Thai Basil Chicken

Let’s get one thing straight — this isn’t your average stir-fry. This is high-heat, high-flavour, wok-charred brilliance, born in Bangkok backstreets and built to slap your tastebuds awake. Thai basil chicken, or pad kra pao gai, is the kind of dish that comes together so fast it feels like a trick. But don’t be fooled — it’s all about precision. Timing. Balance. Fire. You’re not throwing ingredients around. You’re orchestrating a blast of heat, salt, sweetness, and fragrance that hits hard and leaves you grinning.

It starts with a fiery paste — garlic and bird’s eye chillies smashed into a punchy, nose-tingling base. Then comes chicken thigh, chopped fine so it browns fast and stays juicy. Next, a trio of sauces — light soy for seasoning, dark soy for colour and depth, fish sauce for funk. A teaspoon of sugar rounds it out. Finish it with a heroic handful of Thai basil, folded in off the heat so it doesn’t burn — it just wilts and floods the pan with that wild aniseed aroma.

Serve it over hot jasmine rice with a crispy fried egg — yolk oozing into every corner — and you’ve got ten minutes of work for a result that tastes like it took ten years to perfect. This is weekday cooking that doesn’t compromise. It’s fast. It’s furious. And it absolutely flies.

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 2)

300g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled 2 red bird’s eye chillies (adjust to heat preference) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (rapeseed or sunflower) 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon fish sauce 1 teaspoon caster sugar 1 tablespoon water 1 large handful Thai basil leaves (not sweet basil) Cooked jasmine rice, to serve 2 eggs (optional, for crispy fried eggs)

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Sharp knife Chopping board Wok or large frying pan Pestle and mortar (or small food processor) Spatula or wooden spoon Serving bowls

STEP-BY-STEP METHOD

1. Smash the garlic and chillies

Start by peeling the garlic and chopping it roughly. Do the same with the red bird’s eye chillies. Now get brutal. Use a pestle and mortar to smash them together with a small pinch of salt. You’re not looking for a smooth paste — just a rough, chunky mash that releases the oils and aroma. This is the base of your flavour bomb.

No mortar and pestle? Use the flat side of a knife to crush them into a paste on the chopping board. Just don’t blend — you want texture, not baby food.

2. Prep the chicken

Use chicken thighs — they’ve got more flavour and they stay juicy under high heat. Chop them fine, but not to mince. You want small, irregular pieces that’ll catch the heat and develop golden edges. Keep them in a bowl ready to go.

3. Fry the chilli-garlic paste

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in the garlic-chilli paste. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds. You want to hear it sizzle and smell it immediately — that’s when the oils release and start building depth.

Keep it moving. Burnt garlic is bitter and unforgivable. If it colours too fast, pull the pan off the heat for a second.

4. Add the chicken and cook hard

Throw in the chopped chicken. Turn the heat up to high. Stir constantly, breaking the chicken apart so it cooks evenly. After 5 minutes, it should be browned in places, fully cooked through, and smelling amazing. If the pan’s dry, don’t be afraid to add a splash of oil or water to keep things moving.

5. Season with the sauces

Once the chicken is golden and nearly cooked, add your sauces: 1 tablespoon light soy, 1 tablespoon dark soy, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Toss it all together fast. The dark soy adds colour and a little sweetness; the fish sauce brings depth and salt; the sugar balances everything out.

Add a tablespoon of water to loosen the sauce slightly and help it coat every piece of chicken.

Cook for another 30 seconds so the sauce thickens and glazes the meat. Don’t overdo it — you want the sauce to cling, not pool.

6. Kill the heat and add Thai basil

Turn off the heat. Immediately throw in a big handful of Thai basil. Stir it through — the residual heat will wilt it perfectly. You want the leaves vibrant and aromatic, not blackened and sad.

Thai basil has a sharp, liquorice-like bite that lifts the whole dish. Don’t use Italian basil — it’s completely different. If you can’t get Thai basil, holy basil is even better, if you’re lucky enough to find it.

7. Serve hot with crispy fried egg

Spoon the Thai basil chicken over freshly cooked jasmine rice. For the full Thai street food hit, top each bowl with a crispy fried egg: fry eggs in hot oil until the whites are puffed and golden at the edges, yolks still soft and oozy. That rich yolk mingling with the spicy sauce? Game over.

SERVING TIPS

Serve immediately while the chicken is hot and the basil is fresh. The egg is optional, but if you skip it, you’re missing a trick — it balances the heat and adds luscious richness. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with a few extra Thai basil leaves and a crack of black pepper.

This dish doesn’t need sides — it’s built to stand alone. But if you want to stretch the meal, add a crisp cucumber salad or some stir-fried morning glory.

CHEF’S NOTES

The heat:

Bird’s eye chillies are small but savage. Two give a decent kick without being unbearable. Adjust depending on your tolerance, but don’t remove the chilli altogether — it’s part of the character. And smashing them with garlic releases far more flavour than just slicing.

The meat:

Chicken thigh is key. Chicken breast will dry out under high heat and won’t deliver the same flavour. Keep the pieces small and don’t overcrowd the pan — you want fry, not steam.

The sauce:

Taste your sauces. Not all soy or fish sauces are created equal. Start with the amounts given, but tweak as you go — if it tastes flat, add more fish sauce. Too sharp? More sugar. Too salty? A splash of water fixes it.

The basil:

Thai basil isn’t a garnish — it’s the soul of the dish. Don’t cook it too long or it’ll go limp and dull. Add it at the very end and let the residual heat do the work.

Make it plant-based:

Sub in firm tofu or mushrooms instead of chicken. Use a vegan fish sauce alternative or extra soy sauce. The flavour will still slap — it just hits a little differently.

Batch cooking tip:

You can prep all the ingredients in advance — even the chilli-garlic paste. But don’t cook until you’re ready to serve. This dish relies on speed and high heat — make it fresh and eat it immediately for best results.

FINAL THOUGHT

This is what weeknight cooking should be — fast, filthy, and full of attitude. Ten minutes. One pan. No fuss. And yet the flavour punches way above its weight. Hot. Salty. Sweet. Deeply savoury. With that basil cutting through like a blast of green fire.

Once you’ve mastered this, you’ll find yourself making it on autopilot. And that’s the danger — you’ll want it every night. No shame in that.

HEALTH STATS (per serving, without egg)

Energy: around 1800kJ (approx. 430kcal)

Fat: 24g

Saturates: 4.5g

Sugars: 6g

Salt: 2g

Carbohydrates: 12g

Protein: 38g

Fibre: 1g

DISCLAIMER

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