chicken larb

Anything that can be lettuce wrapped is a win in my book. And one of my favorite things to lettuce wrap is larb.

Never been a huge fan of thai food; but darn it, do I love me some larb. What’s not to love about super flavorful ground meat, sautéed with fresh herbs and served with pickled cucumbers, avocado, carrots and more fresh herbs in a lettuce leaf? Absolutely nothing.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp avocado oil

2 lbs ground chicken

pinch of salt

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp sriracha

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 tsp sugar

juice of 3 limes

1 cup chicken stock

25 leaves of fresh mint, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

3 scallions, green parts only, sliced

1 head butter lettuce, leaves washed and removed

1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves, stems removed

20 mint leaves

quick pickled cucumbers

1 english cucumber, thinly sliced

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/8 cup water

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

whisk together vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. pour over sliced cucumbers. set aside for 1 -2 hours

before serving.

handful baby carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions:

Heat avocado oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Once shimmering add shallots. Sauté until slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir to combine. Then add in ground chicken and pinch of salt. After 5 minutes, add chicken stock to combat the lack of cooking fat in chicken, to prefent dryness. Cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

In a small bowl, whisk together sriracha, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Pour over cooked chicken, stirring until combined and heated through. Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, chopped mint, and scallions. Stir to combine and remove from heat.

Serve alongside lettuce wraps, carrots, avocados, cucumber salad, and with whole cilantro leaves and mint on the side.