SPICY THAI BASIL CHICKEN (PAD KRA PAO)

My family loves Thai Food especially Thai Basil Chickem or Pad Kra Pao.

It is one of the top choices when we are deciding where to eat out.

And….

Whenever we do go to a Thai restaurant, Pad Kra Pao (Basil Chicken) is always ordered.

Pad Kra Pao is one of the most popular Thai Street foods. It consists of chicken stir-fried with basil and chilies, served over a bed of white rice, topped with an egg.

I tried my best to get my hands on the Holy Basil, the backbone of the recipe but unfortunately, I could not find it. So ended up improvising with what I found at the Asian Supermarket near me.

I also tried the recipe with different kinds of chilies and I can comfortably say whatever version you use, it will work but if you ask me, Thai and Serrano work best.

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken is such a fast and forgiving dish, that no matter what you do, once you have all the right ingredients, you cannot mess up.

Lastly, a word….

Make sure to prepare your white/steamed rice ahead of time as from personal experience it is not fun, rather frustrating and disappointing that you have an amazing skillet of aromatic and flavorful chicken but you have to wait since the rice is not done yet!

Print Recipe

SPICY BASIL CHICKEN (PAD KRA PAO)

My version of one of the most popular Thai Street food, Pad Kra Pao. Aromatic, juicy, spicy, flavorful minced chicken served over a bed of rice, topped with an egg.

Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

Thai

Keyword

thai

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

People

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs Ground Chicken
• 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 2-3 tbsp Tamari/Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Fish Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Coconut Sugar
• 6-8 Garlic Cloves
• 2-3 Thai/Serrano/Jalapeno Chilli
• 2-3 tbsp Oil

Course Lunch, Main Dish Cuisine Thai Keyword thai Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings People Ingredients 1.5 lbs Ground Chicken 1/4 cup Chicken Broth 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce 2-3 tbsp Tamari/Soy Sauce 1 tsp Fish Sauce 1/2 tsp Coconut Sugar 6-8 Garlic Cloves 2-3 Thai/Serrano/Jalapeno Chilli 2-3 tbsp Oil

Instructions

1. In a bowl whisk together oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth, coconut sugar until well blended. Keep the marinade aside for use later.
2. Using a mortar and pestle rough pound tha garlic and green chillies.
3. Heat your wok/skillet and once its hot enough, add the oil.
4. Saute the garlic/chilli paste until aromatic around 20 seconds. Do not let it burn.
5. Add the minced chicken and stir fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
6. Once the chicken starts changing color, add a quarter of the marinade.
7. Keep on stirrring for a minute or until the marinade starts to caramalize
8. Add the rest of the marinade and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Lastly lower the heat, add the basil and cook until wilted.
10. Serve with rice.

Recipe Notes

1.  The original recipe calls for Thai Chilli but if you do not have that, then sub it for serrano chilies for a spicy version and jalapeno for a mild version.
2. Sometimes Holy Basil is hard to get so use Sweet Basil which is readily available in all markets instead.
3. If you do not have chicken broth, use water instead. Also if you like a more drier version reduce the quantity to 1/8 cup.
4. If you do not have a mortar/pestle just finely chop the garlic and chilies with a knife.
5. You can use brown sugar or regular sugar instead of coconut sugar.
6. You can use Soy Sauce instead of Tamari.
7. If you are using a less-sodium soy sauce, you might have to add a pinch of salt.

 

 

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