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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Comments
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I made this as written last week and my family – teens and adults – loved it! Better than what we’ve had in a restaurant, and quite easy.
Just love it! I planned to have village like dinner with my three kids and hubby where I’m not going to use any cutlery but only my dinner table being wrapped with brown paper. This recipe is going to fit in perfect and it’s so easy.
Hi Jenn, I’ve made this recipe several times and its so easy and delicious! I am thinking of making it again for a dinner party but with tempeh instead of chicken as my guests are vegan. Do you think it would work and would I make it the same way? Thanks!
Hi Tamara, I’ve never cooked with tempeh, so I can’t say for sure – I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful but would love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jenn,
I ended up making this for my vegan dinner party and the tempeh would out perfectly! I substituted the chicken for the tempeh and omitted the fish sauce and everyone loved it. Thank you for all your great recipes!!
Tamara
Glad it worked out!
I made this today and my family loved it. No leftovers. I left off the mint and cilantro (hubby) allergic. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for a great recipe.
These are absolutely AMAZING! Even my very picky, very ‘meat & potatoes’ only husband loved them! Because of a chronic illness I was unable to cook much at all for almost a decade, but since randomly discovering Jenn’s website I have fallen in love with cooking again at the tender age of 59! I’ve made over a dozen recipes, (many multiple times), & each one is outstanding! Of course, I’ve pre-ordered the cookbook & can’t wait to receive it! Thank you so much, Jenn, for making me look good!
❤️
Hi Jenn, I get to choose a dish for my husband to prepare for my birthday and have chosen this one. Do you think a 50/50 mix of ground pork and ground chicken could be used or should he just stick to one type of meat? BTW, so excited about the book. Pre-ordered months ago. 😊
Hi Sabine, you could definitely use a mix of chicken and pork if you’d like. Enjoy your birthday dinner and thanks for your support with the cookbook! 🙂
This is a wonderful dish, Jenn! Now, how do I get my wife from begging for more after she’s almost eaten the entire meal by herself!
🙂
These are delicious, but they aren’t quick! Lots of chopping, zesting, juicing, etc. next time, I’ll chop earlier in the day. A keeper!
This was a great dish. I added two Thai chillies instead of red pepper flakes. I also added hoisin sauce on the wrap. I served it with coconut rice as a side.
Amazing! So flavorful and delicious, my husband kept going back for more. I made it with your cucumber salad. Thank you for another great recipe!
We absolutely love this dish. It’s quick and easy to make and sooooo yummy. The cashews might be the best part! We like a bit of plum sauce or a good sweet and sour to drizzle on top. Sometimes I make this with green lentils instead of chicken and it’s also delicious.