Burmese Chicken with Mint

This Burmese Chicken with Mint is so simple yet so delicious and flavourful! It's a quick Burmese chicken stir-fry with spices and fresh herbs that can be made in 20 minutes. If you like Thai chicken laap, you are going to enjoy this one too. What makes this Burmese-Chinese version of minced chicken recipe unique is the use of sambal oelek, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds and lots of fresh mint leaves. Whole garlic cloves are fried first, then mixed in for texture. The authors, Tan and Leahy, of Burma Superstar suggested that the chicken should be minced by hand as the texture of ground chicken from supermarkets is more paste-like. Enjoy it with steamed rice or use it as a filling for lettuce leaves.


500-600 g Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, minced 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Black mustard seeds 2 tbsp Sambal oelek 1 tbsp Dark soya sauce 1 tsp Fish sauce 1/4 tsp Coconut sugar 2 tbsp Chicken schmaltz or olive oil 6 Garlic cloves, peeled 1 tsp Minced garlic 1 tsp Minced ginger 2-3 Thai chillies, sliced 30 g Mint leaves Lime wedges, for garnish

To mince the chicken, place the pieces on the cutting board so the smooth side is facing up. With a knife blade parallel to the cutting board, slice the chicken in half widthways, opening it up into two thinner, even pieces. Cut the chicken against the grain into thin strips, then chop the strips finely. Run the knife over the meat until it looks evenly minced. (Cutting the chicken by hand results in a better texture than using ground chicken.)
In a dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds and mustard seeds until the cumin is fragrant and the mustard seeds start to pop, no more than 30 seconds. Transfer to a mortar with a pestle or a spice grinder and pulse into a coarse powder.
In a small bowl, mix together the sambal, dark soya sauce, fish sauce, and coconut sugar. In a wok or large skillet, heat the chicken schmaltz or olive oil over medium heat. Tilt the skillet so the oil pools to one side and add the garlic cloves. (This helps the garlic cloves stay submerged in oil so they fry more evenly.) Fry until light golden and softened, about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic cloves. Leave the oil in the skillet.
Increase the heat to high. When the schmaltz is hot (but not smoking), add the minced garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for a few seconds and add the minced chicken, stirring constantly to break up any lumps.
Stir in the mustard-cumin blend, sambal mixture, fried garlic cloves, and chilli. Stir constantly, until the liquid just lightly coats the meat. Mix in the chopped mint leaves. Serve with extra mint and lime wedges.

11 comments:

DEZMOND 28/12/25 13:01: Hope your kitchen is warm today, it is so very cold outside here, below zero even though it is sunny. Did the snow arrive to your part of the world already?
Stefania 28/12/25 14:57: Grazie mille per questa bella ricetta
Tom 28/12/25 15:09: ...Angie, we keep going around the world with your creations. Where to next?
Christine 28/12/25 15:50: Delicious!
Linda's Relaxing Lair 28/12/25 16:55: This looks delicious and comforting 😋
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 28/12/25 19:13: This Burmese chicken with mint looks delicious - fresh, vibrant, and full of flavour.
Brian's Home Blog 28/12/25 19:31: Looks terrific, the mint is such a nice touch!
roentare 28/12/25 21:37: That looks so splendid
Lowcarb team member 28/12/25 22:12: A lovely mix of herbs/spices.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.

All the best Jan
J.P. Alexander 29/12/25 00:14: Gracias por la receta. Te mando un beso.
Cocoa and Lavender 29/12/25 00:35: Another great showcase of flavors, Angie! I have a couple of former students form Myanmar -- I am sure they would love this! ~ David