All the flavors you love in a larb in this Spicy Chicken and Mint Salad! The perfect blend of hot, sweet and spicy!
Ground chicken gets loads of flavor from fish sauce, garlic, peppers, lime juice and brown sugar, tossed with fresh mint, cucumbers and red onion, it's so light and delicious!
All the flavors of larb...
I have been making this Spicy Chicken and Mint Salad since I first saw it in a Donna Hay magazine back in 2008.
It doesn't have the toasted rice that is usually called for in a larb, but it does have all the flavors that you associate with larb. So, if you love larb (like I do) you will definitely love this.
It's similar to my Thai Beef Cabbage Wraps, which also has a very much larb vibe going on!
What I love about this, besides it's delicious, is that you can have this on the table in under 30 minutes! It's super light, perfect for a hot day. In the winter, we like to serve it with rice or noodles. One of our favorite salads!
Ingredients.
- Mint - the original recipe called for equal parts Vietnamese mint leaves, spearmint mint leaves and round mint leaves. I grow a couple of varieties of mint and just used what I have.
- Red onion, cucumbers and garlic.
- Red peppers - use your favorite hot red pepper, the recipe called for birdseye peppers and I just happened to have some.
- Ground chicken - could also use ground turkey or ground beef. Buy some extra ground chicken and save it for these Chicken and Chorizo Tacos!
- Fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar - the trinity of Vietnamese and Thai flavors! Always use fresh squeezed lime juice.
Step by step instructions.
Prep the veggies by thinly slicing the cucumber and red onions. Mince the garlic and the red peppers.
Combine the fish sauce, fresh squeezed lime juice and brown sugar in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown the chicken for about 3-5 minutes or until browned. You might need to do this in batches to make sure all the chicken gets nice and browned.
When the chicken is browned, add the thinly sliced red onions and cook briefly until slightly softened, about 1-2 minutes.
Note - the original recipe did not call for cooking the red onions, but I prefer my onions cooked rather than raw.
Add the garlic and chilies and cook for about a minute until fragrant.
Pour in the fish sauce mixture and stir to combine.
Place the chicken, cucumbers and mint in a bowl (if you didn't cook the onions, you would add the raw red onions now.)
Toss to combine.
This was so light and fresh. I have completely fallen in love with what I call the holy trinity of Thai: fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Pour that over old tires and I'd probably pronounce them excellent.
Variations - you can serve this as is or serve it over rice or noodles.
While you've got your fish sauce out, be sure and check out my 16 Fish Sauce Recipes to use up that bottle of fish sauce.
Recipe.
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Spicy Chicken and Mint Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 red chili peppers diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh squeezed
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 Lebanese cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- ¾ cup mint leaves roughly chopped
Instructions
- Combine the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to dissolved the sugar.
- Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat.
- Brown the chicken in batches, if necessary to make sure the chicken gets nice and brown. About 3-5 minutes.
- If cooking the onions add them now and cook for about a minute or 2 to soften.
- Add the garlic and peppers and cook until fragrant about a minute.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the fish sauce mixture.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, mint leaves and cucumbers and toss to combine.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
The was originally published in 2009 and has been updated for 2021.
Sara says
This was so good, very different than any chicken salad I have tried before. The mint was a fantastic addition!
Liz says
I've been looking for new recipes to use up some mint leaves from our garden! Looks delicious!
Beth says
This salad looks so delicious and very unique! My hubby and I can't wait to give this a try! Flavors look wonderful and very tasty. So excited to make this for our lunch today!
Jenn says
I love this recipe! The flavors are unreal and the mint really adds a lovely freshness to the dish. I love laarb but this is so much easier to deal with!
Stephanie says
We have so much mint growing in the garden, so I am always on the lookout for new ways to use it. My family enjoyed this salad and I was able to use some of that mint up!
Tracy says
Happy Anniversary! And I love the flavors in this - spicy and mint, perfect! Great dish!
Graziana says
Congratulations for you anniversary!
I love thai flavours too, I have to try this recipe!
Tatersmama says
Okay, I know I'm a bit late, but Happy Anniversary to you and the Hubs!
And the Spicy Chicken and Mint Salad?
