Chicken Laab (Chicken and Herb Salad)

If you’ve never had Laotian cuisine before, don’t be intimidated. The flavors are similar to what you’ve probably encountered in Thai dishes. In this classic regional favorite, fragrant lemongrass and tart lime juice play together with garlic and chiles to spice up ground chicken. Don’t skip the fish sauce! It’s undetectable but lends an important note of umami. Impress your dinner guests with something adventurous—they’ll never believe it all comes together in less than 15 minutes.

Chicken Laab

Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil 
 1 pound ground chicken 
2 stalks lemongrass, rough outer leaves removed and soft innards minced 
3 cloves garlic 
 4 birds eye chiles, chopped 
2 tablespoons fish sauce 
1/2 cup lime juice 
2 teaspoons coconut aminos 
3 tablespoons coconut sugar 
 Salt and pepper, to taste 
1 hothouse cucumber, sliced into rounds 
1 small red onion, thinly sliced 
3/4 cups mint leaves 
 Cashews, for garnish 

Instructions

 Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground chicken and sauté, breaking up small pieces. Add in lemongrass, garlic, and chiles and mix to combine. Cook until chicken is just browned, about 3 minutes. Add in fish sauce, lime juice, coconut aminos, and coconut sugar. Mix to coat chicken, season, and allow the liquid to slightly caramelize. Season with salt and pepper.

Place chicken mixture in a bowl and toss with cucumber, red onion, and mint leaves. Garnish with cashews and serve. 

Photo credit: Paul Delmont