AI-generated photo.
Laotian · Iconic · Laos
Chicken larb
Also called ລາບ
Chicken larb, a dish from Laos (ລາບ).
Pai editors’ mark 4 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Chicken larb is cooked in Laos as its own dish. Cook the chicken until just done, chop it, and dress it with lime, fish sauce, chili, and herbs. Crush a spoon of raw rice you have toasted in a dry pan. Amounts are scaled for four from foods this library can count, so the nutrition panel comes from those ingredients.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
71
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 61%
- Carbs 12%
- Fat 28%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Suits · High protein
About 26.5 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 986 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
The heat is more than a gentle bowl wants.
Watch · Kid-friendly
The heat is above a mild mark.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Chicken thigh157 kcal
- Shallot14 kcal
- Lime juice3 kcal
- Fish sauce2 kcal
- Thai chili1 kcal
- Mint1 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 1.9. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 179 kcal. Two portions would be about 358 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. Fish
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 179 kcal after the change.
Use half the fish sauce and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.
The same dish with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.
The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 179 kcal | 9% |
| Protein | 26.5 g | 53% |
| Carbohydrate | 5.1 g | 2% |
| Fiber | 0.8 g | 3% |
| Total sugars | 1.4 g | 3% |
| Fat | 5.4 g | 7% |
| Saturated fat | 1.4 g | 7% |
| Cholesterol | 122 mg | 41% |
| Sodium | 986 mg | 43% |
| Potassium | 425 mg | 9% |
| Calcium | 26 mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1.5 mg | 8% |
| Magnesium | 47 mg | 11% |
| Zinc | 2.2 mg | 20% |
| Vitamin A | 27 mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 10.3 mg | 11% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 0.6 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 36 mcg | 30% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.1 mg | 11% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.3 mg | 21% |
| Niacin (B3) | 7.4 mg | 46% |
| Vitamin B6 · estimate | 0.7 mg | 39% |
| Folate · estimate | 25 mcg | 6% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.8 mcg | 34% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium is on the higher side. The swaps below pull it down.
- Fish here is a commonly eaten, lower-mercury choice when fully cooked. Follow your own pregnancy fish guidance.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Wide skillet
- Scale
- Spatula
- Timer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
- Chicken thigh4 thighs520 g
Lime juice3 tbsp40 ml
Fish sauce1.5 tbsp21.82 ml
Thai chili3 chilies12 g
Shallot3 shallots80 g
Mint0.33 cup10 g
Cilantro0.5 cup15 g
Kosher salt1 tsp4 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the fish sauce and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.. The same dish with less sodium.
- Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.. The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Heat a wide pan until it is hot, then add the fat. For Chicken larb, start here: cook the chicken until just done, chop it, and dress it with lime, fish sauce, chili, and herbs.
AI-generated photo.
2Cook the chicken until just done, chop it, and dress it with lime, fish sauce, chili, and herbs. Crush a spoon of raw rice you have toasted in a dry pan.
Cook 15 min
AI-generated photo.
3The edges should color and the center should be cooked. Stop when this is true of Chicken larb: Cook the chicken until just done, chop it, and dress it with lime, fish sauce, chili, and herbs. Crush a spoon of raw rice you have toasted in a dry pan.
AI-generated photo.
4Serve from the pan while it is still hot. Chicken larb is eaten in Laos as this plate, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it.
How you know it is done
Chicken larb is done when the outside has color and the center is cooked through for the protein in the pan.
If it goes wrong
- Chicken larb looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Chicken larb spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Chicken larb, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven, not a raw salad.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Chicken larb is cooked by saute in Laos. The steps follow that technique, including the timing above.
- The meat, poultry, or fish is the protein. The panel is this plate, not a generic serving.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook seafood until it is done through. This is a common cooking fish or shellfish, not a high-mercury choice.
Allergens in the required list: Fish.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.