This Thai Basil Chicken is perfect when the hankering for Thai food strikes and that's all you want! Its fast, easy and you don't need to go hunting for ingredients.
Like everything else on this site, here's another dinner recipe that's razor fast.
I've been to Thailand once and I was having this (also called Pad Gra Pow) and variations of this all the time. The smell of Thai basil chicken cooking on the street and the sound of the wok is so so hard to resist.
There are many ways you can make this recipe - with pieces of chicken (use chicken thighs if you want to go this way because thighs will stay juicier than breasts), ground chicken like I've used here (the advantage is that you don't have to chop anything and it goes straight from the packet to the pan) or stir fried with rice for thai basil chicken fried rice.
What's Thai Basil?
Thai Basil is a variety of basil with a mild aniseed flavor. The leaves are slimmer and more pointy. The authentic basil to use here is holy basil which is easily available in India too and has an intense flavor so a little goes a long way. But a good substitute is regular Italian basil.
Sauces for Thai Basil Chicken
If you make Asian food regularly at home, you should have these in your pantry. You'll need soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce for this recipe. They add all the flavor to this recipe and give it its signature dark color and caramelised taste. The fish sauce adds that extra funkiness that's so traditional to Thai food.
This dish is spicy, but not extra hot. If you want to reduce the heat, you can easily cut down on the chillies but I recommend you stick to the recipe. This is generally served with plain steamed rice or jasmine rice and the heat really balances itself out. I also love pairing this with a crispy fried egg with lacy edges. The day I took these pictures, we'd run out of eggs and that was a real travesty! The egg really takes this to another level!
I'm serious in LOVE! I can eat this every.single.day. I hope you give this 15 minute dinner a try this week!
Other Thai Inspired Recipes
- Thai Shrimp Cakes/ Cutlets - Fast, simple and major umami!
- Sticky Thai Basil Meatballs - there's a reason this is such a popular recipe!
- Thai Butternut Squash Bisque - for when you want un-traditional, healthy Thai
- Thai Carrot Ginger Soup - Another non-traditional recipe, but the flavours are bold and yum!
- Thai Peanut Mango Quinoa Salad - Add a little healthy to your Thai feast with this one
- Spicy Thai Curry Pumpkin Noodle Soup - Perfect slurpy, winter comfort food
- Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry - Hearty comfort food for any weekday
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce - A spicy, tangy dipping sauce for all things fried
Watch Easy Thai Basil Chicken Recipe Video
Easy Thai Basil Chicken - Only 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 2 tablespoons Garlic minced
- 2-3 Thai Red Chillies thinly sliced (adjust to taste)
- ½ cup Onions finely chopped
- 500 g Chicken ground
- 2 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sugar optional
- 1 cup Thai Basil or Holy Basil
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a wok and add minced garlic and Thai chilli. Stir fry for a minute and add onions. Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes till its translucent.
- Add the ground chicken and start breaking it up with your spoon. Fry the chicken for 6-7 minutes till its cooked and a light golden brown.
- Add soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar (if using) and toss with the chicken. Stir fry for another two minutes till the sauces are mixed well and the chicken changes colour and looks glossy.
- Roughly tear the basil leaves and add to the wok. Stir until its wilted and serve immediately with plain steam rice or jasmine rice.
Notes
- Chicken: I like using ground chicken because it cooks fast, and doesn't require any prep. But this can be easily substituted with diced chicken thighs. Chicken breasts tend to dry out in this recipe.
- Basil: Thai Basil is becoming easily available in most grocery stores. The traditional recipe calls for holy basil which is the most authentic to this recipe. However, you can easily substitute with regular Italian basil in a pinch.
- In the absence of basil, you can convert this dish into a Coriander Chicken. Just use roughly chopped coriander instead!
Renee says
Love this recipe! Cook it whenever I can find the basil & chilies! Very flavorful!
Richa says
Thaaank you!
Isabel says
So easy to make and yet so flavourful!!
Gazal says
Loved this recipe. Served it with a nice summer Thai salad as well. Everyone in the family thoroughly enjoyed it.
Richa says
Thank you so so much!!
Ashley says
I made this for dinner tonight and it literally tastes like the Thai place up the street. Thanks for a great recipe!
Richa says
Awesome! So glad you liked it Ashley
Melissa says
We made this recipe this evening. It was delicious! We had to make a few modifications due to unavailable ingredients (Thai chili paste for the actual chilies, and chicken cutlets pounded until they fell apart for the ground chicken.) At a Thai friend's suggestion we also added two chopped Roma tomatoes, two eggs, and some fresh spinach from the garden. Such an easy, versatile recipe. Thank you!
Richa says
Thanks for trying out this recipe and leaving a comment Melissa. Soooo glad you liked it! And I love those additions
Priya Nair says
Every weekend I pick one of your recipes to try out 🙂
This one was so easy peasy and tasted so good! Topped it off with a fried egg and loved it!
Richa says
You are soooo sweet! Thank you so much for leaving a comment Priya! So happy you enjoyed it!