• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Posh Journal
  • Recipes
  • Collections
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Contact
    • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Collections
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Contact
    • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Collections
    • Subscribe
    • About
      • Contact
      • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Homepage » Recipes

    Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

    Published: Aug 29, 2019 · Modified: May 17, 2020 This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 24 Comments

    2403 shares
    • Share34
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Mix
    • WhatsApp
    • Flipboard
    • Telegram
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Thai Basil Chicken

    A restaurant-style Thai Basil Chicken, aka Pad Krapow Gai or Gai Pad Krapow. This stir-fry recipe is a classic Thai Dish, insanely delicious, very quick to make, and inexpensive.

    Satisfy your Thai food cravings with this yummy stir fry recipe! This restaurant-style Thai Basil Chicken only requires about 10 minutes of cooking time or less! It's quick, yet flavorful and packed with a ton of fresh spices and basils!

    You will be surprised by how this Thai Basil Chicken turns out, and many would argue it tastes similar or even better than what you get from Thai restaurants!

    Thai Basil Chicken

    Thai Basil Chicken or Pad Kra Pao Gai is one of the most popular Thai street food recipes. It simply means stir-fried holy basil chicken. You can easily find this on the menu at any Thai restaurant. It's usually served on rice and with an additional topping of fried egg.

    Thai Basil Chicken

    Thai Basil Chicken Ingredients:

    This Thai Basil Chicken is made with freshly chopped chicken breast, Thai Basil (known as Holy Basil), and seasoned well with a homemade stir-fry sauce.

    The savory Thai Basil stir fry sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar.

    How to Make Thai Basil Chicken at Home:

    • To start, you need to make the homemade seasoning paste.
    • After that, make the stir fry sauce.
    • Then, chop the chicken breast into small pieces.
    • Now, it's time to stir fry the chicken breast with the homemade seasoning paste and stir fry sauce.
    • Finally, stir in the fresh basil leaves. Just give them a quick stir, turn off the heat, and serve!

    Check out more Thai recipes:

    • GREEN PAPAYA SALAD (SOM TAM)
    • THAI SALAD DRESSING (THAI PEANUT SAUCE)
    • THAI RED CURRY CHICKEN
    • THAI LEMONGRASS SOUP
    • EASY LARB RECIPE WITH CHICKEN
    Pad KraPow Gai Ingredients

    To elevate the flavor of the Thai chicken dish, it's very important to add some garlic and Thai red chilies. I also added a few shallots because when cooked, they can add a mild and slightly sweet flavor to the dish.

    Thai Basil or Holy Basil

    Thai Basil is commonly used in Thai and Vietnamese Cuisine. Thai Basil goes well with seafood, pork, or chicken. In Thai cuisine, there are three main types of basil used in cooking: Thai Sweet Basil (Ho-rapa ใบโหระพา), Thai Lemon Basil (  ใบแมงลัก), and Holy Basil (gapow กะเพรา).

    How to Make Chili Paste

    For this Thai Basil Chicken recipe, I highly recommend using Holy Basil. It has a spicy, peppery, clove-like taste.  Thai holy basil or Tulsi is widely used in India for culinary, medicinal, and religious purposes.

    Where to Purchase Thai Basil and Alternative:

    You can find Thai Basil or Holy Basil at most Asian supermarkets. I understand that many of us may not have access to Holy Basil. For that reason, regular Italian Basil or Thai Sweet Basil will work just fine.

    Thai Basil Chicken Pad Krapow Gai

    Oyster Sauce:

    Oyster Sauce is a common condiment used in Asian cooking, especially for stir-fry recipes. It's a dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt, and water, then thickened with corn starch. It has a sweet and savory sauce with a deep, earthy flavor. You can purchase oyster sauce at any grocery store or specialty market.

    Check out more Southeast Asia Recipes:

    • NASI GORENG RECIPE (INDONESIAN FRIED RICE)
    • ACAR TIMUN (INDONESIAN PICKLED CUCUMBERS)
    • TAMARIND BEEF CURRY
    • CHICKEN CURRY WITH INDIAN SPICES
    • CHICKEN CURRY WITH INDIAN SPICES
    • BEST VEGAN CURRY RECIPE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH
    Thai Basil Chicken Pad Krapow Gai

    Fish Sauce:

    Fish sauce is a sweet, salty, fishy condiment. It's better than it sounds! It is a staple ingredient for seasoning in many Southeast Asian cuisines and adds umami-flavor (or savory flavor) to any dish from stir fry to the soup.

