popular Thai dish Larb Gai, this is a quick, easy, and flavorful weeknight dinner.
This recipe is based on Larb Gai, the popular Thai dish made from minced chicken, fish sauce, lime juice, chilies, and fresh herbs. You can have it on the table in 30 minutes, and it can be served in lettuce cups or over rice.
What you’ll need to make Thai Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups
As you can see from the photo, the recipe is inexpensive to make with ingredients found at your local supermarket. One of the key ingredients is fish sauce. Contrary to what you might expect, it doesn’t add a “fishy” taste, but rather a salty, savory, umami flavor. If you’ve never cooked with it, I’ll warn you that it smells pretty bad (my kids RUN out of the kitchen when I use it), but please don’t let that deter you — it absolutely makes the dish! If possible, buy a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam, and don’t worry about buying a large bottle; it keeps forever.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For the chicken, begin by cooking the onions and ginger in oil until soft.
Add the minced garlic and cook one minute more.
Add the ground chicken and use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar and red pepper flakes, and cook until the chicken is done.
Off the heat, add the fresh cilantro, mint, scallions, and nuts.
Stir to combine.
Spoon into lettuce cups and serve with finely sliced carrots, herbs and Sriracha sauce.
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Thai-Style Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups
Based on the popular Thai dish Larb Gai, this is a quick, easy, and flavorful weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 large head iceberg or butter lettuce
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger (you'll need a thick 2-inch piece) (see note)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds ground chicken (not all breast meat)
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons lime zest, from 2 limes
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, from 1½ limes
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 large scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- ¼ cup chopped cashews or peanuts
Optional For Serving
- Sriracha
- Finely sliced carrots
- Lime wedges
- Cilantro and/or mint sprigs
Instructions
- If using iceberg lettuce: fill a large bowl with cold water. Place the head of lettuce on a cutting board; cut off the stem, then cut around the inner core of the lettuce and remove (do not cut all the way through the lettuce; just deep enough to remove the core). Discard the flimsy, ragged outer leaves and then place the head of lettuce in the bowl of water. Gently pull apart the leaves, then place them on a paper towel to dry. Cut any large leaves in half. Chill the lettuce cups in refrigerator until ready to serve. (If using butter lettuce, you won't have any issues pulling apart the leaves so this step is not necessary.)
- Heat the oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the ground chicken and turn the heat up to high. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until partially cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, lime juice and red pepper flakes and continue cooking, stirring frequently to break up the meat, until the chicken is cooked through, 5-6 minutes more. Off the heat, stir in the scallions, cilantro, mint and nuts. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Spoon into lettuce cups and serve with optional garnishes.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The meat mixture can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months and reheated in the microwave om on the stovetop until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 580
- Fat: 33g
- Saturated fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Sugar: 20g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 45g
- Sodium: 1565mg
- Cholesterol: 195g
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I love these in the restaurant and have always been scared to try these at home. I followed the recipe and instructions to a tee! These were actually easy to make and they were the best. The recipe says for 4. There are 2 of us and we had plenty for 2 dinners. These are great. Thanks for the recipe.
I also substituted stir fry sauce which has thicker consistency than the soy sauce. Oyster sauce made a good choice too. This is a wonderful recipe refreshing with full of flavor.
This is one of the most frequently asked for meal at my house! My 8 & 6 year old sons can be picky eaters at times, but when I tell them I’m making lettuce cups they’re ready for dinner! I also sprinkle in some extra peanuts just before serving for that fresh crunch, but leave out the spice since we have wimpy taste buds. There are also days when I don’t have lettuce and we mix this in with some coconut rice.
I’ve made this recipe several times because of the flavor profile. For my taste, you can’t omit the fish sauce. It adds an authentic flavor that can’t be duplicated with anything else. In the summer, its great to use this in lettuce wraps. But I’ve used it on top of rice and quinoa and its equally as good. Or sometimes it gets eaten out of the pot. Its that good!!
LEAN GROUND BEEF IS ALSO GOOD
My wife and I have made this a couple of times, and we love it! It’s nice having it the lettuce wraps in stead of over rice (although we’ve done both) as a lighter fare option. Don’t let the long list of ingredients scar you off. It’s a very simple dish to make, even on a weeknight. Delicious!!
Would it be possible to prepare the chicken mixture the night before- and warm in microwave before serving?
Sure, Pam – this dish reheats really well.
What is your preferred choice of mint for this? Spearmint, peppermint, lemon balm, etc?
You can get away with any of them, but I believe that spearmint is most widely available in grocery stores.
For many years when I visited my daughter and her family in Colorado, we went to an Asian restaurant in Boulder. We always started our meal with Lettuce Cups. A few years ago, we were sad to find them closed. When I saw the picture of the cups on this site, I had to try it to see how the recipe compared. Although my precise memory of the taste had decreased, I found this recipe to be delicious. It is easy to make and tastes wonderful, with or without the sriracha.
These lettuce cups were to die for!! We thought they were better than from our Thai restaurant. I used ground pork instead because it was way cheaper than the ground chicken. It smelled a little funky while cooking but came out AMAZING! The lettuce cups were hard to make because the lettuce was not cup-shaped. I followed the tips and used water and chilled but still had issues. I think in the future I might try romaine lettuce or a different plate that has compartments to hold the lettuce cups. Absolutely amazing! Pairs wonderfully with Tom Ka Gai soup. My mouth is watering writing this review.