Thai Basil Chicken is arguably the gold standard of Thai Chicken stir fries! An incredibly fast and easy Thai recipe that truly tastes just as good as you’ll get at your favourite restaurant, served over jasmine rice. BONUS: No hunting down unusual ingredients!
If you’re feeling inspired, indulge in a Thai banquet at home with Chicken Satay Skewers, Thai Fish Cakes, Thai Green Curry or Red Curry, and Thai Fried Rice!
Thai Basil Chicken
Wowser. I LOVE Thai Basil Chicken. Just looking at these photos and writing up this post has me peeved that I’ll shortly be reheating leftovers instead of firing up the wok. (That’s a nice insight into the immaturity that is me.)
This is a recipe I got from the mother of a friend way back when I was in uni. Obviously, a Thai friend!
And it’s one of the few recipes that I haven’t tinkered with at all. I usually can’t help it – even recipes from well respected chefs. But this one – it’s perfect as it is. It is truly just like what you get at (good) Thai restaurants and on the streets of Thailand!
What you need for Thai Basil Chicken
Here’s what you need for Thai Basil Chicken. The really nice thing about this Thai recipe is that you can get everything you need from the grocery store – at least, you can here in Australia!
Best substitute for Thai Basil
The best substitute for Thai Basil is normal basil. While it lacks the slight aniseed flavour that’s distinctly associated with this Thai dish, it is still very much worth making!
Thai Basil
Thai Basil is a key ingredient in this recipe, being the namesake and all. 😂
Thai Basil tastes like normal basil with a hint of aniseed flavour. Nowadays it’s fairly widely available in Australia in large grocery stores and green grocers (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms).
In actual fact, the authentic version of Thai Basil Chicken is Thai Holy Basil which is different to Thai Basil. It’s actually quite hard to find even in Thai stores, so much so that most Thai restaurants just use ordinary Thai Basil and it’s the flavour that most people have become accustomed to.
Here’s a photo showing the difference between holy basil and Thai Basil.
In the video and photos, I’ve used Thai Holy Basil. (Sydney-siders, I found it in the dark depths of a Thai grocery store in the city, I had to ask for it and the store owner got it from the back!)
Thai Basil Chicken is often overly saucy when you get it from mid-standard restaurants outside of Thailand.
This recipe sticks more to the traditional way of cooking it with enough sauce to coat the stir fry and to soak the rice a bit (enough!). But not so much sauce that when you dish it up, it’s sitting in a pool of sauce which frankly is too salty and unnecessary because the flavours of this dish are so strong, you don’t need all that sauce.
Serve this over Jasmine rice or any other rice of choice. If you want to add a fresh side, try this Asian Slaw – it’s a great all rounder that goes with all Asian foods. Or for a simpler option, just add a side of plain chunks of tomato and cucumber which is a common side that’s added to plates in Thailand.
As with all stir fries, this Thai recipe moves super fast once you start cooking – about 5 minutes. So if you can get the chopping done in 10 minutes, you’ll have dinner on the table in 15 minutes.
Hey! That’s faster than ordering home delivery! – Nagi xx
Watch how to make it
More Thai takeout favourites
Pad Thai – truly just like takeout!
Starters – Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Cakes
Pad See Ew – Thai stir fried noodles
Browse the Thai recipe collection
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Thai Chilli Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 225g / 7oz chicken thigh fillets , skinless boneless, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 green onion , cut into 4cm / 2" lengths.
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves , loosely packed (Holy Basil if you can find it) (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , large, finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1 birds eye or Thai chilli , deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
Sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce (Note 3)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (or all purpose) (Note 3)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Serving
Instructions
- Put Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Heat oil in wok or pan over high heat.
- Add garlic and chilli and cook for 10 seconds. Don’t inhale – the chilli will make you cough!
- Add the white part of the green onions and chicken and fry until cooked, around 2 minutes.
- Add Sauce and cook for 1 minute until the water reduces to make a thick glossy sauce.
- Toss through green part of green onions and basil leaves. Stir until just wilted, then serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in July 2014, updated with fresh new (better!) photos, new words, a brand new recipe video and of course I added a Life of Dozer section!
Life of Dozer
Story of his life. And mine, for that matter.