    There are Fish Sauce varieties available in the market. For this recipe, I highly recommend using Thai fish sauce. It's known for having a saltier and more pungent flavor than Vietnamese fish sauce.

    If you are not a big fan of fish sauce, feel free to skip it but you may need to adjust the seasoning. As always I listed all the ingredients I used on this and every other recipe I make as a guide for you. Feel free to adjust the amount of seasoning according to your taste.

    Thai Basil Chicken Pad Krapow Gai

    Thai Red Chili Peppers:

    This chicken dish recipe called for 7 Thai Red Chili Peppers. I used the whole chili and didn't remove the seeds. It gives a bit of a spicy flavor and vibrant color to the dish. You can use less or more according to your liking.

    I also ground the peppers along with garlic by using a mortar. If you don't have a mortar, you can finely chop the garlic and peppers or using a food processor.

    Thai Basil Chicken Pad Krapow Gai
    5 from 7 votes

    Thai Basil Chicken

    Rika
    Thai Basil Chicken or Pad Kra Pao Gai is one of the most popular Thai street food recipes. It simply means stir-fried holy basil chicken. 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Thailand

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 pound chicken breast , (remove fat and excess skin)
    • 1½ tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 cup Thai Holy Basil , (stems removed)
    • 7 garlic cloves
    • 2 small shallots
    • 5-7 whole Thai red chili peppers, (use more or less according to your liking)

    Stir-Fry Sauce:

    • 2 tablespoon chicken broth
    • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
    • 2 teaspoon less-sodium soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce, (to add nice caramel color and luster on the surface)
    • 1½ - 1¾ teaspoon sugar
    • 2 teaspoon fish sauce

    To Serve:

    • white or brown rice
    • 2-3 Fried Eggs

    Instructions
     

    • Pound the chilies, garlic, and shallots in a mortar. Set aside.
    • In a small mixing bowl, whisk in broth, less-sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar until well combined. Set aside.
    • Cut chicken into small pieces. Set aside.
    • Heat a large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in oil. When the pan is hot, add the chilies and garlic paste. Keep stirring to prevent burning for about 15-20 seconds.
    • Add the chicken into the wok/skillet. Stir fry until it loses its raw color, 2 to 3 minutes.
    • Add the stir fry sauce, cook and stir until sauce begins to caramelize, about 3 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and evenly coated with the sauce.
    • Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Keep stirring until basil is wilted, about 20 seconds. Serve with rice and fried eggs.

    Notes

    Oyster Sauce: Available at Target, Sprouts, Walmart, Ralph's, and Asian supermarkets. 
    Holy Basil or Thai Basil: Mostly available at Asian supermarkets. 
    Thai Red Peppers: You can find these peppers at Walmart superstore, Ralph's, Sprout's and Asian supermarkets. 
     
     
    Keyword Thai Basil Chicken, Pad Krapow Gai
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Recipes

    • Beer Braised Chicken Thighs
    • Hot Shrimp Dip
    • Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon and Onions
    • Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
    2403 shares
    • Share34
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Mix
    • WhatsApp
    • Flipboard
    • Telegram

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Did you like this recipe? Leave a star rating! I'd appreciate it! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Swathi

      August 29, 2019 at 8:45 pm

      That thai basil chicken looks delicious Indian holy basil is differ from thai basil. .I love this one pot delicious treat.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    How I Relax with Straight Up Tea

    Hi, I'm Rika! Through Posh Journal I share my passion for food, travel and other things I enjoy along the way.  Don’t let the name fool you, most of my recipes are easy to cook and can be enjoyed on a daily basis. 

    More about me

    Popular Posts

    • Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders (Oven-Fried Chicken Strips)
    • Fish Soup (Flavorful and Easy!)
    • Roasted Baby Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic
    • Perfect Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs

    Featured On

    As Featured On

    © 2022–2023 poshjournal

    2403 shares
    • 34