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Authentic Thai Basil Chicken Recipe (Pad Krapow Gai)

Thai basil chicken, or pad krapow gai, is a vibrant, spicy stir-fry of finely chopped chicken thigh cooked with chillies, garlic, spring onions (scallions) and fragrant Thai basil in a light savoury sauce. It requires a little prep, but the actual cooking takes around 10 minutes.

A tall overhead image of thai basil chicken served on a grey dish with rice that has a sunny side up egg on top and sliced cherry tomatoes on the top right of the dish. There is a copper fork sticking out of the dish. On the bottom right of the image is a bunch of thai basil. On the top right of the image is the corner of an identical bowl of thai basil chicken and a small white jug of sauce. In the background on the top left of the image is another bunch of basil and a grey handkerchief. there are a few red chillies scattered around. The image is set on a dark blue background.

Also called pad krapow gai, Thai Basil Chicken delivers a huge flavour punch. The Thai basil lends a distinctive, aromatic note that makes the dish especially bright and fragrant.

If you haven’t used Thai basil before, look for it in larger supermarkets or Asian groceries. It differs from Italian basil: Thai basil is a touch more peppery with mint and aniseed hints rather than being sweet.

📋 Ingredients

A wide overhead image of the ingredients for thai basil chicken on a wooden cutting board, which is on a white marble surface. The ingredients are labelled in white, except where some ingredient labels flow on top of the white surface, in which case they are blue.
  • Thai basil is a Southeast Asian basil with a peppery, slightly minty and aniseed-like flavour. It’s usually found with fresh herbs in bigger supermarkets.

📺 Watch how to make it

Full recipe and detailed steps are available in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  1. Cook the chopped chicken in oil in a hot wok until almost cooked through.
  2. While the chicken cooks, mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
  3. Add the chillies, garlic and spring onions to the chicken and stir-fry briefly.
  4. Pour in the sauce and heat through.
  5. Toss in the Thai basil just before serving.
  6. Serve with your favourite sides.

👩‍🍳PRO TIP Prepare and chop all ingredients before you start cooking — the stir-fry comes together very quickly. Around 10 minutes cooking time.

I like to serve this with steamed rice, halved cherry tomatoes for a touch of sweetness, and a sunny-side-up egg with a runny yolk. The yolk adds a lovely creamy contrast to the spice.

A tall close-up image of thai basil chicken served on a grey dish with rice that has a sunny side up egg on top and sliced cherry tomatoes on the top right of the dish. There is a copper fork sticking out of the dish. In the background on the top left of the image is a grey handkerchief. The image is set on a dark blue background.

🍽️ What to serve it with

  • Boiled rice or cauliflower rice
  • A sunny-side-up or fried egg
  • Halved cherry tomatoes
  • Asian cucumber salad

This dish is wonderfully spicy and ready in about 10 minutes — perfect for a quick, flavourful dinner.

A tall overhead image of thai basil chicken served on a grey dish with rice that has a sunny side up egg on top and sliced cherry tomatoes on the top right of the dish. There is a copper fork sticking out of the dish. On the bottom right of the image is a bunch of thai basil. On the top right of the image is the corner of an identical bowl of thai basil chicken and a small white jug of sauce. In the background on the left of the image is a grey handkerchief. The image is set on a dark blue background.

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A square overhead image of thai basil chicken served on a grey dish with rice that has a sunny side up egg on top and sliced cherry tomatoes on the top right of the dish. There is a copper fork sticking out of the dish. On the bottom right of the image is a bunch of thai basil. On the top right of the image is the corner of an identical bowl of thai basil chicken. In the background on the top left of the image is a grey handkerchief. there are a few red chillies scattered around. The image is set on a dark blue background.

Thai Basil Chicken

By Nicky Corbishley
A fragrant, spicy stir-fry of chopped chicken thigh with chillies, garlic, spring onions and Thai basil in a light savoury sauce.
Prep Time:20 mins
Cook Time:10 mins
Total Time:30 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed and chopped into small chunks (about 800g after trimming)
  • 4 Thai chillies thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 8 spring onions sliced (use white and green parts)
  • small bunch of Thai basil leaves (about 40g), sliced into thin strips

Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • ½ tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

To Serve:

  • boiled rice
  • fried egg
  • halved cherry tomatoes

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a wok over high heat.
  • Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, for 4–5 minutes until it is nearly cooked through. Small pieces cook quickly; browning is not necessary.
  • While the chicken cooks, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or jug: light soy, dark soy, oyster sauce, fish sauce, light brown sugar, water and cornflour.
  • Add the chillies, garlic and spring onions to the chicken and stir-fry for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Pour in the sauce and fry for 1–2 minutes until hot and slightly thickened.
  • Toss in the Thai basil and cook for a further 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and serve immediately with rice, a fried egg and cherry tomatoes if you like.

Notes

Nutritional information is per serving (based on 4 servings) and excludes serving suggestions such as rice and egg.

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 20g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.

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