Larb is a beloved Southeast Asian salad that can be made with almost any type of minced meat. Here, we use ground chicken and wrap the savory meat mixture in lettuce leaves for a fresh and light take on this dish. For a casual dinner, place the chicken mixture, lettuce leaves and garnishes on the table and let diners help themselves. For an even easier version of this dish, use one of our Thai lettuce wrap starters.
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
6 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./80 ml) soy sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
1 Tbs. Asian fish sauce
2 tsp. sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and light green portions
1 1/2 Tbs. peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/4 lb. (625 g) ground chicken
Lettuce leaves for serving
Bean sprouts and fresh cilantro and basil leaves for serving
In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Set aside.
In a wok or large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add half the soy sauce mixture and cook 1 minute more.
To serve, spoon about 3 Tbs. of the chicken mixture into a lettuce leaf, top with bean sprouts, cilantro and basil, and wrap the lettuce around the filling. Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture, lettuce leaves, and garnishes, or allow diners to assemble their lettuce wraps themselves at the table. Serve the remaining soy sauce mixture alongside for dipping. Serves 4.
Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen
 Wine Pairing
This dish pairs well with wines like the Alpha Omega Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from our Wine Club. |