Shop
My
Custom
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOWGet ready to spice up your dinner routine with this irresistible — and oh-so-easy — Thai basil chicken recipe. Inspired by the flavors of a classic chicken stir fry combined with my visits to Thai restaurants, this dish features tender chicken and crisp vegetables, but what sets it apart is the fiery kick from the Thai chilies and the fragrant Thai basil. Best of all, it only takes 20 minutes! If you’re a fan of easy chicken recipes and enjoy bold flavors, this Thai chicken recipe with basil is for you.
Why You’ll Love This Thai Basil Chicken Recipe
- Bursting with bold, spicy flavor
- Flavor, juicy chicken
- Crisp tender veggies
- Natural, sweet sauce
- Quick and easy 20-minute dinner
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for this Thai chicken recipe with basil, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Sauce:
Many Thai basil chicken recipes use oyster sauce to create a sweet, salty, and savory flavor, but I opted for a cleaner-ingredient sauce without the refined sugar:
- Fish Sauce – Gives the sauce a savory umami flavor. Nothing else is quite like it, but the closest substitute would be a mixture of anchovy paste mixed with coconut aminos, soy sauce, or tamari.
- Coconut Aminos – Adds a combination of savory, umami, and slightly sweet flavors. This is my go-to soy sauce substitute, but you could also use low sodium soy sauce instead.
- Honey – For natural sweetness. I usually use sugar-free honey, but regular also works.
Thai Basil Chicken:
- Olive Oil – Oil is needed for sauteing the chicken and vegetables. Some recipes use vegetable oil, but I prefer healthier olive oil. You can use avocado oil, coconut oil, or any heat-safe cooking oil.
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into very small pieces, but you could also make this Thai basil chicken recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. Either way, cut the chicken into very small pieces. Alternatively, you could use ground chicken instead.
- Veggies – Including bell peppers and onions. I used bell peppers and yellow onion, but almost all kinds will work. You could also use shallots instead of onions.
- Thai Chilies – These peppers are known for being very spicy, ranging from moderately hot to extremely hot. To make this Thai dish less spicy, you can substitute milder chili peppers, like jalapeños (the mildest, but still spicy) or serrano peppers (for more heat, but less intense than Thai chili peppers).
- Garlic – I use fresh minced garlic for the best flavor, but you can also use 2 teaspoons of jarred garlic if you prefer. If you must, you could also substitute 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Thai Basil Leaves – Unlike regular sweet basil, Thai basil has a spicy, anise (licorice-like) flavor. If you can’t find it, regular basil will work, but will taste different.
- Sea Salt
VARIATION: Add other veggies!
For more texture and variety, try using other vegetables, like snap peas, carrots, broccoli florets, mushrooms, zucchini, or baby corn.
How To Make Thai Basil Chicken
This section shows how to make Thai basil chicken stir fry, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Whisk the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, coconut aminos, and honey. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken. In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown.
- Stir fry the veggies. Add the red pepper, onion, Thai chilies, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are softened, the onions are translucent, and the chicken is cooked through.
- Combine. Add the fish sauce mixture to the pan. Cook until warm.
- Add basil and enjoy. Remove from heat. Adjust salt to taste if needed. Toss the chicken with the Thai basil.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftover Thai basil chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: Double the recipe and store in individual meal-sized containers in the refrigerator. This dish makes a great chicken meal prep idea!
- Reheat: Warm up in the microwave, or on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring often.
- Freeze: Cool, pour into a zip lock bag, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
What To Serve With Thai Basil Chicken
At Thai restaurants, this dish is typically called pad krapow gai, and it is served over jasmine rice and topped with a fried egg. It’s pretty much a one-pan meal!
However, you could also serve this spicy Thai basil chicken with other types of rice, such as white rice, fried rice, brown rice, or even (my personal fave shown above) cauliflower rice. A refreshing Thai salad or savory egg drop soup would also pair well with this dish.
More Spicy Asian Recipes
If you like the heat of this Thai chicken recipe with basil, try some of my other spicy Asian-inspired dishes:
Thai Basil Chicken (Easy 20-Minute Dinner)
You'll love this easy Thai basil chicken recipe with chilies, garlic, bell peppers, onions, Thai basil, and sweet sauce. Ready in 20 minutes!
Remove Ads
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, coconut aminos, and honey. Set aside.
-
In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
-
Add the red pepper, onion, Thai chilies, and garlic. Stir fry for 5-6 minutes, until the peppers are softened, the onions are translucent, and the chicken is cooked through.
-
Add the fish sauce/aminos/honey mixture to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until warm.
-
Remove from heat. Adjust salt to taste if needed. Stir in the Thai basil.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition info does not include optional salt and is calculated using sugar free honey.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Thai Basil Chicken
10 Comments
Jim Hanlon
0Great recipe! I grew up in Thailand, and Phad Kra Pao is one of my favorites. I prefer beef/pork so use a mix of 1 lb of grass fed beef from Aldi’s and Aldi’s 1 lb roll of Sausage. I also use more basil: 2 cups of fresh basil since that is what the package from the oriental market contains. I cut the bigger leaves into small strips with kitchen scissors. I also now put it over your cauliflower mash, and I like it even better than my usual Jasmine rice, but it is more keto friendly! Repeats well in microwave or in a skillet! I even add it to my scrambled eggs for a fun and delicious Thai breakfast. For an easy way to do your chicken recipe, I get the roasted chicken from Costco. I keep it warm until I get home. I then kneed the chicken while it is in the bag for about 10 seconds. There is about 2.5 lbs of just meat. I pull out a lb of the bigger chunks to use in this recipe. I then further kneed it until shredded and use it to make your chicken salad or other chicken recipes.
Wholesome Yum D
0Jim, I Loved hearing all of this! Your beef/sausage combo and extra basil sound incredible, and now I’m craving a Thai breakfast with those scrambled eggs. And using Costco rotisserie chicken that way is genius… I’m totally stealing that trick!
Mary C.
0This was amazing. I will definitely be making this one again soon!
Moose
0This was a wonderful meal! I added fresh green beans and served it over rice, topped it with cashews. I didn’t have Thai peppers, but had Thai red curry paste for some kick. Will certainly be making it again. Thank you!
Carol
0Thai Basil Chicken is so easy and delicious. The sauce makes this dish so flavorful. An instant favorite! I couldn’t find Thai chiles, so I substituted Chili Garlic Sauce, which gave it a nice kick. Highly recommend!
claud
0This was so quick to make, my mouth was watering as I was cooking…the aroma was bliss. I added some cashews in the end for an extra crunch…can’t wait to make it again for dinner!
Jessica
0The fish sauce makes this SO GOOD. I used regular soy sauce since I didn’t have coconut aminos on hand. This dish is so wonderfully aromatic and savory. Will definitely make it again.
Elizabeth S
0My boyfriend and I cooked it together for dinner. It was super easy to make and yummy! We added it to our recipe book and will be making it again.
Rebecca
0I order Thai Basil Chicken almost every time we go to our favorite Thai restaurant and love it so much I decided to try to make it at home. This recipe is perfect! Now that I can make it at home I might branch out and try something new the next time we go out. Thanks for a great recipe!
Gina
0Love the freshness of this recipe and how quickly it comes together. It’s a hit with the entire family every time I make it!