This is a stir-fried ground chicken and pork dish seasoned with soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, Thai garlic chili sauce, and chili oil, finished with fresh mint. The ground meats are steamed first, then tossed in a hot pan with aromatics and sauce — a two-step process that keeps the texture tender and the flavors clean. It works on rice, in lettuce cups, or as a next-day fried rice filling.
What makes this version work
Steaming the ground chicken and pork before they hit the pan is the move that separates this from a greasy stir-fry. Excess fat renders out gently, so when the meat meets the hot oil and aromatics, it absorbs the sauce instead of swimming in rendered fat. The second thing that matters is when you add the mint — off the heat, at the very end. Fresh mint wilts and turns bitter if it cooks even briefly; residual warmth is all it needs to release its oils and keep that bright contrast against the savory, spicy base.
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the temperature check on the steamed meat. Ground chicken must reach 165°F (74°C) and ground pork 160°F (71°C) during the steam step. Don’t rely on color alone — use an instant-read thermometer before moving to the stir-fry.
- Overcrowding the steamer. A thick, dense layer of ground meat steams unevenly. Spread it out so steam can circulate, or work in two batches if your steamer basket is small.
- Adding the sauce too early. If you pour in the soy, fish sauce, and vinegar before the aromatics have had 30–60 seconds in the oil, the liquid drops the pan temperature and you lose the caramelization that gives the dish depth. Let the garlic and chili sauce sizzle first.
- Using wet meat in the pan. After steaming, the meat will have surface moisture. Pat it lightly with paper towel or let it drain on a rack for a minute. Wet meat steams in the wok instead of frying, and the sauce won’t cling properly.
- Forgetting to taste before serving. Fish sauce and soy sauce vary in saltiness by brand. Taste the finished dish and adjust — a small splash of rice vinegar or a pinch of sugar can rebalance it quickly without adding another pan or ingredient.
Keeping and reheating
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Skip the garnish — not worth the extra dish — and store the mint separately if you plan to eat it over multiple days, since it turns dark and loses its punch once refrigerated in the dish. To reheat, use a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce; a microwave works too but tends to dry the meat out. For freezing, the cooked meat mixture (without mint) freezes fine for up to 2 months — thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as above, then add fresh mint just before eating.
Spicy Mint Chopped Chicken With Ground Pork Recipe
Ingredients
3 ounces fish sauce
3 ounces white vinegar
5 ounces soy sauce
5 ounces sugar (white sugar)
3 dashes olive oil
½ medium yellow onion
5 cloves garlic
4 sprigs mint
1 pound ground pork (minced pork)
1 pound ground chicken (minced chicken)
2 medium cayenne pepper
2 medium red pepper (red capsicum)
Instructions
- Mince everything. The mint, the garlic, the onion, cayenne, red peppers and even chicken breast.
- You can either use ground chicken, or you can chop it down yourself. I prefer taking a breast, cleaning it and then chopping it down to sausage myself. That way, I know it is 100% chicken breast. Place the ground sausage and chicken into a bamboo steamer. I like to steam items like ground beef or pork so that most grease fat drops into the steam water. It gives you a very lean meat. But I don’t steam it until it is all the way cooked. Maybe about 7 to 8 minutes once the water is boiling. It will still break apart easily once you begin the stir fry. You can add salt and pepper to the meat before it steams.
- After the meat is steamed, let’s wok something! Put some oil in the bottom of the wok, I like chili oil, but you can use olive oil. Not a lot, though. We want this dish to be fairly dry at the end. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Then add the cayenne and sweet peppers along with the mushrooms. Stir fry for about 2 more minutes, and then add the soy, fish sauce, vinegar and sugar. Now add the steamed meat and the chili garlic. Last but not least, the mint leaves. I like to add a lot of mint leaves to this dish. The salty soy mixed with that chili garlic is addicting, but when you add a sweet mint to the mix.
- After all the ingredients are in the wok, stir fry for approximately 5 more minutes. Be my guest if you prefer to add more salt or spice. You should add equal parts soy and sugar if you intend to add a bit more flavour. I could add half a jar of that Thai chili paste! In the end, you should have something that looks like this!
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Can I use all ground chicken and skip the pork?
Yes, but the dish will be leaner and slightly less rich. Ground chicken on its own can dry out faster, so watch your steam time carefully and don’t overcook it in the pan — it only needs to heat through since it’s already cooked.
Do I have to steam the meat, or can I just cook it in the pan?
You can cook it directly in the pan, but the texture will be different — firmer and more crumbly rather than tender. The steaming step is what gives this dish its softer, less greasy result, so it’s worth doing if you have a steamer basket.
What can I use instead of fish sauce?
Soy sauce works as a straight swap, though you’ll lose some of the fermented depth. A small amount of Worcestershire sauce mixed with extra soy gets closer to the umami profile fish sauce provides.
How spicy is this dish?
At the amounts in the recipe it’s moderately spicy — noticeable heat but not overwhelming. You can dial it back by reducing the chili oil, and let anyone who wants more heat add it at the table.
Can I prep any of this ahead of time?
The meat can be steamed up to a day ahead and stored in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, the stir-fry step takes only a few minutes, so presteaming makes this a genuinely fast weeknight meal.
What’s the best way to serve this for a group?
Set out the meat in a bowl alongside jasmine rice, a plate of lettuce leaves, and any extra herbs — people can build their own. This also means the mint and herbs stay fresh rather than wilting in a hot serving dish.
More mince recipes to try
- Savory Pork Noodle Stir-Fry
- Japanese Pork Lettuce Cups
- Authentic Szechuan Dan Dan
- Horopito Pork Stir Fry
