This easy Thai Basil Chicken is a delicious dish on the dinner table in just 20 minutes! As it has capsicums in it, it's a complete meal with just a bowl of white rice. It is similar to but NOT Pad Gra Pao Gai (as that dish calls for Holy Basil, not Thai Basil, which is more difficult to get in the West.) I have made my it based on my Father's recipe- he lived in Thailand for 20+ years but using easy-to-get ingredients in the US, but also included instructions for making an authentic Thai Chicken dish.
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🥘 Ingredients
You will need a few simple ingredients:
- Thai Basil: If you have a Click & Grow indoor gardening set, like me, you'll have Thai Basil, Holy Basil, and other Asian herbs on hand all year round. (I have so much I created this Thai Basil recipes round-up!) However, Holy Basil is very difficult to find in the West otherwise (and I prefer the aniseed flavor of Thai Basil anyway) so my take on the popular Thai Street Dish, Pad Gra Pao, uses Thai Basil instead of Holy Basil. (Gra Pao means Holy Basil FYI.)
- Chicken Thighs (Skinless, boneless): cut into 1 inch pieces. Please do not use chicken breast as dark meat has more fat and is easier to keep juicy. (It's less likely to dry out during cooking, if you're not a stir-frying master.)
- Garlic
- Red chilies: I used 1 small chili padi (or Thai Bird's Eye chili) for a mild heat and another 2 large red chilies for color. For those who prefer spicier foods, you can increase the amount of chili padi to 2 or 3. Remember not to touch your eyes after handling chilies as it will sting@
- Capsicum Bell Pepper: An authentic Thai stir fry would use beans but I've substituted with capsicum, which is more common in stir-fries in the West. Use Red or Yellow ones for a prettier dish (since the basil leaves are already green.)
- Shallot: You can replace with ¼ of a red onion
Note: for crunch, you can add some roasted cashews or peanuts. Make sure they're not salted or the dish will be too salty. (I usually skip this as it's delicious enough without.)
For the Thai sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1.5 teaspoon dark soy sauce: Thais use black soy sauce but that's not readily available hence the replacement. Alternatively, you can use kecap manis as a substitute.
- 1.5 teaspoon sugar: for more authentic flavor, use palm sugar but, if not, white sugar or brown sugar work to.
Note: the capsicum releases water so I didn't add any to the sauce. If you're omitting it or using a drier veggie, you may need to add up to 1-2 Tablespoons of water.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
1a. Mince the garlic and the 1 small red chili. Mix the ingredients for the sauce till the sugar has melted and place beside your stove.
Note: for a more authentic Thai dish, pound the garlic and chili, instead of mincing. This will give the dish the characteristic strong flavors you find in Thailand.
1b. In a pan, over medium high heat, heat up neutral vegetable oil till almost smoking then stir-fry the garlic-chili mixture. Be careful not to let it burn!
2. Add the chicken cubes followed by the sauce. Use your spatula to break up any clumps of meat.
3. Add the sauce and stir-fry till the chicken is almost cooked and well coated (about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken.)
4. Add the capsicum and onions. stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes till the onions are translucent.
5. Stir to coat the chicken and peppers. Make sure the chicken is cooked and check the seasoning.
6. Turn off the fire, then add the Thai basil leaves and sliced chilies. Stir till they're wilted.
Serve with a plate of white rice!
🥡 How to Store
Store leftovers in the fridge in and airtight container for 1-2 days. Reheat by stir frying in a pan - make sure the chicken is thoroughly heated before serving.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Tip #1: To make the dish go a longer way (for example if the people served have a bigger appetite), serve each plate of Thai chicken and rice with a fried egg, the way it's done in Thailand! Cook the sunny side eggs first, plate, then use the same pan for the chicken. This keeps it as a one-pan meal!
Tip #2: If you want to omit the veggie, use 300g/ 10.5 oz of chicken instead of 200g/ 7 oz.
🥗 Suggested Accompanying Recipes
Enjoyed this easy Thai Pad Gra Pao Tai Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this chicken stir fried dish, please consider supporting it by buying me a bottle of soy sauce! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Easy Thai Basil Chicken (20 minute)
Equipment
- mortar and pestle Optional. Can be replaced with knife and cutting board.
- Pan Substitute: skillet or wok
- heat proof spatula
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Thai Basil If you have a Click & Grow indoor gardening set, like me, you'll have Thai Basil, Holy Basil, and other Asian herbs on hand all year round. (I have so much I created this Thai Basil recipes round-up!) However, Holy Basil is very difficult to find in the West otherwise (and I prefer the aniseed flavor of Thai Basil anyway) so my take on the popular Thai Street Dish, Pad Gra Pao, uses Thai Basil instead of Holy Basil. (Gra Pao means Holy Basil FYI.)
- 5 Garlic cloves Peel and mince
- 1 Red chili Padi I used 1 small chili padi (or Thai Bird's Eye chili) for a mild heat. For those who prefer spicier foods, you can increase the amount of chili padi to 2 or 3. Remember not to touch your eyes after handling chilies as it will sting
- 7 oz Chicken Thighs (Skinless, boneless): cut into 1 inch pieces.
- 1 Capsicum Bell Pepper Sliced and deseeded. An authentic Thai stir fry would use beans but I've substituted with capsicum, which is more common in stir-fries in the West. This gives you almost as much capsicum as chicken (for a healthier dish)- if you're used to more meat, less veg, use ½ Bell Pepper instead of 1.
- 1 Shallot Peel and slice. You can replace with red onion.
For the sauce
- 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon s fish sauce
- 1½ teaspoons dark soy sauce Thais use black soy sauce but that's not readily available hence the replacement. Alternatively, you can use kecap manis as a substitute.
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons sugar for more authentic flavor, use palm sugar but, if not, white sugar or brown sugar work to.
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and the 1 small red chili. Note: for a more authentic Thai dish, pound the garlic and chili, instead of mincing. This will give the dish the characteristic strong flavors you find in Thailand.
- Mix the ingredients for the sauce till the sugar has melted and place beside your stove.
- In a pan, over medium high heat, heat up neutral vegetable oil till almost smoking then stir-fry the garlic-chili mixture. Be careful not to let it burn!
- Add the chicken cubes followed by the sauce.
- Stir-fry till the chicken is almost cooked (about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken.) Add the capsicum and onions. stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes. Note: the capsicum releases water so I didn't add any to the sauce. If you're omitting it or using a drier veggie, you may need to add up to 1-2 Tablespoons of water.
- Make sure the chicken is cooked and check the seasoning. Turn off the fire, then add the Thai basil leaves and sliced chilies. Stir till they're wilted.Serve with a plate of white rice!
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
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Anonymous says
I too have a lot of Thai basil right now I’m excited to try this dish
Zen says
Hope you like the Thai Basil Chicken 🙂 I just grew more plants 😛
Hila says
Just had this for dinner and it was delicious and quick!