Thai Basil Chicken

If you’re looking for a delicious and simple meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes, look no further than this Thai basil chicken recipe. It’s a classic Thai dish that features ground chicken, fragrant basil, spicy chilies and a savory sauce. You can serve it over jasmine rice or noodles for a satisfying and flavorful dinner.

What you’ll need

• 1 egg (optional, but highly recommended)
• 2 tablespoons of oil for frying the egg
• 1 chicken breast (or any other cut of boneless chicken, about 200 grams) or ground chicken
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 4 – 10 Thai chilies (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1 tablespoon of oil for frying the chicken
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of light soy sauce
• A splash of dark sweet soy sauce (or kecap manis)
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• A handful of Thai basil leaves (or holy basil if you can find it, regular basil will work too)

How to make it

1. If you’re serving the dish with rice, start cooking it now. Chop the garlic and chilies finely. Cut the chicken into small pieces if using whole chicken, or use ground chicken.
2. Heat a pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and crack the egg into the pan. Fry until the edges are crispy and the yolk is still runny. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. In the same pan or wok, add another tablespoon of oil and turn the heat to high. Add the garlic and chilies and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until fragrant and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the chicken to the same pan or wok and season with salt, pepper, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce and sugar. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and browned, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the red bell pepper and the garlic-chili mixture back to the pan and toss to combine. Cook for another minute, until the bell pepper is slightly softened but still crunchy.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil leaves. They will wilt from the residual heat.
7. Serve the Thai basil chicken over rice or noodles, topped with the fried egg if using. Enjoy!

Tips and variations

• You can use any type of meat or protein for this recipe, such as pork, beef, tofu or shrimp.
• You can also add other vegetables to the stir-fry, such as carrots, zucchini, mushrooms or baby corn.
• To make this dish vegan or vegetarian, use tofu instead of chicken and substitute oyster sauce with mushroom sauce or vegan oyster sauce.
• To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and dark sweet soy sauce.