{"id":8423,"date":"2026-06-26T08:54:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T22:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/?p=8423"},"modified":"2026-06-26T08:56:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T22:56:43","slug":"thai-basil-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/index.php\/dinner\/poultry-dinner\/thai-basil-chicken\/","title":{"rendered":"Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

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How to make Thai Basil Chicken<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What I love about this dish is how simple it is to make, and it doesn\u2019t 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

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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\u2019re 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

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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

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\"Thai
This delicious Thai Basil Chicken recipe is so easy to make, and requires very few ingredients making for a perfect home cooked meal for the family<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The first step when making this recipe is to prepare the Sauce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike classic French sauce making, this Sauce couldn\u2019t 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

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The Sauce can then simply sit at the side of the stove until it\u2019s time to use. One of the last steps in cooking this dish is to add the Sauce, but it\u2019s nice to prepare it first so you can move onto preparing the other ingredients

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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\u2019s 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

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Prepare the Vegetables and Aromatics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the Sauce done it\u2019s time to move onto the Veggies and Aromatics. This dish doesn\u2019t ask for a load of ingredients, which I love as it\u2019s 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\u2019t really matter) and you\u2019re all done

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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

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Cooking your Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With all the ingredients prepared we move onto cooking! It\u2019s 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

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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\u2019re using about 1 \u00bd lbs. of Ground Chicken. If you want to use less then simply reduce the amount of Sauce, you add into the dish and it\u2019ll stay in balance

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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\u2019s all but completely evaporated

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Add a generous amount of Basil to your Thai Basil Chicken dish once the Sauce has cooked through<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Add the Sauce and fresh Basil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 \u00be of the Sauce mixture we prepared earlier and stir through

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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

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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\u2019t 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!)

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The Basil will wilt in a similar fashion to Spinach, so if you think you\u2019re adding too much Basil you\u2019re probably wrong! The dish can take a lot of Basil, and it needs it to balance out the sweetness of the Sauce

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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

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Finish the Thai Basil Chicken with Fresh Lime and serve with hot Jasmine Rice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, a classic Thai dish isn\u2019t 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

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The Sauce and Lime Juice is what gives this dish its authentic flavor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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

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Finishing off the plate is none other than a big serving of freshly cooked Jasmine Rice. It\u2019s 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

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