Can Thai Basil Chicken be made vegan?

We haven't tried it, but scrambled tofu or Crispy Tofu would probably be pretty tasty in place of ground chicken!

Is sweet basil the same as Thai basil?

They are from the same family but Thai basil has a strong flavor with underlying tones of anise and spice where as sweet basil has a sweet, pungent, peppery flavor.

What is ground chicken?

Ground chicken is made from both breast and thigh meat and also may contain some skin. You can finely chop chicken yourself from both thigh and breast meat.

Thai Basil Chicken

Name: Thai Basil Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 3 shallots, cut in thin slices; 5 large garlic cloves roughly chopped; 3-6 Fresno chilies or Thai chilies (spicier!), cut into thin rings; 2 tablespoons avocado oil or peanut oil, divided; 1 pound ground chicken (or sub ground turkey, or crumbled extra firm tofu); 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 sliced in bite-sized strips; 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)

Description

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.

Ingredients

Units Scale

3 shallots, cut in thin slices
5 large garlic cloves roughly chopped
3–6 Fresno chilies or Thai chilies (spicier!), cut into thin rings
2 tablespoons avocado oil or peanut oil, divided
1 pound ground chicken (or sub ground turkey, or crumbled extra firm tofu)
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 sliced in bite-sized strips
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)

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Instructions

If serving with rice, start that first.
Heat up a pan or wok to med-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the 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 1 tablespoon of oil, turn the heat to high, 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, fish sauce over the chicken and stir until incorporated.
Add the red bell pepper and the shallot mixture. Cook for 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.

Notes

To make vegan, try crumbled tofu or make this Crispy Tofu.

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