Description
A bold and flavorful Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai) recipe featuring tender chicken thighs stir-fried with aromatic garlic, shallots, and fiery chilies, glazed with a savory-sweet sauce and fresh basil. This quick and easy Thai street food classic is perfect served over steaming hot rice for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce
- â…“ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or as needed
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Main Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup sliced shallots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced Thai chilies, Serrano, or other hot pepper
- 1 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
To Serve
- 2 cups hot cooked rice
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Collect all the necessary ingredients to ensure a smooth cooking process.
- Prepare Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar, and brown sugar until fully blended to create the flavorful sauce base.
- Cook Chicken: Heat a large skillet over high heat and drizzle in the vegetable oil. Add the coarsely chopped chicken thighs and stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw pink color, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add Aromatics: Stir in sliced shallots, minced garlic, and minced chilies. Continue cooking over high heat until the juices start to caramelize in the pan, around 2 to 3 minutes.
- Caramelize Sauce: Add about a tablespoon of the prepared sauce mixture to the skillet and cook stirring until the sauce begins to caramelize, roughly 1 minute.
- Deglaze and Glaze: Pour in the remaining sauce, stirring to deglaze the pan bottom. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens and glazes the chicken, about 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Add Basil: Stir in the fresh basil leaves and cook just until wilted, about 20 seconds, to lock in their vibrant flavor.
- Serve: Serve the spicy Thai basil chicken immediately over hot cooked rice. Enjoy this authentic Thai street food at home!
Notes
- Adjust the amount of chilies to control the heat level to your preference.
- Use fresh Thai basil for the best authentic flavor; holy basil is the traditional choice if available.
- If chicken broth is unavailable, water plus a pinch of chicken bouillon can be substituted.
- This dish pairs well with a fried egg on top for an authentic Thai experience.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
