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My authenticThai basil chicken (Gai Pad Krapow) recipe is packed with tender minced chicken, fragrant basil, and spicy chilies, all ready in just 25 minutes. It’s an easy and healthy Thai dish that's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Table of Contents
- What Is Thai Basil Chicken
- ‘Krapao’ vs ‘Horapa’ – Thai Basil vs Holy Basil
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Authentic Thai Chicken Basil Ingredients
- How To Make Thai Basil Chicken
- Cooking Tips For Home Cooks
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What To Serve With Pad Krapow Gai
- Other Recipes You Might Like
- Thai Basil Chicken Recipe
What Is Thai Basil Chicken
One of my favorite dishes at Thai restaurants is the spicy Thai basil chicken rice plate—perfectly steamed and fluffy jasmine rice paired with ground chicken infused with aromatic Thai basil leaves, just like in Thai Clams.
Also known as Gai Pad Krapow, this healthy basil chicken is delicious, offering a perfect balance of fiery heat and savory flavors. The mix of tender minced chicken, fragrant basil, and a tasty blend of seasonings makes it one of my all-time favorites.
Another similar dish is Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao), which is precisely Thai chicken basil stir fried with rice noodles.
My authentic Thai basil chicken recipe brings together minced chicken, Thai basil, and spicy chilies for a taste that’s just like what you’d get at a Thai restaurant. The best part? You can whip it up in just 25 minutes with only 4 simple steps, making it a fast and delicious option for any meal!
Sidenote: This dish has many English names: Pad Krapow, Pad Ka Pow, Pad Krapao, Pad Ka Prao, and so on. Phonetically, it should be Pad Ka Prao or Pad Ga Prao. Regardless, all the different names point to this
‘Krapao’ vs ‘Horapa’ – Thai Basil vs Holy Basil
In Thai language, ‘horapa‘ refers to Thai purple basil, while ‘krapao’ is called holy basil.
Horapa (Thai Purple Basil): This basil has purple stems and a sweet, slightly spicy flavor. It’s used for adding color and a mild taste to Thai dishes. Thai basil has smooth, shiny leaves, and it’s sometimes called sweet basil.
Krapao (Holy Basil): This basil has a strong, peppery flavor. It’s a key ingredient in dishes like Pad Krapao, where it adds a bold, spicy kick. Holy basil has hairy stems and jagged leaves, making it look a bit rough.
Traditionally, authentic Thai chicken basil uses holy basil, but since holy basil can be hard to find, you can easily use Thai basil instead. It’ll give you a similar fresh, aromatic kick, making it a great alternative for this recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bold and delicious. The mix of spicy heat and savory goodness makes each bite exciting and super satisfying.
- Quick and easy. You can have it ready in just 25 minutes with only 4 simple steps, making it a great option for busy nights.
- Adjustable spice. You can make it as mild or as spicy as you like by adjusting the amount of chilies you use.
- Versatile meal. It goes great with jasmine rice and a fried egg, however, you can switch things up based on what you’re in the mood for. You can also serve it in lettuce wraps, just like my Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Authentic Thai Chicken Basil Ingredients
- Ground chicken
- Thai chilies or bird’s eye chilies – Gives the dish it’s signature intense heat and bold flavor. I also like to add sliced red chilies to my recipe, giving it a pop or color.
- Sugar – Helps to mellow out the heat with a hint of sweetness. If you have Thai palm sugar, use it instead of white sugar.
- Fish sauce – Brings a salty, umami richness that ties all the flavors together.
- Oyster sauce – Adds a savory, slightly sweet taste.
- Thai basil leaves – If you can find royal basil leaves at your farmer’s market, use them. Otherwise, use Asian/Thai basil leaves with purple stems.
- Thai Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce or Maggi Sauce (optional): Boosts the umami for an extra flavor kick.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Thai Basil Chicken
Step 1. Add the oil to a heated wok, then add the chopped garlic and shallots. Stir fry until aromatic.
Step 2. Add the ground chicken and use a spatula to quickly stir fry, breaking the meat into small lumps.
Step 3. When the chicken turns white, add the chilies, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, and water. Stir to combine well. Add the basil leaves and stir quickly until they wilt and release their fragrant aroma.
Step 4. Add the white pepper, give the dish a few quick stirs, then dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice and a fried egg.
Cooking Tips For Home Cooks
- Prep everything first. Chop and measure all your ingredients before you start cooking since it all comes together quickly.
- Break up the chicken. Stir the minced chicken continuously with a spatula to break it up into small lumps. Use high heat for stir frying to cook the chicken fast and get all those flavors mingling.
- Don’t crowd the pan. If you’re making a big batch, cook in parts so you get a nice stir fry and the seasoning sauce spreads evenly with the ingredients.
- Adjust the spice level. Like it milder or hotter? Add less or more Thai chilies and red chilies to get the spice level just right.
