Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow)

The key to cooking great tasting Thai food at home lies in the simplicity of the ingredients and preparation. There is perhaps no better example of simple tasty Thai cooking than the famous Thai Basil Chicken dish, known in Thailand as Gai Pad Krapow. The dish comes together so effortlessly and with so few ingredients used. The results are simply amazing. Big Thai flavors of sweet, spicy, and salty with a beautiful dish of authentic tasting Thai food

How to make Thai Basil Chicken

What I love about this dish is how simple it is to make, and it doesn’t require super-strict timing when cooking, making for an easy and relaxing cook. The whole dish will come together in under 20 minutes, and most of that time is spent preparing the ingredients that go into the dish

Gai Pad Krapow is cooked like a traditional stir fry. The ingredients are all loaded into a hot frying pan and cooked quickly so they’re slightly seared but still just cooked through. Once the ingredients are cooked through, a flavorful sauce is added right at the end to bring the whole dish together

The key to making a good quality Thai Basil Chicken is to have all your components prepared before you begin cooking. There are just two components needed for the dish; the Sauce, and then the remaining stir fry ingredients

The first step when making this recipe is to prepare the Sauce

Unlike classic French sauce making, this Sauce couldn’t be easier. There are no fancy techniques involved. All you need to do is combine Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, and Sugar in a bowl and mix through to dissolve the Sugar

The Sauce can then simply sit at the side of the stove until it’s time to use. One of the last steps in cooking this dish is to add the Sauce, but it’s nice to prepare it first so you can move onto preparing the other ingredients

When it comes to the type of Sugar to use, traditionally the dish calls for Palm Sugar, which is a very common ingredient used in Thai cuisine which has a beautiful, sweet flavor. It’s sometimes not the easiest ingredient to find, and for home cooking Thai Basil Chicken you can use your regular everyday Sugar, and it will be totally fine

Prepare the Vegetables and Aromatics

With the Sauce done it’s time to move onto the Veggies and Aromatics. This dish doesn’t ask for a load of ingredients, which I love as it’s a very containable and manageable dish for home cooking. Finely dice some Shallots, Garlic, and Chili, and dice some Bell Pepper (Red preferably, but it doesn’t really matter) and you’re all done

The Shallots and Chili are the first ingredients that are added to the pan and are used to create a beautiful flavor and aroma to the dish. Some recipes will call for adding Garlic at this stage, but I find Garlic burns so easily, so we recommend adding Garlic later in the cooking process just before the Sauce goes in

Cooking your Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow)

With all the ingredients prepared we move onto cooking! It’s such an easy dish to cook and the whole thing is ready in about 10 minutes time. First, add some Neutral Oil in a large frying pan or Wok over a medium high heat, then add your Shallots and Chili

Stir them around for about a minute so their flavors and aromas are released and then add the Ground Chicken and Red Bell Pepper. For this recipe we’re using about 1 ½ lbs. of Ground Chicken. If you want to use less then simply reduce the amount of Sauce, you add into the dish and it’ll stay in balance

Cook the Chicken while breaking it apart in the pan until it begins to slightly brown. Most store-bought Ground Chicken is going to release a lot of juices / water as it cooks. You want to try and get rid of as much of this liquid as possible, so cook until it’s all but completely evaporated

Add the Sauce and fresh Basil

At this point I like to add the Garlic and stir fry it through for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, enough time to release those aromas but not long enough that it will begin to burn. Then pour in about ¾ of the Sauce mixture we prepared earlier and stir through

I like to reserve a bit of Sauce and not use the whole lot at once as is such as powerful flavor. Adding too much Sauce can overpower the dish, so adding a little less is a great way to manage flavors. You can always add more Sauce later if you want a stronger flavor

Stir the Sauce through until it begins to thicken and the whole dish begins to come together as one cohesive meal. At this point, remove the pan from the heat and add a bunch of Basil Leaves. Don’t skimp on the Basil either, as it offers up the hallmark flavors of Gai Pad Krapow (the dish is called Thai Basil Chicken after all!)

The Basil will wilt in a similar fashion to Spinach, so if you think you’re adding too much Basil you’re probably wrong! The dish can take a lot of Basil, and it needs it to balance out the sweetness of the Sauce

Garnish the dish with some crunchy toppings such as crispy dried Scallions or roughly chopped Peanuts. This adds a wonderful texture and flavor to the finished dish

Finish the Thai Basil Chicken with Fresh Lime and serve with hot Jasmine Rice

Of course, a classic Thai dish isn’t complete without a generous squeeze of Lime Juice to finish off right before serving. The Lime is a key ingredient sin Thai Basil Chicken, and will make the recipe absolutely sing on the plate

I like to add the juice of 3 whole Limes to the dish, but you can always start off with less and taste as you add the Lime Juice to achieve the optimal flavor. Another nice step is to simply serve the Lime Juice on the side at the table. That way people can add as much Lime Juice as they want to the plate

Finishing off the plate is none other than a big serving of freshly cooked Jasmine Rice. It’s traditionally what Gai Pad Krapow is served with and is the perfect accompaniment to the dish. The Rice soaks up that wonderful sauce and offers a full and delicious meal

Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp. Sugar
• 2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 Shallot, finely diced
• 1 Thai Red Chili, diced
• 700g / 1 ½ lbs. Ground Chicken
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 1 cup of Basil Leaves
• Juice of 2 Limes
• 1 tbsp. dried Scallions or chopped Peanuts to garnish
  
  

Instructions

1. Combine the Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Fish Sauce, and Sugar in a small bowl to make the Sauce. Mix well to dissolve the Sugar and then set aside
2. Heat the Vegetable Oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat then add the Shallots and Chili. Stir fry for 1 ½ minutes then add the Chicken and Bell Pepper
3. Break the Chicken up as it cooks until cooked and the excess juice / water from the Chicken has evaporated in the pan. Add the Garlic and stir through until fragrant (about 1 minute)
4. Add about ¾ of the Sauce we made earlier into the pan and stir through. Cook for 2 minutes until it has thickened and then remove from heat. Add more Sauce at this point if required
5. Stir in the Basil Leaves and allow them to wilt from the excess heat of the pan. Squeeze in the Lemon Juice and taste before serving. Garnish with dried Scallions or chopped Peanuts
   
   

Recipe Notes

• This dish is traditionally (and best) served with a bowl of freshly cooked Jasmine Rice. You can also enjoy the dish with leafy Romaine Lettuce or Noodles if you prefer
• This dish is spicy, so you can simply remove the Chilis for a spice free version of the recipe
• I recommend serving additional Lime Juice segments on the table so people can add more Lime Juice to their own plates
  
  

For an authentic tasting Thai home cooked meal there’s perhaps no simpler or tastier dish than Gai Pad Krapow. The flavors in this Thai Basil Chicken dish are authentic and taste so good. It’s a cheap and tasty meal that’s perfect for feeding a hungry family on a busy weeknight

For more tasty Thai-inspired recipes just like this one, check out these delicious dishes:

• Tom Kha Gai – Thai Coconut Soup
• Homemade Peanut Sauce
• Thai Basil Beef
• Spicy Thai Beef Salad
  
  

Happy Cooking!