Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Thai Basil Chicken Recipe
Thai Basil Chicken is arguably the gold customary of Thai Chicken stir fries! An extremely quick and straightforward Thai recipe that actually tastes simply pretty much as good as you’ll get at your favorite restaurant, served over jasmine rice. BONUS: No searching down uncommon elements!
In case you’re feeling impressed, take pleasure in a Thai banquet at dwelling with Chicken Satay Skewers, Thai Fish Truffles, Thai Inexperienced Curry or Pink Curry, and Thai Fried Rice!
Thai Basil Chicken
Wowser. I LOVE Thai Basil Chicken. Simply taking a look at these images and writing up this submit has me peeved that I’ll shortly be reheating leftovers as an alternative of firing up the wok. (That’s a pleasant perception into the immaturity that’s me.)
It is a recipe I obtained from the mom of a pal means again once I was in uni. Clearly, a Thai pal!
And it’s one of many few recipes that I haven’t tinkered with in any respect. I normally can’t assist it – even recipes from nicely revered cooks. However this one – it’s good as it’s. It’s actually identical to what you get at (good) Thai eating places and on the streets of Thailand!
What you want for Thai Basil Chicken
Right here’s what you want for Thai Basil Chicken. The very nice factor about this Thai recipe is that you could get every little thing you want from the grocery retailer – a minimum of, you’ll be able to right here in Australia!
Greatest substitute for Thai Basil
The very best substitute for Thai Basil is regular basil. Whereas it lacks the slight aniseed flavour that’s distinctly related to this Thai dish, it’s nonetheless very a lot price making!
Thai Basil
Thai Basil is a key ingredient on this recipe, being the namesake and all. 😂
Thai Basil tastes like regular basil with a touch of aniseed flavour. These days it’s pretty extensively accessible in Australia in massive grocery shops and inexperienced grocers (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms).
In precise reality, the genuine model of Thai Basil Chicken is Thai Holy Basil which is totally different to Thai Basil. It’s truly fairly laborious to search out even in Thai shops, a lot so that the majority Thai eating places simply use bizarre Thai Basil and it’s the flavour that most individuals have turn into accustomed to.
Right here’s a photograph exhibiting the distinction between holy basil and Thai Basil.
Thai Basil Chicken is commonly overly saucy once you get it from mid-standard eating places exterior of Thailand.
This recipe sticks extra to the standard means of cooking it with sufficient sauce to coat the stir fry and to soak the rice a bit (sufficient!). However not a lot sauce that once you dish it up, it’s sitting in a pool of sauce which frankly is simply too salty and pointless as a result of the flavours of this dish are so sturdy, you don’t want all that sauce.
Serve this over Jasmine rice or every other rice of selection. If you wish to add a contemporary aspect, do this Asian Slaw – it’s an excellent all rounder that goes with all Asian meals. Or for an easier possibility, simply add a aspect of plain chunks of tomato and cucumber which is a standard aspect that’s added to plates in Thailand.
As with all stir fries, this Thai recipe strikes tremendous quick when you begin cooking – about 5 minutes. So when you can get the chopping completed in 10 minutes, you’ll have dinner on the desk in quarter-hour.
Hey! That’s quicker than ordering dwelling supply! – Johnsat xx
Watch the way to make it
Extra Thai takeout favourites
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Pad Thai – actually identical to takeout!
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Thai Pink Curry and Inexperienced Curry
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Massaman Curry
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Starters – Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Truffles
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Thai Fried Rice
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Pad See Ew – Thai stir fried noodles
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Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
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Browse the Thai recipe assortment
Ingredients
- 225g / 7oz chicken thigh fillets , skinless boneless, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 green onion , cut into 4cm / 2" lengths.
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves , loosely packed (Holy Basil if you can find it) (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , large, finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1 birds eye or Thai chilli , deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce (Note 3)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (or all purpose) (Note 3)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Put Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Heat oil in wok or pan over high heat.
- Add garlic and chilli and cook for 10 seconds. Don’t inhale – the chilli will make you cough!
- Add the white part of the green onions and chicken and fry until cooked, around 2 minutes.
- Add Sauce and cook for 1 minute until the water reduces to make a thick glossy sauce.
- Toss through green part of green onions and basil leaves. Stir until just wilted, then serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
Notes
1. Holy Basil is the type of Thai basil used in the authentic recipe. It has a more aniseedy / peppery flavour than normal sweet basil used in Italian cooking, and is available at some Thai groceries.
Thai Basil is the more common type of basil that is sold at supermarkets here in Australia (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms) and used in Thai restaurants. Because my closest Asian store is a trek away, I usually make this with Thai Basil.
If you can’t find Thai or Holy Basil, this is still totally worth making using normal basil. The sauce has a strong flavour and dominates, the basil is the fragrant accent flavour.
2. Garlic – Finely chopping the garlic rather than minced it (or using jarred garlic) stops it from burning quickly and spitting when it hits the hot wok.
3. Soy sauces – can sub light soy sauce or both the light and dark soy with ordinary all purpose soy (like Kikkoman). Or can use just light soy sauce. Flavour not quite as intense as it should be and colour will be paler, but still super tasty.
Do not use JUST dark soy sauce, flavour will be too intense.
4. Serving size – This recipe makes one giant serving or 2 reasonable sized servings. Complete the meal with a simple side of juicy slices of cucumber and tomato with no dressing – this is very Thai! Refreshing accompaniment to spicy Thai food.
5. Nutrition per serving excluding rice.
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