- Use dark soy sauce for color. Add a splash of dark soy sauce if you want a richer color in your dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this stir fry Thai chicken basil recipe is pretty healthy! It’s made with lean ground chicken, which is great for protein, and fresh Thai basil adds some extra vitamins and antioxidants.
Yes, you can easily swap the ground chicken for ground pork, beef, or even turkey. Just adjust the cooking time as needed.
Holy basil is obviously the best basil to use for this recipe. However, it’s difficult to find outside of Thailand, so you can use Thai purple basil or sweet basil. You might need to use more purple basil to get a similar intensity of flavor and aroma as holy basil.
Dried Thai basil doesn’t have the same strong flavor as fresh basil, so it’s not the best swap.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This Thai chicken basil recipe is only 271 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Pad Krapow Gai
This dish is served with steamed jasmine rice, with a fried egg on top of the rice. For a wholesome Thai meal at home, I recommend the following dishes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Thai Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 10 oz (280g) ground chicken
- 1 fresh red chili, sliced into pieces
- 6 bird's eye chilies, pounded and bruised (or 1-2 fresh jalapeno cut into slivers)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce , Thailand Nguan Chiang brand Original Sweet Soy Sauce or ABC Sweet Sauce or Kecap Manis
- 1 tablespoon Thai palm sugar , or sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves, stems removed
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon Maggi sauce , or Thai Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce, optional
Instructions
- Add the oil to a heated wok, then add the chopped garlic and shallots. Stir fry until aromatic.
- Add the ground chicken and use a spatula to quickly stir fry, breaking the meat into small lumps.
- When the chicken turns white, add the chilies, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, and water. Stir to combine well. Add the basil leaves and stir quickly until they wilt and release their fragrant aroma.
- Add the white pepper, give the dish a few quick stirs, then dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice and a fried egg.
Video
Notes
- Prep everything first. Chop and measure all your ingredients before you start cooking since it all comes together quickly.
- Crank up the heat. Use high heat for stir frying to cook the chicken fast and get all those flavors mingling.
- Don’t crowd the pan. If you’re making a big batch, cook in parts so you get a nice stir fry instead of steaming everything.
- Adjust the spice level. Like it milder or hotter? Add less or more bird’s eye chilies to get the spice level just right.
- Use dark soy sauce for color. Add a splash of dark soy sauce if you want a richer color in your dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I miss your videos.
Hi Essie, the video is embedded in the recipe card. Are you able to see it? If not, please disable your ad blocker.
Bee : Thank you ,as usual.for your excellent recipes. I have a huge number of your excellent posts plus, your book, to keep me going. Well. except for one critical omission : How and where do I purchase Tai Basil ? Even in a large city lake Toronto Canada, with a very large Asian population. Tai Basil is very difficult to obtain . And Amazon ? I will need to negotiate a bank loan. Any (inexpensive ) ideas ?
Sid ,in Toronto .
Hi Sid, it’s impossible you cannot find Thai basil in Toronto. If there are Thai restaurants, there are Thai basil. Perhaps you can try Asian supermarkets or Southeast Asian supermarkets there, or ask your Thai restaurants where they buy theirs.
You changed this recipe from previous simpler one.
Yes this recipe is updated with better taste and sauce.
Aww. The new one was good but i really loved the old one.
Do you still have a copy of the old one you could send me?
This dish was amazing. I didn’t have sweet soy so I found a recipe online. The rest of the ingredients were here. I followed the recipe to the letter. The Fresno peppers I had were so so spicy and kinda huge. I don’t know what was hotter, the Thai or the Fresno. It was probably both. Thank you, Rasa for another fantastic recipe!
Hi Michelle, thanks for trying my Thai basil chicken recipe and the 5 stars review. Fresno is spicy, and Thai chilies can be very spicy or spicy, it all depends. You can use less chilies in the future. And do buy the sweet soy sauce (ABC brand). I use it to make a lot of dishes! :)
I went to an Asian Market in Santa Rosa and found some ABC sweet soy!! Game changer. I have never made anything that tasted so authentic. Thanks for the advice. I only wish I could change my rating to six stars!
Thanks Michelle, your comment just made my day! Yes I love ABC sweet soy. I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site! :)
i can never find thai basil in my stores. any suggestions?
Hi Bonnie, do you any Asian stores close to where you are? If you really cannot find it, you can use Italian basil, and use more! :)
I made this for lunch today and it came out delicious. I only had some dried piquin peppers so I used those and it gave it some nice heat. I only needed one crushed because they are fire hot. I also used my own Thai basil that I grew. My advice on this is not to skimp on the basil. It is what gives this dish it’s amazing taste. My only thought is that it could have had a bit more sauce. Maybe next time I will add a little chicken broth.
Thanks!