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 guess the fish sauce can be to old. I just looked at mine and it was almost black and was full of salt crystals. I saw that it was 3 years past its expiration date. I didn’t realize I had it for THAT long! I also noticed that it says, “do not refrigerate”. Yep, you guessed it, it was in the frig!
I’m going to have to buy a new bottle.
Thank you so much for these amazing recipes!!!! I am having so much fun trying them and being awed by the results!!! What kind of frying pan do you use? The picture in the Thai chicken lettice cups looks like a good large thick stainless steel pan. I want it!!
Hi Rachel, So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! It’s a 12–inch fry pan from All Clad — probably my favorite pan!
We all just finished devouring this, all five of us aged 7 to 47 gave it 5 stars, and declared it to be a new family favorite. Not that I’m surprised, because I love everything from this site, but this one is a superstar dinner. Walked in the door at 6 and we were eating by 6:35… light & delicious.
Made these tonight for dinner and they were amazing. Used ground turkey instead of chicken. You didn’t mention draining the meat, so I didn’t. Next time I will drain before adding the soy/fish sauce mix. So light, flavorful and tasty!!!
Hi Jenn,
I have made this recipe once and it was well received. My question is when do you add the scallions? It looks like, from the photos, you should add them when adding the cilantro, mint and nuts.
Thanks,
Mary B
Hi Mary, Yes, that is correct.
We have been experiencing record breaking heat here in San Diego so this was the perfect dish for something light. We love Thai lettuce wraps and these were delicious. Very easy, healthy and a great meal for people watching their carbs. I served it with peanut sauce and also a sweet chili sauce.
Thanks, Jen!
I am allergic to fish and shellfish. Is there anyway to make this dish with a substitute for the fish sauce?
Hi Jillian, You could try soy sauce but it will be a completely different dish — more Chinese than Thai.
This is a very delicious and colorful dish. My daughter isn’t a big fan of lettuce. But, tonight she asked for more lettuce cups to wrap the meat. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I made this last night and it was so delicious!!! I add some crunchy vegetable like carrots, celery and water chestnut. It’s just so tasty and my little girl love it very much. Thank you for sharing.
Dear Jenn, I have always stayed from fish sauce because I don’t like the taste of strong fish. Can you make me feel better about this, so I can start cooking with it.I really want to make these lettuce cups. Thank you, Joanne
Hi Joanne, Fish sauce is one of my favorite ingredients for cooking! It doesn’t really have a fishy taste at all; it’s more of a salty, deep, funky (in a good way) flavor. It’s used extensively in Southeast Asian cooking so if you like Vietnamese and Thai food, chances are you like fish sauce. Fair warning: it doesn’t smell great and it’s not a sauce you would ever taste on its own, but it adds a very delicious, distinct flavor to so many dishes. Hope that helps, and please come back and let me know how the lettuce cups turn out 🙂