Authentic Thai Chicken Larb with Giblets (Laab Gai)
This authentic Thai chicken larb (Laab gai) with giblets gives a whole new meaning to 'salad'! Perfectly cooked chicken with fresh, aromatic herbs, lime, crunchy toasted rice (khao khua), and a classic Thai dressing that packs a flavourful punch. So easy to make and comes together in no time at all!
My version includes giblets (chicken liver, heart, and gizzard) for added nutrients to make this salad even healthier. Trust me, the giblets do not affect the taste! This Thai chicken larb comes together in 20 minutes, making it perfect for quick lunches or dinners. It's also great for those hot summer days when you want an easy, fresh salad but need something hearty! The best part? This larb tastes so delicious that you'll feel like you're in an authentic Thai restaurant. All in the comfort of your own home!
Why Giblets in this Chicken Larb?
If you've read my 'About' section, you'll know I'm a big fan of nose-to-tail eating. Not only do I feel it respects the life of the animal, but organ meats are some of the most nutrient-dense parts of the animal. The addition of giblets (organ meat) is traditional in Isan/Northern Thailand and some regions of Laos. It's sometimes known as Laab kua, whereas Laab gai refers to general 'chicken larb'. But the giblets add a beautiful texture to the dish, and healthy nutrients that many of us don't get enough of. That truly makes this dish one of the healthiest salads you can have!
Some of the unique nutrients found in chicken liver, heart and gizzard include: vitamin A, B12, folate, iron, selenium, zinc, CoQ10, choline, and so much more! The gizzard is found in the digestive tract of the chicken, and adds a lovely chewy texture to the larb. Chicken livers are used to make creamy chicken liver pâté. And heart? It's technically a muscle, so you're eating muscle meat! And outside of the culinary world, typical muscle is actually an organ - talk about confusing!!!
Ultimately, if you'd like to leave the giblets out of this Thai chicken larb, that's completely fine! If you do want to include them, but are unsure if you'll enjoy them, I would start with a tiny amount, one at a time. Just make sure to buy high quality, fresh giblets. I buy mine from my local poultry butcher, and they are incredibly cheap! The amount I buy for this recipe costs about $2 total. And the amount of nutrients you get for that much makes it totally worth it in my eyes.
Making this Authentic Thai Chicken Larb
One of my favourite things about this recipe is how easy it really is. After you've cooked the chicken and giblets, it's just a matter of throwing in the rest of the ingredients! Within 20 minutes, you've got a delicious, authentic Thai chicken larb with incredible flavour.
The crunch of the toasted rice (khao khua), red onion, fresh mint and coriander are met with a delicious dressing that can be used on many Thai dishes, like Thai beef salad. The dressing is super simple - just fish sauce, lime juice, and honey. Typically you'll find this dressing made with sugar. If that's all you have on hand, by all means use sugar instead of honey. Or if you want to omit all sweetness, fish sauce and lime juice on their own are also delicious. But let me plead my case for honey!
First, our lovely little honeybees give us so much raw honey, so I almost exclusively use it as my sweetener in dishes. Second, I personally try to avoid ultra-processed, refined sugars, for health reasons. Raw honey also has enzymes, antioxidants and minerals with many health benefits. Third, the honey gives the larb a slightly sticky texture and floral note that you don't get from sugar. And no, my honeybees did not force me to say this!!!
Serving your Thai Chicken Larb
This larb pretty much serves itself. All I like to do is squeeze some extra lime on top, garnish with fresh chillies and spring onion, and then proceed to inhale my bowl!
Some other options for this larb are to use pork mince (Laab moo), for a fattier, more robust flavour. In this recipe I use chicken breast mince out of pure convenience. You can also use chicken thighs and mince them yourself with a cleaver or meat mincer. This will give you a fattier, more flavourful larb, but it does require more effort. If you have the time, go for it, but for a speedy meal, stick with the ready breast mince! If you have herbs, limes, lemongrass and chilli left over, use them to make my quick and easy Thai fish curry, which also comes together in 20 minutes!
When ordering larb at a Thai restaurant, you'll likely have a side of shredded raw cabbage, or lettuce leaves that you can use as wraps for the larb. If you skip the toasted rice powder, you've got yourself a keto-friendly and paleo-friendly version of authentic Thai chicken larb! You can also slice up some cucumber as a fresh contrast to the meat in the dish. Sticky rice is also a great option to stretch the larb even further.
In any case, I truly hope you enjoy this recipe! xxx
An authentic Thai chicken larb (Laab gai ) with giblets! Packed with fresh herbs, chilli, and a punchy dressing, this easy, hearty, nutrient-dense dish gives a whole new meaning to 'salad'!
- 1 kg chicken mince (Note 1)
- 100 g chicken heart (finely chopped)
- 100 g chicken liver (finely chopped)
- 100 g chicken gizzard (thinly sliced)
- 2 tbsp glutinous rice (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- Juice from 2 limes (plus extra lime wedges to serve)
- 2 tsp honey (Note 3)
- 1 whole dried chilli
- 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 large bunch of coriander (leaves only)
- 1 large bunch of mint (leaves only)
- 1 lemongrass stalk (only the pale, tender base portion - finely chopped)
- 4 large kaffir lime leaves (finely shredded/chopped)
- Spring onion (sliced) (optional garnish)
- 1 Preheat a pan on medium-high heat. Throw in the mince, giblets, lemongrass and dried chilli. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of water in the pan to avoid excessive browning (the aim is not to brown the chicken, just to cook it). Break up the mixture in the pan and continue cooking on medium-high heat.
- 2
Meanwhile, toast your rice in a dry pan on low heat. Keep stirring so it does not burn. You want to achieve a nice golden colour. This should take about 5 minutes. Once cool, grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle.- 3
Make your dressing by mixing fish sauce, lime juice, and honey.- 4
Once the chicken and giblets are cooked (8-10 minutes depending on your stove), throw in your chilli flakes, toasted rice powder, and dressing. Adjust seasoning to taste (honey for sweetness, lime for sourness, and fish sauce for saltiness). Turn off the heat.
- 5
Toss through your red onion, kaffir lime leaves, coriander and mint leaves until they are warmed through. Serve immediately, garnished with optional fresh red chilli, spring onion, and a final squeeze of lime!
Note- I use chicken breast for convenience, but chicken thigh is a great option if you can mince your own with a cleaver or a meat mincer. The breast is obviously drier than thigh, but it makes for a very quick meal. The thigh will add a fattier, more robust flavour, so if you have the time, by all means choose thigh! Pork mince is also a popular option for larb (Laab moo).
- Any rice you have on hand will do! The starch in glutinous rich just helps to bind all the ingredients together, but jasmine rice or any other rice will be a perfectly find substitute. If you want to leave out the rice altogether, then you'll have a keto-friendly and paleo-friendly larb!
- Feel free to use sugar if that's all you have on hand. Or, to avoid all sugars, skip honey or sugar entirely. The dish is still delicious with fish sauce and lime for the dressing! I use honey for a few reasons. We have an abundance of raw honey from our honeybees, and the antioxidants, enzymes and minerals in raw honey have many health benefits. I also personally try to avoid ultra-processed, refined sugars, for health reasons. The honey also gives the larb a slightly sticky texture and floral note that I love.
authentic, Thai, chicken, larb, laab, gai, gibletsThank you for supporting NurtureNosh - I hope you love this recipe!
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