Paleo Thai Minced Chicken Herbal Salad
Delicious Paleo Thai minced chicken salad with fresh herbs. It's savory, citrusy, and full of flavor. Try this Thai style ground chicken dish. You are going to love it!
Delicious Paleo Thai minced chicken salad with fresh herbs. It's savory, citrusy, and full of flavor. Try this Thai style ground chicken dish. You are going to love it!
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (for sauteing use)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 shallots (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon zest (alt. 1 lemongrass)
- 1 large red chili pepper (finely chopped & seeded)
- 1/2 lime juice (taste and see if another 1/2 lime juic
- 2 tbsp lime zest
- handful of chopped cilantro and mint leaves
- 1 spring onion (chopped)
- Carbohydrate 0.955709238846956 g
- Cholesterol 97.52235955 mg
- Fat 9.205945492542 g
- Fiber 0.348000012150129 g
- Protein 20.0766273326087 g
- Saturated Fat 2.61364010843383 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (126g)
- Sodium 415.81385620558 mg
- Sugar 0.607709226696827 g
- Trans Fat 0.779612029017256 g
- Calories 166 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil over high heat. When hot, add ingredients under Flavor layer 1. Add a small pinch of salt and stir-fry for 2 -3 minutes until golden brown but not burned.
- Add ground chicken. Stir-fry until the meat is completely cooked through. Season with a small pinch of salt.
- Turn off of the heat. Add ingredients under Flavor layer 2.
- Give it a quick stir then add ingredients under Flavor layer 3.
- Mix everything well and taste and see if more lime juice is needed.
Bright lime juice, pungent fresh garlic, and grassy cilantro collide in a dish that smells aggressively fresh and aromatic the moment it hits the bowl. When testing this recipe, the initial temptation is to treat it like a conventional warm skillet meal, but the reliance on delicate fresh herbs changes the storage calculus entirely. Understanding how this specific protein handles cold storage prevents the watery pool that ruins many meal-prep iterations.
Freezing, Reheating, and Make-Ahead Mechanics
Ground chicken breast contains very little intramolecular fat compared to thigh meat, meaning it dries out rapidly when subjected to secondary thermal processing. If you intend to make this dish ahead of time, separate the cooked meat base from the raw herb garnish immediately after cooling to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, storing the aromatics separately in an airtight container for up to 48 hours. Reheating the chicken should happen gently in a skillet over medium-low heat for exactly four minutes, avoiding the microwave entirely to prevent the proteins from tightening into rubbery pellets. Should you accidentally freeze the fully assembled mixture, expect the delicate cell walls of the cilantro, mint, and spring onions to rupture completely upon thawing, turning into a drab green sludge.
- Use a heavy-bottomed cast iron skillet to ensure even browning of the shallots without scorching the minced garlic.
- If lemongrass is substituted for lemon zest, double the quantity by volume because woody stalks release aromatic oils more slowly.
- Drain any accumulated moisture from the lime juice before adding it to the warm pan to prevent steam from dampening the sear on the chicken.
