Thai Laab Gai (Chicken With Lime, Chili and Fresh Herbs)

Name: Thai Laab Gai (Chicken With Lime, Chili and Fresh Herbs)
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: thai
Ingredients: 1/4 cup raw sticky rice (see Note) or 2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (available at Asian markets); 16 ounces coarsely ground or finely chopped white- or dark-meat chicken (lean beef, such as sirloin, can be substituted); 1/2 teaspoon hot chile powder, preferably Thai or Lao; 4 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla); 5 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 1/4 cup slivered red onions; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro; 2 tablespoons sliced scallions; 10 whole mint leaves, more for serving; Lettuce leaves; cucumber spears, for serving; 4 cups cooked sticky or jasmine rice, for serving

Recipe from Kwan Bellhouse

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Updated May 30, 2025

Thai Laab Gai (Chicken With Lime, Chili and Fresh Herbs) — Evan Sung for The New York Times.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(1,014)
Comments: Read comments

Laab gai is a dish of browned ground chicken, mint, basil and red onions dressed with lime juice and ground red chiles that's popular in Laos and Isan, neighboring rural sections of Thailand. (The dish is sometimes spelled larb, lob or lop.) It's perfect hot weather food: spicy, crunchy and light, but rich in flavors and contrasts. Traditionally, this dish is made with a roasted rice powder that's prepared by toasting raw rice in a wok, then grounding it to a powder, but you can find premade roasted rice powder at Asian markets. Whatever you do, don't skip it — it adds a nuttiness that's essential to the authentic flavor of the dish. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: A Touch of Asia, Tangy and Hot

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

¼cup raw sticky rice (see Note) or 2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (available at Asian markets)
16ounces coarsely ground or finely chopped white- or dark-meat chicken (lean beef, such as sirloin, can be substituted)
½teaspoon hot chile powder, preferably Thai or Lao
4teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)
5teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
¼cup slivered red onions
2tablespoons chopped cilantro
2tablespoons sliced scallions
10whole mint leaves, more for serving
Lettuce leaves
cucumber spears, for serving
4cups cooked sticky or jasmine rice, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
To make roasted rice powder, heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add raw rice and cook, stirring often, until rice is toasted and dark brown, but not black, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside to cool. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar, blender or coffee grinder; set aside.
Step 2
To cook chicken, heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot, add 2 tablespoons water, then add chicken, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Cook just until cooked through, about two minutes, then transfer to mixing bowl. While chicken is just warm, add remaining ingredients (except for garnishes) and roasted rice powder. Mix gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings. Mixture should be tangy, salty and lightly spicy.
Step 3
Spoon onto serving plate and surround with mint, lettuce and cucumber. Serve with rice. If serving with sticky rice, pinch some off, mold into a small ball and dip into laab, scooping up a little of each ingredient. Or scoop laab into lettuce leaves.

Tip

Larb gai is traditionally served with long-grain Thai or Lao sticky rice, sometimes labeled “glutinous.” It is not the same as Japanese short-grain rice.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,014 user ratings

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Comments

PSP7 years ago

We love larb gai and I've always wanted to try it at home. I made a double recipe (3 teenage boys) and this was a successful starting point but needs tweaking.

We felt it needed at LEAST 3 times as much lime juice in order to taste the limey twang. We also felt the cilantro, scallions and especially the onions should be at least doubled per recipe.

I used brown jasmine rice for the powder and it was great but easy to burn if careless. I also added 2 finely chopped thai chilis for some kick.

Andrea7 years ago

Made to the recipe's specifications, this seriously lacked flavor. I doubled the fish sauce, lime juice, chili power, and cilantro, and it was greatly improved. With those modifications, this is a great summer meal.

Todd Komoroski6 years ago

Adding Basil, seasoning the oil with ginger, garlic and chilies is also a good idea. This is a great base recipe to build upon. Also endive is a great addition... the prefect sized boats for the larb!

Vada1 month ago

Vada Another winner. Luckily we had the rice powder, sourced from one of a variety of Asian markets in SoCal. We are lucky. There was meat left over and it was put to use the next day in a stir fry. I have started to use Togarashi red pepper mix to finish dishes like this to get another level of. Pepper instead of just the heat of red pepper flakes.

Jess (NYC)3 months ago

We used ground turkey because it’s what we had on hand— final product was delicious, but lacking a little fat. We followed the comments and doubled all the aromatics and it was delicious! We served it with little gem lettuce and white rice, but next time will try it over rice noodles.

Samantha7 months ago

This is one of my fav things to make and is on regular rotation. I used ground pork instead of chicken, tripled the lime, and added a little extra chili powder. It is so good! I also eat the leftovers with sushi rice as a rice bowl.

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