This easy spicy Thai Basil Chicken recipe infuses authentic Thai flavors into a coconut sauce that’s dynamite over rice or noodles for a fast dinner you will literally find yourself craving.
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“I made this tonight. Followed your recipe. I couldn’t find thai basil but used sweet basil instead. I loved preparing and cooking it. Then we served it on jasmine rice. It was delish and I will be making this regularly!” -Sugi, FoodieCrush reader
The Quick Thai Meal I Make with Summer’s Basil
When my stock of summer’s sweet basil is ready for harvest, I make a mad dash for caprese salads and homemade pesto. But my love of basil roots don’t stop there.
Each spring I go beyond the bounds of planting traditional sweet basil. In my garden, I always make room for at least 3-4 Thai basil plants, just so I can have them to make this Thai basil chicken recipe. It’s creamy, spicy, and when using rice noodles, it’s gluten-free.
In high school, my sister Holly spent a year in Thailand as a foreign exchange student, and our family’s taste buds haven’t been the same since. Holly originally introduced me to the traditional recipe of Pad Krapow Gai. Then my mom found a variation to this chicken with Thai basil in an old issue of Sunset magazine.
Over the years I’ve added this and that to make the recipe my own, and come late summer, it shows up nearly every week on our dinner table, taking full advantage of that sweet but savory, homegrown Thai basil.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
For the best flavor, use ground chicken thighs. You can either blitz boneless skinless chicken thighs in a food processor to make your own ground chicken, or you can ask the grocery store butcher to do it for you. Otherwise, choose 85/15 ground chicken; anything leaner and your basil chicken will dry out or taste bland.
Pick a quality canned coconut milk for the richest flavor. Note that older coconut milk will separate in the can, with the fat becoming a solid chunk. If this happens, whisk, shake or mix the solid and the liquid into one. I’ve found organic coconut milks don’t separate as much, but that could just be luck of the draw.
Save time by peeling your ginger with a spoon. It wastes less of the aromatic flesh than a vegetable peeler and is faster than using a knife.
Prep everything, then start cooking. This dish comes together relatively fast so prep all of the ingredients before you start cooking. Having everything chopped, sliced, and ready to roll saves time in the long run.
The Key Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground chicken — I prefer ground chicken thighs because they have a higher fat content, which lends more flavor.
- Veggies — A blend of shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper, and red onion add color and texture to the stir fry.
- Fresh ginger and garlic — This is one recipe where you really can’t sub the fresh aromatics for ground.
- Thai basil and mint — Again, fresh herbs will deliver the best flavor.
- Coconut milk — Use the best quality coconut milk you can find, and avoid using the low-fat version.
- Soy sauce —Use light soy sauce for a less salty flavor
- Rice wine vinegar — Do not confuse this ingredient with rice wine
- Fish sauce — ALWAYS use a high quality fish sauce. Fish sauce sounds weird, but it lends the distinct Thai taste we all love. I like the Red Boat brand the best, and get it from my local Asian market or you can order it here.
- Chile garlic sauce — I use Sambal Oelek for it’s balanced heat to vinegar bite
How to Make Thai Basil Chicken in One Pan
- Cook your carb of choice. Start cooking your rice or soften the rice noodles before you start cooking the veg and the meat so everything finishes at the same time.
- Cook the veggies. Sauté the mushrooms, onion and bell pepper to soften, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the aromatics with the ground chicken. The garlic and ginger will continue to cook as the chicken does. Use a flat edged wooden spatula to chop the chicken fine as it cooks.
- Make the sauce. As the chicken cooks, whisk together the coconut milk and sauce ingredients in a 4-cup measuring cup and set aside.
- Combine all of the cooked ingredients. Then, add the coconut milk mixture. Cook down until the sauce reduces, then add the herbs.
- Serve with cooked brown or white rice, or softened rice noodles. Garnish with more herbs, chopped peanuts, and squeezes of fresh lime juice.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken thighs
- ½ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms , sliced
- 1 red bell pepper , cored and sliced
- 1 red onion , thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger , minced
- 3 garlic cloves , minced or pressed
- 1 ¾ cups Thai basil , divided (or basil of your preference)
- ½ cup fresh mint
- 15 ounces canned coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce (use light soy sauce for less salty flavor)
- 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce to taste
- 1 tablespoon chile garlic sauce or Sambal Oelek (or more to taste)
- 8 ounces rice stick noodles (or 8 cups cooked rice)
- ground peanuts and lime , for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a deep sided fry pan over medium heat. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Add the the mushrooms, onion, and red pepper and cook until softened, about 8 -10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan then add the minced ginger and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the ground chicken. Use a wooden spatula to break the chicken into small pieces as it browns. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, in a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl, whisk the coconut milk, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce and chile sauce.
- When the chicken is cooked through, add the mushroom and onion mixture back to the pan with the coconut milk mixture, 1 ½ cups Thai basil plus mint and simmer until reduced by one third.
- To soften rice noodles, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. In a large bowl, pour the hot water over the rice stick noodles and let the noodles sit and soften for 3-4 minutes. Drain immediately.
- Serve the chicken mixture over cooked rice or softened rice stick noodles. Serve with additional ¼ cup Thai basil for garnish, plus peanuts and lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Is Thai basil the same as regular basil? Just like lettuces, peppers, and citrus, there’s a different flavor found in every type of basil. From cinnamon basil to sweet basil, they all vary just a bit.
Thai basil has a more distinct licorice or anise flavor. It’s more more savory and is a defining characteristic in Southeast Asian recipes where its sturdy leaves hold up well to longer cooking times. It’s the perfect herby basil punch for stewed dishes, soups, those with a heavier sauce, and for when you’re looking for something to spice up a dish with perfumed licorice and citrus notes.
Which is why it is PER-FECT-O for my go-to summertime dish of stir fry Thai basil chicken
If you can’t find Thai basil, sweet Italian basil will work.
Pad Krapow Gai makes great leftovers. Store the chicken mixture separate from the rice or noodles for 3-4 days in the fridge. (The chicken also makes terrific chicken lettuce cups, FYI!)
This recipe is also great for entertaining. Complete the cooking and keep warm on the stove then re-heat the dish and add the fresh herbs.
What to Serve with Thai Basil Chicken
Try These Thai Recipes, Too!
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup
- Thai Shrimp Coconut Curry
- Chicken Satay With Almond Dipping Sauce
- Thai Red Beef Curry
- Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua)
- Thai Chicken Larb
- Thai Green Chicken Curry
- Shrimp Pad Thai
- Thai Turkey Curry Meatballs
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