Thai-Inspired Keto Chicken Larb in Lettuce Cups

Thai ground chicken salad with lime, fish sauce and fresh herbs, served in crisp lettuce cups.

One white plate with a portion of Thai chicken larb, crumbled ground chicken with shallot, mint, coriander and red chili, piled on crisp lettuce leaves
AI-generated illustration of the finished dish.

Laab gai is a Thai ground chicken salad that is sharp with lime, salty with fish sauce and loud with fresh herbs. This keto adaptation leaves out the toasted rice powder and the sticky rice that usually come with it, and serves the mince in crisp lettuce cups instead. It comes together in under half an hour, and it is a filling main for a relaxed evening.

Prep
15 min
Cook
8 min
Total
25 min
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

Prepared ingredients for chicken larb: raw ground chicken, sliced shallot, sliced red chili, fish sauce, lime juice, chopped mint, chopped coriander, lettuce leaves and salt in small bowls
AI-generated illustration.
Servings
Units

Nutrition per serving

Estimate
Net carbs
5.5 g
Protein
33.1 g
Fat
14.8 g
Carbohydrates
7.4 g
Fibre
1.9 g
Energy
290 kcal
Serving weight
277 g

Calculated from the ingredient weights with USDA FoodData Central. For orientation, not medical or dietary advice.

About this keto recipe

Our chef creates these recipes to meet our keto rule: no more than 10 g net carbohydrates per serving. Nutrition values are not independently verified. Verified diet labels will follow.

Method

  1. Prepare the dressing and herbs

    Whisk the lime juice and fish sauce together in a small bowl. Thinly slice the shallot and the red chili, and chop the mint and coriander. For two servings that is 2 tbsp each of mint and coriander. Keep everything beside the pan.

    Small bowls with lime and fish sauce dressing, sliced shallot, red chili rounds, and chopped mint and coriander ready for the larb
    AI-generated illustration.
  2. Brown the chicken

    Set a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and the 1/2 tsp salt, break it up with a wooden spoon and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until no pink remains and the centre reaches 74 °C. Keep the juices in the pan.

    Ground chicken cooked and crumbled in a stainless steel frying pan on a black hob, golden in spots with no pink left
    AI-generated illustration.
  3. Dress off the heat

    Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the sliced shallot and red chili, then pour in the lime and fish sauce dressing. The residual heat softens the shallot slightly, so it keeps a little crunch.

    Cooked chicken in the pan on the hob, now mixed with the lime and fish sauce dressing, shallot slices and red chili rounds
    AI-generated illustration.
  4. Fold in the herbs

    Stir in the chopped mint and coriander and let the mixture rest for 1 minute so the herbs wilt slightly. Taste and add a little more lime or fish sauce if you like.

    The chicken mixture back in the pan on the hob, with chopped mint and coriander leaves folded through
    AI-generated illustration.
  5. Serve in lettuce cups

    Spoon the larb onto the lettuce leaves, about 4 leaves per serving, and serve straight away while the herbs are bright.

Good to know

  • Keep the heat at medium-high and break the mince up early, so it browns in small pieces instead of steaming into a grey mass.
  • Take the pan off the heat before adding the lime and fish sauce dressing, so the shallot keeps a little crunch and the lime stays bright.
  • Taste before serving and adjust with more lime or fish sauce; the balance should be sour, salty and hot, and the fresh herbs go in just before serving.

Inspired by

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