Chicken Larb

Finally a new chef is picked out over at IHCC . Don't get me wrong, I liked cooking with Mark Bittman, though Giada De Laurentiis is one of my favorite TV chefs. I know for many of you, not so much. Too much cleavage and too much over-emphasis on the italian enunciation of the ingredients. However I think she is a pretty classy lady. In any event we are welcoming Giada in with a party. Party food, that is. I went outside the box and decided to start out with something not so traditional for this Italian chef. Chicken Larb. Her version is made with turkey, which you can find here at Food Network . My picture is too blurry to appreciate this lovely lettuce wrap, but trust me we loved this recipe, as I am sure you will too.

Ingredients for the Larb. No pics of the sauce though. Silly me!



Chicken Larb
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice, from about 5 limes
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey


Larb:
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/2 red onion, diced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 (4-inch) piece lemongrass, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 Thai chile, such as prik kee noo, or 1 serrano chile, stemmed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon toasted rice powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, (I used much less)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated 

Serving suggestion: sticky or steamed white rice



Directions

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lemon juice, fish sauce and honey. Set aside.

Larb: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, lemongrass, chile, and salt, to taste. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat and vegetables are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the toasted rice powder and toss to coat. Cook for another minute or two. Add the dressing to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mint. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon the chicken mixture onto the lettuce leaves and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with sticky rice.




This is a recipe I will make time and time again with many different ground meats. I just adore anything you can stuff into a lettuce wrap. Stop by IHCC and see what everyonehas cooked up, or better yet join us in the fun.

 
 

Carla and Michael