Spicy Thai Chicken Basil

Spicy Thai chicken basil (Pad Kra Pao Gai) is a flavorful chicken basil stir fry with Thai spices. Sweet, spicy, and savory spices seep into the chicken pieces mix with Thai Basil. Complete it with the warm rice and crispy yolk fried egg on top. It’s a quick and easy stir fry that’s super delicious!

Last year, I visited Bangkok, Thailand with my sisters. Almost all of the restaurants and food stalls in Thailand provide the Spicy Thai Chicken Basil menu.

The smell of this food made my stomach grow. Smelling the aroma of this food, I believe this is delicious food in Thailand. I could not wait to eat the food.

After we tried it, it is so suitable for my expectation. The tasty aroma mix with delicate food. The taste and texture of the rice with stir-fried chicken basil plus extra fried egg on top makes I want to keep feeding the rice in your mouth.

I often bought this food for dinner. Moreover, the flavor is so typical of Thailand. The seasoning is so strong. Also, it is easy to find and cheap. I still remember the price was around 85 Bhat plus an extra 10 Bhat for a fried egg.

After a year has passed since my last vacation to Thailand, I miss this classic traditional food. I want to make it as authentic as I eat it there. I want to be like I’m sending this food from Thailand to me right now.

I’ve been trying to make it this recipe since a few days ago to find the best authentic recipe for this food. I tried to find the best ingredients to make it the same as in Thailand spices. So, I think this recipe is suitable for you who can’t find original Thailand spices like Thai sauce or Thai Basil.

What Are The Ingredients?

There are several ingredients you need to make this food. Here are the ingredients:

• Thai Basil – This is the main component that gives this dish an authentic taste. It has a slightly rough texture with a hint of a spicy and sour taste. You can find them at Asian grocery stores. You can buy it in an online or offline store. If you have trouble finding it, use another type of basil. It still works on your food!
• Chicken – Find large chicken thigh with skin. Separate the chicken skin from the thigh. You can use other parts of the chicken like the breast. I choose the thigh because it is juicy. Besides, this part produces chicken oil for sauteing this dish later.
• Garlic and shallots – I used two garlic and two shallots. You can add more garlic or shallot if you like it.
• Bird’s Eye Chili – This is the main ingredient to make this spicy food. You can add or remove chilies according to your tolerance level for spicy.
• Sauce – You need soy sauce, sweet soy sauce or kecap manis, Oyster sauce, and Fish Sauce. If you have sweet and light Thai soy sauce, you can use it to replace the regular soy sauce. Meanwhile, I used those sauces because I can’t get kind of Thai soy sauces here. No problem! The taste of the sauce is still authentic.
• Rice and Eggs – These are just additional ingredients. However, this food is better with warm rice and deep-fried eggs.

How to Make Spicy Thai Chicken Basil

First, separate chicken skin from the chicken thigh. Set aside.

Then, separate chicken meat from the bone. Chopped the chicken thigh meat with a meat chopper knife or food processor. For the bone, you can store in a freezer for later use (homemade broth) or throw away.

Next, heat the chicken skins in a nonstick skillet at low heat. The chicken skins become shrink and crispy. The chicken skins will produce oil. Heat them until golden brown.

After that, take the chicken skins from the pan without turn off the heat. Leave the oil from the chicken skins earlier.

Before you saute the ingredients, change the heat to medium heat. Afterward, add shallot, garlic, and bird’s eye chilis to the pan. Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes until the ingredients soften.

Then, add grounded chicken thigh meat and stir until half cooked.

Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, and fish sauce. Stir to mix it well.

Add Thai basil and stir until the sauce is thickened and the basil leaves withered. Turn off the heat.

Serve it with warm rice and fried eggs. Tasty!

Recipe Notes:

• We don’t add additional salt and sugar because there are enough saltiness and sweetness from the sauces. Tasted it after you add basil leaves. If you think it is less salty and sweet to your liking, you can add salt and sugar.
• If the amount of chilis is too much for you, you can reduce it or even not add any of them.
• You also can add white pepper or black pepper. But this dish is spicy enough already, so we don’t need it.

YOU MAY LIKE THIS DISH :

• Tomato Squid Stir Fry
• Fried Chicken Drumlets with Spicy BBQ Sauce
• Spicy Taichan Chicken Satay
• Spicy Chicken Balls