If you’re looking for a delicious and simple meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes, look no further than this Thai basil chicken recipe. It’s a classic Thai dish that features ground chicken, fragrant basil, spicy chilies and a savory sauce. You can serve it over jasmine rice or noodles for a satisfying and flavorful dinner.
What you’ll need
- 1 egg (optional, but highly recommended)
- 2 tablespoons of oil for frying the egg
- 1 chicken breast (or any other cut of boneless chicken, about 200 grams) or ground chicken
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 4 – 10 Thai chilies (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 tablespoon of oil for frying the chicken
- 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of light soy sauce
- A splash of dark sweet soy sauce (or kecap manis)
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- A handful of Thai basil leaves (or holy basil if you can find it, regular basil will work too)
How to make it
- If you’re serving the dish with rice, start cooking it now. Chop the garlic and chilies finely. Cut the chicken into small pieces if using whole chicken, or use ground chicken.
- Heat a pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and crack the egg into the pan. Fry until the edges are crispy and the yolk is still runny. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan or wok, add another tablespoon of oil and turn the heat to high. Add the garlic and chilies and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until fragrant and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the chicken to the same pan or wok and season with salt, pepper, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce and sugar. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the red bell pepper and the garlic-chili mixture back to the pan and toss to combine. Cook for another minute, until the bell pepper is slightly softened but still crunchy.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the basil leaves. They will wilt from the residual heat.
- Serve the Thai basil chicken over rice or noodles, topped with the fried egg if using. Enjoy!
Tips and variations
- You can use any type of meat or protein for this recipe, such as pork, beef, tofu or shrimp.
- You can also add other vegetables to the stir-fry, such as carrots, zucchini, mushrooms or baby corn.
- To make this dish vegan or vegetarian, use tofu instead of chicken and substitute oyster sauce with mushroom sauce or vegan oyster sauce.
- To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and dark sweet soy sauce.
