Fragrant and savory this Thai Basil Chicken recipe is simple, fast and flavorful! Perfect for weeknight dinners or an easy delicious lunch ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
Re-examine all that you have been told… dismiss that which insults your soul.~ Walt Whitman
Thai Basil Chicken is a simple stir fry that couldn’t be easier! This is the kind of food I am craving lately, tasty and satisfying but doesn’t take much effort. As the days get longer, I just want to be spending more time outside.
Ground chicken makes this recipe fast and so easy! You could certainly chop up whole chicken thighs or breasts if you prefer.
Traditionally this is made with Holy Basil which is also know as tulsi basil and is available fresh, at some Asian Markets. Thai basil is easier to come by and works great in this recipe. And yes, you can use regular basil! When using regular basil, I like to add just a pinch of ground anise to the stir fry.
If you love it spicy definitely go for the red Thai chilies! Fresno chilies have great flavor and though not as spicy as the Thai chilies, they still have a good kick!
Ingredients in Thai Basil Chicken
- shallots and garlic
- chilies: fresno or Thai (spicier!)
- ground chicken (or sub ground turkey or Tofu)
- salt and black pepper
- coconut sugar or honey, or sugar
- soy sauce or GF Liquid Aminos
- fish sauce
- red bell pepper
- Thai basil leaves -or Holy Basil (Tulsi) if you can find it, regular basil will work too
Can this be made Vegan?
We haven’t tried it, but scrambled tofu or Crispy Tofu would probably be pretty tasty in place of the ground chicken!
How to make Thai Basil Chicken
STEP ONE: If serving with rice, start that now. Chop all your veggies.
STEP TWO: Heat up a pan or wok to med-high heat. Add oil and shallots, and stir for 2 minutes.
Add garlic and hot peppers and stir for 2 minutes more until shallots are lightly brown on the edges. Scoop out into a bowl and set aside.
STEP THREE: Without cleaning out the pan, add oil, turn the heat to high, and add ground chicken, black pepper, and salt. Stir fry a couple of minutes until the chicken is cooked and starting to brown.
Sprinkle coconut sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce over the chicken and stir until incorporated.
STEP FOUR: Add the red bell pepper and the shallot mixture. Cook about a minute, just enough to warm everything and just barely soften the red bell pepper slices.
Mix in the basil leaves and turn the heat off.
Serve over jasmine rice. Season with more soy sauce if desired.
More recipes you may enjoy
- Thai Larb Salad
- Instant Pot Thai Curry Chicken
- Thai Fish Curry
- Coconut Poached Thai Chicken Salad
- 20 Delicious Easy Thai Recipes!
Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think!
PrintThai Basil Chicken
Fragrant and savory this Thai Basil Chicken recipe is simple, fast and flavorful! Perfect for weeknight dinners or an easy delicious lunch. Ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 shallots
- 5 large garlic cloves
- 3–6 Fresno or Thai (spicier!) chilies
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or peanut oil
- 1 pound ground chicken (or sub ground turkey)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or honey, or sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or GF Liquid Aminos
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves -or Holy Basil (Tulsi) if you can find it, regular basil will work too
- pinch of ground anise seeds if using regular basil (optional)
Instructions
- If serving with rice, start that first.
- Heat up a pan or wok to med-high heat. Add oil and shallots, stir for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and hot peppers stir for 2 minutes more until shallots are lightly brown on the edges. Scoop out into a bowl and set aside.
- Without cleaning out the pan, add oil, turn the heat to high, add ground chicken, black pepper, and salt. Stir fry a couple minutes until chicken is cooked and starting to brown. Sprinkle coconut sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce over the chicken and stir until incorporated. Add the red bell pepper and the shallot mixture. Cook about a minute, just enough to warm. Add basil leaves and turn the heat off.
- Serve over jasmine rice. Season with more soy sauce if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 511
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 924.3 mg
- Fat: 17.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.6 g
- Fiber: 4.9 g
- Protein: 31.7 g
- Cholesterol: 96.3 mg
Keywords: Thai basil chicken, thai chicken, thai basil chiken recipe, ground chicken recipes
Winner, winner, Thai Basil Chicken dinner! Used boneless thighs, ordinary basil, and couldn’t find Fresno chilies, so a dash of sweet habanero sauce. This was quick, easy, and oh so delicious! Will be in our regular dinner rotation!
Glad you enjoyed this John!
Love this Thai basil chicken recipe! I used dark ground chicken instead and just cooked it a little longer and added pine nuts for some crunch.
Making it again tonight!
★★★★★
Great to hear Carol!
My husband and I both really loved this! I will definitely be making this again. It was fairly easy to make and very tasty.
★★★★★
We are so happy you enjoyed this Karon!
Very flavorful. I made sure my pan was searing hit to get brown bits on the peppers, and meat. Used serrano, a pinch of regular sugar and basil – what I had on hand. Easy, quick and flavorful!!
★★★★★
Perfect Sherilynn, glad you enjoyed!
We’re growing California Organic Jasmine as we speak can’t wait to try this in both white and brown rice versions!
What a fun endeavor!
Excellent!
★★★★★
Thanks Maria!
This looks incredible and also super quick and easy! Can’t wait to make it. Any suggestions for an easy veggie side that would pair nicely? Thank you for everything y’all do 🙂
How about Asian Cucumber Salad or Easy Roasted Asparagus or Easy Crunchy Asian Slaw