Amazing as always, Nagi! This is my hubby’s favourite meal. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome Kat! N x
Made this chicken and holy basil this evening with lockdown homegrown chilies….
It was a simple, delicious dish thanks.
Glad to hear someone’s chilli plant is still alive! All mine are in hibernation 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it Martin! N x
Nagi, how would this go using thinly sliced beef rather than chicken?
HI Nagi, I recently started found your blog and I’ve been cooking up a storm with your recipes! My family has been loving your Asian recipes in general. Today I found some Thai basil at the farmers market (hard to find where we live) so I grabbed two bunches as I definitely want to try out this recipe. But I’m going to have a lot left over, how could I freeze this? Wash, dry thoroughly and freeze whole? Maybe make some kind of paste with it then freeze in an ice cube tray (and how would you recommend making such a paste)? Any guidance you could provide would be very helpful! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Love all of your Asian recipes! Just wondering, do the chilli peppers in the recipe make the dish very spicy(hot)?
Hi Mary Ann, they give a little kick here, yes. You can always leave them out if you prefer. N x
Looks yummy
I didn’t have the oyster sauce or dark soy but this was still soooo good! My daughter literally licked her plate clean. Definitely making this again!!! Next time I’ll actually add the oyster sauce lol. Thanks for this recipe!
Woah, that’s such a great compliment Amber! N x
Another hit! Made this tonight for dinner, it was delicious! I’ve made so many of your recipes – no knead bread, Greek chicken, Greek Potatoes, bun cha, lentil curry, etc. Everything is awesome! My family raves over every meal. Thank you for making dinner preparations so yummy and enjoyable!
That’s great to hear Sheila! N x
Amazing as usual! Such great flavours and easy to make.
Nagi – could you recommend a wok to use at home? I have an electric stove top, and wondering your opinions on makes of woks to buy that will maintain high heat?
I made your Thai Chilli Basil Chicken. I absolutely loved this recipe. Easy and delicious!!!!
I am from Pakistan and a Thai food fan. So I have an eye out for good Thai recipes. This is a Delicious dish and the recipe is so easy. Perfect to whip up a quick meal. My hubby and kids were most impressed 😊 Thanks! Will try more of your recipes.
Wow… again… 🙂 A really good local Chinese restaurant here makes Basil Beef and I have never been able to replicate it. But I tried this recipe with beef instead of chicken. Fantastic!! I added in sliced onion to fry with the beef thinly sliced but that was the only extra. Such an amazing flavor. Your recipes are so perfect. I have a whole new Asian cookbook folder but all your recipes in it I’ve tried. They’re all so outstanding!!! Thank you 🙂
Hi Nagi! Your recipe says it makes one XL serving, or two smaller ones. Is your nutrition information for one serving or two?
Hi Laura, nutrition is per serving assuming the recipe is 2 servings here. N x
Amazing!
Hi Nagi, I am originally from Britain and Taiwan. So it is to my amazement that you have perfected such a wide array of recipes of all cuisines. What I love about your recipes and narrative is that you share so much of the why and how of cooking, it feels like such an intimate cooking lesson!
I love Thai Basil chicken but I find that every time I cook this recipe I get a lot of liquid from the chicken. Is there a trick I am missing? Is using defrosted chicken the reason I get so much liquid?
Thanks for your guidance in advance.
Love your recipes! So easy to
Understand! I just discovered your site and I love it!
I’ve just made this recipe for the first time for dinner tonight and it is stunning! Thank you Nagi, for another wonderful, delicious recipe. You are truly inspiring!
Awesome recipe. Made it before, but everyone else found the chilli a bit much and I should have drained off some of the liquid that resulted from cooking the chicken, which really watered down the sauce.
So I made it again tonight with 1 chilli and drained off the liquid, probably a little much, but never mind.
It was cooler (I would have liked the second chilli as well) and the sauce was much more intense. Still perfecting things, but it is a great dish, as are many of those you put up Nagi.
Thanks!
Cooked this last night. Wow! It was delicious. Thanks for sharing this Nagi
You’re so welcome Shelly!! N x
So damn delicious. I’ve made this recipe countless times and it’s always a hit. Today I’ll add fried cashews to add an element of another fave dish. Thank you for your constantly fantastic recipes Nagi!