Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai) Recipe
This is a classic Thai street food stir-fry that comes together in minutes. The entire process is about high heat and speed, so you must have every single ingredient prepped and next to the stove before you start cooking. The flavor is a balance of savory, spicy, and a powerful aromatic punch from the fresh Thai basil, which is added at the very end with the heat off.
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce
- 2 tbsp water
For the Stir-Fry
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Thai chilies, minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 cups packed fresh Thai basil leaves
Make the Sauce and Prep the Ingredients
First, whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until the honey is dissolved. Set it aside.
Ensure all your other components are prepped and within arm’s reach of your wok or skillet: the ground chicken, the minced garlic and chilies, the sliced shallot and bell pepper, and the basil leaves. This dish moves too fast to be chopping things midway through.
Build the Aromatic Base
Heat the avocado oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat until it’s shimmering.
Add the minced garlic and chilies and stir-fry constantly for about 30 seconds. You want them to be intensely fragrant, but you have to move quickly to prevent the garlic from burning.
Cook the Chicken and Vegetables
Add the ground chicken to the wok and stir-fry, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is cooked through and slightly browned at the edges, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the sliced shallot and red bell pepper and continue to stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes. The vegetables should be tender-crisp, not soft.
Pour the prepared sauce into the wok. Let it bubble and thicken, tossing everything together until the chicken and vegetables are coated in the glossy sauce.
Finish with Basil
Turn off the heat completely. Add all of the Thai basil leaves to the wok and toss continuously. The residual heat from the pan and the sauce is all that’s needed to wilt the basil perfectly without it turning black.
Serve immediately over jasmine rice.
Thai Basil Chicken
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce
- 2 tbsp water
For the Stir-Fry
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Thai chilies minced
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 2 cups packed fresh Thai basil leaves
Method
- Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, lime juice, fish sauce, Golden Mountain sauce, and water. Set aside.
- Heat avocado oil in wok over high heat until shimmering.
- Stir-fry minced garlic and chilies for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add ground chicken, break up and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes.
- Add shallot and bell pepper, stir-fry 1-2 minutes until crisp-tender.
- Pour in sauce, toss until chicken and vegetables are well coated and sauce thickens.
- Turn off heat, add Thai basil leaves and toss until just wilted.
- Serve immediately over jasmine rice.
