• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hot Thai Kitchen
  • Recipes by Categories
  • Kitchen Tips & Ingredients
  • Thailand Vlogs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Newsletter
  • Patreon
  • Shop Ingredients & Tools
  • Find an Asian Grocer
  • Merch
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes by Categories
  • Kitchen Tips & Ingredients
  • Thailand Vlogs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Newsletter
  • Patreon
  • Shop Ingredients & Tools
  • Find an Asian Grocer
  • Merch
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » All Recipes » Soups & Salads » Laab Gai - Thai Chicken Salad (Larb/Laap) ลาบไก่

    Laab Gai - Thai Chicken Salad (Larb/Laap) ลาบไก่

    Published: Jun 17, 2016 · Modified: Dec 7, 2020 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Jump to video!


    This famous dish is iconic of northeastern Thai cuisine, and it's probably the healthiest chicken salad I've ever seen! A few years ago I made a pork laab video, this time I make it with chicken with lots of new tips and tricks to help you make a laab to impress! And that crazy good crispy chicken skin makes an appearance at the end as well 🙂

    Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

    All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

     

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    laab gai

    Laab Gai - Northeastern Chicken Salad ลาบไก่

    ★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
    • Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
    • Yield: Serves 2-3
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 300 g ground chicken, preferably not lean (I grind my own using 50/50 dark and white meat, see video @3:20 for how to grind your own chicken)
    • 2 Tbsp water or unsalted chicken stock
    • 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp fish sauce
    • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
    • 2 Tbsp lime juice
    • Roasted chili powder or regular chili powder, to taste (see note)
    • 2-3 Tbsp toasted rice powder (recipe follows)
    • 4 leaves sawtooth coriander and/or 6-8 sprigs cilantro, chopped
    • 1 green onion, chopped
    • ⅓ cup mint leaves, roughly torn if large
    • Crispy chicken skin (optional, see recipe here)

    Note: To make good, Thai-style roasted chili powder, roast Thai dried chilies in a 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes or until they darken and smell smokey. You can also throw in 1-2 kaffir lime leaves and roast it along with the chilies as well. Let cool and grind in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle until fine. If you don't use it often, store in the fridge or the freezer to prolong its freshness and prevent mold.

    Toasted Rice Powder

    • Uncooked Thai sticky rice or jasmine rice
    • 1 kaffir lime leaf (optional)

    Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use


    Instructions

    To make toasted rice powder: In a dry saute pan, add the rice and the kaffir lime leaf and toast, stirring constantly, over high heat until the rice has a deep brown colour (see video for colour). Remove from heat immediately and transfer into a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder. Grind until fine (yes, grind the lime leaf too), but if using a coffee grinder, be careful not to over-grind—you don't want it to look like flour, you still want a bit of grittiness to it.

    To make the laab : In a wide pot or saute pan, add the water or stock and bring to a simmer. Add ground chicken and 1 tsp of the fish sauce, then cook, stirring constantly to break up any big lumps, just until it is done. Remove from heat, then, using the pot as  your salad bowl, add the shallots and stir to wilt slightly and to make sure all the shallot layers are separated. Then add fish sauce, lime juice, chili flakes, and toasted rice powder; stir to mix well. Then add green onions and sawtooth coriander and/or cilantro and stir to mix.

    Tip: If you're not serving right away, hold the toasted rice powder and stir it in just before serving, otherwise the toasted rice powder will absorb all the dressing and make the salad seem dry, and the toasted rice powder will become slightly mushy. 

    Plate and sprinkle the mint on top. Garnish with a couple of dried chilies if you want, and sprinkle with some crispy chicken skin (which you can make in minutes!). Serve warm or room temp with sticky rice and fresh, crunchy vegetables such as iceberg lettuce, cucumber, long beans, Belgian endive.

    Join us on Patreon for bonus content and rewards!


    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @HOTTHAIKITCHEN on Instagram and hashtag it #HotThaiKitchen!

    « Crispy Chicken Skin in Minutes!
    Mango Ice Cream in a Blender! ไอศรีมมะม่วง ง่ายสุดๆ »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tananda

      October 20, 2022 at 5:07 am

      I happened to have ground pork so I made it with this - and - my wife said it was the most delicious thing I've ever cooked for her!

      I will go back at some point and try your Laab Gai exactly but this is now about the 4th thing I've tried from following your videos/recipes and the success of a cookbook/cooking show is whether the fans can succeed following along.. In my estimation you are truly excellent in this regard. I look forward to more

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Tim

      January 08, 2022 at 10:43 am

      Ok first of all this recipe is a pure example of delicious perfection.

      But I wanted to eat it as a main course and I'm trying to eat healthy. So for one portion I used 100gr of chicken and added 100 gr of diced chestnut mushrooms and I replaced the sticky rice with whole grain jasmine. I can report that this approach didn't hurt the flavor much. I'm glad because now I can eat it more often :p

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Lil

      September 07, 2021 at 2:52 pm

      Turned out great but was too hungry to take a picture! Next time. 🙂 This gave me motivation to try making Nam Tok Nuea. Thank you, Pailin!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Jen

      August 28, 2021 at 12:17 pm

      Do you ever put fresh lemon grass in your laab?

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 02, 2021 at 11:32 pm

        Sometimes, usually when I make it with beef. You certainly can!

        Reply
    5. Nads

      June 03, 2021 at 9:43 pm

      One of the best Thai recipes

      Reply
    6. Jody Hatch

      January 20, 2021 at 7:39 pm

      Thank you so much! I live in remote Alaska and now can make one of my favorite Thai dishes anytime!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Rachael

      January 06, 2021 at 12:41 am

      My husband and I LOVE this recipe! So fresh and light! We live in Thailand so it’s easy and cheap to find local dishes like this, but I love being able to make it myself, especially because it means I can adjust things according to our tastes and ensure that no MSG is added. Thanks Pailin for explaining everything so clearly, you are my go-to Thai food expert 😀

      Reply
    8. Stephen Chan

      December 07, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      Laab is one of my favourite Thai salads, I've tried both the Gai and Moo variations. The addition of the kiffir lime leaf to the rice powder really brightens it up.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆
    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Connect With Me!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    Image of Pailin

    Sawaddee ka! I'm Pai, a chef, author, and YouTuber. I'm here to demystify Thai cuisine and help you cook great Thai food at home. How did a girl from Thailand come to teach Thai cooking to millions worldwide? Here's my story.

    Featured On...

    Meatless Recipes

    • Vegan Thai Green Curry Meat Eaters Will Love
    • Pad See Ew with Rice Vermicelli
    • Chili Garlic Noodles Recipe
    • Fast & Easy Marble Eggs with Prik Nam Pla

    Vegetable Recipes

    • Soy Caramel Roasted Kabocha Squash
    • Maple Fish Sauce Brussels Sprouts
    • Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry
    • Cucumber Challenge! Spicy Chicken & Cucumber Stir-Fry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Merch
    • All Recipes

    Newsletter

    Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • My Cookbook
    • Patreon

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © Pailin's Kitchen Inc. 2023