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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 grow my own holy basil and sweet basil as well. The people who say this dish MUST have holy basil are 100%. Too many restaurants call this dish Krapow, but that is incorrect. If you are using sweet basil then the dish should be called Horapa.
Hello! Thanks for sharing this. I only had chicken breast, so stir fried marinated chicken breast first, then followed the recipe. Marinated with fish sauce, 1 TBSP flour, soya sauce and S&P. Hubs and I really enjoyed this!
That’s awesome!
Found & made a dish based on this recipe during the time of the Pandemic (May 2020), my wife & kids loved it. Recipe gets on the sweeter side if you use more of the ABC sweet soy sauce, I think I used a little extra to make the organic ground chicken breast darker. I substituted red onions for the shallots and skipped the sugar & thai chilles entirely (for the kids), used fresh basil could not tell the difference between home cooked & take-out
Awesome!
Made this quick easy dish tonight and my kids devoured it! I added more sweet soy sauce and fish sauce, used jalapeño, and only had black pepper, sweet basil and yellow onion instead of shallots, so worked with what I had. I’ve had this in a restaurant and it tasted different, but mine was still Super tasty. Paired it with jasmine rice and garlic sautéed with broccoli and carrots. Will be making this again for sure.
Awesome, thanks for trying this Thai basil chicken recipe.
I find myself loving this recipe more than in the restaurants because most restaurants where I live don’t make krapow with ground chicken and I prefer the texture and flavor that the ground chicken gives this dish more!
Thanks Monica, I am so glad you like my Thai basil chicken. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Love Thai food but haven’t tried this one before but the recipe is simple, great to see the post, thanks
To make this right one needs to use Holy Basil, in English; Indian Tulsi, or Thai spicy basil. as the word krapow means. Fresh is best, dried is not nearly as good. This is the first recipe of yours I have been disappointed in. I must admit my expectations were probably a bit high after making many of your other recipes. This particular dish and Naem were my two of my favorite whilst living there and Laos. I was in Udorn Thani and elsewhere and marrieds to a girl from Laos for 12 years back here in the states. Most of the recipes you have are very close to tasting what I remember from the Esan Thai area and many are dead on.. This one is good but wrong.
Donald, I do not have holy basil where I am. All Thai restaurants here use Thai basil instead of holy basil and so they are all wrong??? I am not Thai by the way. I know my recipes are good, they all taste good, that’s the most important thing.
Thank you too much for the great recipe! Cooked it tonight and it is simply too much good. I also my favorite Japanese food. I think Koi restaurant Bangkok is the best Japanese food restaurant in Bangkok.
Just made this for dinner, yummy, used ground turkey and used regular basil as no Thai basil in our local stores, does Thai basil taste different. Also used jalapeno, last summer grew Thai chilis and they were incredibly hot, would try again with one of those (Tahoe very short growing season)
Made it this week – this was better than takeout, even the kids had seconds! New family favorite.
Hi Anna, thanks for trying my Thai Basil Chicken.