Omigosh, I'm trying this one with ground beef as well! I've got mint growing out the yooyang this year, so ...why not?
Chef Fresco says
Happy anniversary! 22 is my favorite number 🙂 This is a very creative combo of ingredients in your salad!
girlichef says
First off...Happy Anniversary! That is so awesome 😀 Second...holy cow this sounds amazing! Wonderful flavors, this is one I want to try soon...different from anything we've had in quite a while. YUM 🙂
Rachel says
Congratulations on your wedding anniversary. Me and the old man just celebrated 21 years of marriage ourselves, so I look forward to catching up with you!
Thanks for such a lovely entry for Weekend Herb Blogging. I hope to have the roundup posted on Monday.
SDK says
Oh good, someone else who just gives their husband a high five on their anniversary and calls it good.
Mari at Once Upon a Plate says
Happy Anniversary Pam ~ I'm wishing you and your DH many, many, many more!
Oh, I am SO making this salad ~ you and me both~ I love Donna Hay. Her recipes never disappoint. I'll be thinking of that salad all day you know. 🙂 Thanks for finding it and sharing.
Kevin says
I like the sound of using ground meat in a salad like this. It looks really good!
5 Star Foodie says
I love the use of three different kinds of mint in this recipe, delicious salad!
Nancy/n.o.e says
I know what you mean about the chef-craving thing. I'm on a major Jamie Oliver jag right now (most are still in draft form, not posted yet). I've yet to try any of Donna's dishes, but I do have one of her cookbooks; I'll have to haul it out and peruse it. Congrats on the anniversary. I'm saying it's "hubs and my 22nd anniversary" but have no idea if that's right!
Kim says
Happy Anniversary! Congrats on your 22 years together : ) I also go through cooking phases like you mentioned. I seem to find inspiration in certain cooking styles or certain chefs. This salad sounds excellent and also unique. It certainly is beautiful.
a good yarn says
It looks incredibly fresh and delish and I'm not a fan of Thai food - can't tolerate chilli or fish sauce at all. I will, however, raise a glass to your next 22 years. Slainte! Lang may yer lum reek!
Kalyn says
Can't quite believe you've been married 22 years! I thought you were about 35, so obviously you got married VERY young.
Love the sound of this. It sounds similar to larb, something I love in Thai restaurants.
Amy says
Uh huh. I am so in. Any excuse to use my garden mint leaves.
And Happy 22nd, Pam - that's something, all right! We're not into anniversaries or Valentine's Day! Hallmark hates me, too.
Joy says
Happy Anniversary!!
Joan's Good Life says
Congrats on 22 years! My honey and I... 29 (and sorry to say, I too am missing the same gene) Ah well. 😉
The recipe you posted sounds fab! I'd never heard of Donna Hay but am beginning to see the fuss over her. I am going to try this recipe. I've got mint and Thai Basil, I'm thinking I may have to add some of the Thai Basil to this recipe as well.
Thanks for all the great food ideas! And happy anniversary!
Katherine Aucoin says
This looks and sounds like a very tempting salad. The ground beef give it a "wow" factor since you usually don't see that in a salad.
Enjoy your wine and hoping your school year goes smoothly.
April in CT says
Wow, 22!! Happy Anniversary!
I've never had anything even remotely like this dish, but it looks yummy.
Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe says
Brilliant!
You may not posess the romantic gene...but you have learned that the way to his heart is through his stomach.
Here's to many more years of good cooking.
Kat says
Congratulations to you and hubby. 22 years is a long time!! In this world the odds are against a marriage lasting that long.
Joanne says
Congrats on your anniversary! 22 years is quite impressive.
I am quite a fan of your holy trinity. This dish looks great. I definitely laughed at your having half a cow in your freezer. That would be an impetus for me to eat beef as well.
Grace says
i’ve NEVER seen ground chicken in a green salad. never ever. it’d make a marvelous component, assuming you could get it into your mouth! interesting with the mint, too. good stuff.
Marjie says
A chicken salad containing ground beef! Talk about great! I do that all the time - a dish calls for one thing, I want another, and still call it by its original name. And everyone in my household is confused.