Description
Thai Chilli Basil Chicken is a quick and flavorful stir-fry featuring tender chicken thigh pieces sautéed with garlic, bird's eye chili, and fragrant Thai basil leaves in a savory oyster and soy sauce blend. Perfect served immediately with steamed jasmine rice, it delivers authentic Thai flavors in just 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Vegetables
- 225g chicken thigh fillets, skinless boneless, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 green onion, cut into 4cm lengths
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves, loosely packed (Holy Basil if available)
- 2 garlic cloves, large, finely chopped
- 1 bird's 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
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (or all purpose soy sauce)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Serving
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Prepare Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and water until combined.
- Heat Oil and Sauté Aromatics: Heat the oil in a wok or pan over high heat. Add the chopped garlic and chilli and cook for 10 seconds, being careful to avoid inhaling the fumes as the chilli can be strong.
- Add Chicken and Green Onion Whites: Add the white part of the green onions and the chicken pieces. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes.
- Add Sauce: Pour in the prepared sauce and cook for 1 minute, allowing the water to reduce and the sauce to become thick and glossy.
- Toss in Basil and Green Onion Greens: Add the green parts of the green onions and the Thai basil leaves. Stir until just wilted, then immediately remove from heat.
- Serve: Serve the spicy Thai chilli basil chicken immediately alongside steamed jasmine rice.
Notes
- Holy Basil, used in authentic recipes, has a more peppery and aniseedy flavor compared to sweeter Thai basil; available at some Thai groceries.
- If Holy Basil is unavailable, Thai basil or regular sweet basil can be used as substitutes; the sauce’s flavor is dominant, so the basil acts mainly as a fragrant accent.
- Finely chopping garlic instead of mincing helps prevent it from burning and spitting during cooking.
- You can substitute both light and dark soy sauces with regular all-purpose soy sauce if needed, though color and intensity may vary.
- Do not use only dark soy sauce as it can overpower the dish.
- This recipe serves 2 reasonable servings or 1 large serving, and pairs well with simple fresh cucumber and tomato slices without dressing for a refreshing contrast.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
