Chicken Larb

One of the most utilized recipes in my kitchen, Larb is an easy dish to put together in about 20 minutes! You can interchange the protein and vegetables to your liking, but I always come back to this ground chicken and kale version.

 

I first made larb four or five years ago and it quickly became one of my most favorite things to make, both because it's so delicious but also incredibly quick and easy. Alongside coconut rice and quick-pickled veggies, it offers a good balance in one bowl.

 If you are wondering what exactly "larb" is like I did when I first tried it - basically, it's a meat salad, and has Laotian and Thai origins. Apparently, adding minced meat to the dish was originally a rare delicacy and was served on only very special occasions. Today, however, it's a great way to turn a package of ground meat - whether chicken, turkey, pork or beef - into a great everyday meal.

Now that my older kids are back in school and it's just me and the baby at home during the day, it's all about making dishes that don't take a whole lot of time for me.  Time is precious!

(And yes, it's been awhile since my last post; life has changed in the past six months! I am a mom of three now, and the baby is already TWO months old *crying just a little over here at how fast time flies*)

So even though life feels busier than ever before, I still hope to come here and share my favorite foods and recipes - I've missed it.

CHICKEN LARB WITH COCONUT LIME RICE AND PICKLED VEGGIES

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 bunch lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale), stems discarded and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-6 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons sambal oelek (or sriracha sauce if you can't find sambal)

*For the coconut lime rice:

•  2 cups uncooked rice
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Juice and zest of 1 lime 

For pickled vegetables:

•  1/2 a red onion, sliced
• 2-3 persian cucumbers, sliced thinly
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large nonstick pan on medium high heat, cook kale in a tablespoon of olive oil until wilted. Set aside. In the same pan, break up the ground chicken until cooked through; add the minced garlic and sliced green onions and mix.
2. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar and sambal oelek. Add in the cooked kale.
3. *I like to start cooking the rice before getting started on the larb since the larb cooks so quickly.  In a rice cooker, add water (after rinsing rice) until slightly above the rice.  Add the coconut milk, sugar, salt and lime zest and juice. Once cooked, fluff with a fork.
4. Combine the red onions and cucumbers in a small shallow bowl and toss with the vinegar. Let it sit for 20 minutes before serving.
5. Serve the larb on top of rice with pickled veggies on top.  Other optional toppings I sometimes add if I have on hand are: sliced avocados, cilantro or other fresh herbs.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you make this and how you like it!

recipe credit/inspiration goes to What's Gaby Cooking