Thai Basil Chicken is arguably the gold standard of Thai Chicken stir fries! An incredibly fast and easy Thai recipe that truly tastes just as good as you’ll get at your favourite restaurant, served over jasmine rice. BONUS: No hunting down unusual ingredients!
If you’re feeling inspired, indulge in a Thai banquet at home with Chicken Satay Skewers, Thai Fish Cakes, Thai Green Curry or Red Curry, and Thai Fried Rice!
Thai Basil Chicken
Wowser. I LOVE Thai Basil Chicken. Just looking at these photos and writing up this post has me peeved that I’ll shortly be reheating leftovers instead of firing up the wok. (That’s a nice insight into the immaturity that is me.)
This is a recipe I got from the mother of a friend way back when I was in uni. Obviously, a Thai friend!
And it’s one of the few recipes that I haven’t tinkered with at all. I usually can’t help it – even recipes from well respected chefs. But this one – it’s perfect as it is. It is truly just like what you get at (good) Thai restaurants and on the streets of Thailand!
What you need for Thai Basil Chicken
Here’s what you need for Thai Basil Chicken. The really nice thing about this Thai recipe is that you can get everything you need from the grocery store – at least, you can here in Australia!
Best substitute for Thai Basil
The best substitute for Thai Basil is normal basil. While it lacks the slight aniseed flavour that’s distinctly associated with this Thai dish, it is still very much worth making!
Thai Basil
Thai Basil is a key ingredient in this recipe, being the namesake and all. 😂
Thai Basil tastes like normal basil with a hint of aniseed flavour. Nowadays it’s fairly widely available in Australia in large grocery stores and green grocers (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms).
In actual fact, the authentic version of Thai Basil Chicken is Thai Holy Basil which is different to Thai Basil. It’s actually quite hard to find even in Thai stores, so much so that most Thai restaurants just use ordinary Thai Basil and it’s the flavour that most people have become accustomed to.
Here’s a photo showing the difference between holy basil and Thai Basil.
In the video and photos, I’ve used Thai Holy Basil. (Sydney-siders, I found it in the dark depths of a Thai grocery store in the city, I had to ask for it and the store owner got it from the back!)
Thai Basil Chicken is often overly saucy when you get it from mid-standard restaurants outside of Thailand.
This recipe sticks more to the traditional way of cooking it with enough sauce to coat the stir fry and to soak the rice a bit (enough!). But not so much sauce that when you dish it up, it’s sitting in a pool of sauce which frankly is too salty and unnecessary because the flavours of this dish are so strong, you don’t need all that sauce.
Serve this over Jasmine rice or any other rice of choice. If you want to add a fresh side, try this Asian Slaw – it’s a great all rounder that goes with all Asian foods. Or for a simpler option, just add a side of plain chunks of tomato and cucumber which is a common side that’s added to plates in Thailand.
As with all stir fries, this Thai recipe moves super fast once you start cooking – about 5 minutes. So if you can get the chopping done in 10 minutes, you’ll have dinner on the table in 15 minutes.
Hey! That’s faster than ordering home delivery! – Nagi xx
Watch how to make it
More Thai takeout favourites
Pad Thai – truly just like takeout!
Starters – Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Cakes
Pad See Ew – Thai stir fried noodles
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Thai Chilli Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 225g / 7oz chicken thigh fillets , skinless boneless, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 green onion , cut into 4cm / 2" lengths.
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves , loosely packed (Holy Basil if you can find it) (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , large, finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1 birds 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 (Note 3)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (or all purpose) (Note 3)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Serving
Instructions
- Put Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Heat oil in wok or pan over high heat.
- Add garlic and chilli and cook for 10 seconds. Don’t inhale – the chilli will make you cough!
- Add the white part of the green onions and chicken and fry until cooked, around 2 minutes.
- Add Sauce and cook for 1 minute until the water reduces to make a thick glossy sauce.
- Toss through green part of green onions and basil leaves. Stir until just wilted, then serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in July 2014, updated with fresh new (better!) photos, new words, a brand new recipe video and of course I added a Life of Dozer section!
Life of Dozer
Story of his life. And mine, for that matter.
Hi- Great flavors, thank you. I think if I want to scale this I would like more chicken in the recipe. Any advice for the best way to scale the sauce?
Hi Michael, if you click the servings and scale up, all the ingredients will scale up for you! N x
Amazing! Simply amazing! I thought there’d be enough for leftovers, but nope!
Delicious Nagi, thank you! I added some par boiled green beans to get some veg in there. Would work well with courgettes/zucchini too I think. Keep cooking Nagi. Your recipes are fantastic. I no longer look elsewhere for my family meals.
Flavours you can touch! Well balanced, everything cooking as described…Super sauce! Another Tineats treat! Thx 🤽♂️🏊♂️🚴♂️
made this tonight because I wanted to harvest the basil in my herb garden – it was fuss free, and a hit with my family. thank you so much Nagi, am looking forward to cooking more and with greater confidence!
Hello Nagi,
You have so many great chicken dishes and I like to assess and compare the Nutritional Facts to help me decide which dish to cook for the night!
Is it possible for you to provide a Nutritional Facts table with more details for this dish?(similar to the table for Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon)
Many thanks!
Love this recipe! So quick and easy to make and just like take away but better! I just use normal basil and find it difficult to find Thai basil but still just as great.
Hi Nagi,
As you suggested, I made it with panner and vegetables tonight and it was wonderful, Just like in our thai restaurant. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Nagi,
Would it be ok to use 225g mixed vegetables instead of the chicken to make it vegetarian? Thanks, Rita
Yes 100% Rori, even paneer or tofu would work here too! N x
It’s not the same, but the anise flavour of genuine Thai basil can be slightly approximated by using ordinary basil and adding a pinch of 5 spice powder to the sauce. It ain’t authentic, but it does improve things a bit. 🙂
Excellent idea as the 5 spice definitely smells aniseedy. Thanks for the tip!
I made this tonight. Very flavoursome, very easy prep.
I had no Thai Basil (and didn’t want to drive to the shops) so I used sweet basil. I also added some broccoli that I had in the fridge. Will definitely make this one again.
Hi Nagi
Is Thai Holy Basil the same as Tulsi? I’ve found it in Bunnings so thinking I might grow my own!
Thanks
Hi Anna, yes Tusi is the Indian name for it! 🙂 N x
Very flavorful! First time cooking with Thai basil. The sauce came out lighter because of my soy choice. Will buy dark soy for next time.
Great dish, easy delicious and just the right amount. Nagi never disappoints!! Also good with normal basil if there’s no other. Can’t wait to try it with the teal stuff!
Looks tasty and mouth watering
Hello Nagi, I am based in Goa, we love your food, some of the recipies are so simple and fuss free. love them…thank you so much.
Loved this! Super quick, easy snd tasty, just like takeaway but better!
I made this a few weeks ago after I grabbed the last packet of Thai basil in my supermarket! Unfortunately it wasn’t holy basil (I plan to explore for this after lockdowns) but it still tasted really nice. It was a bit sweet but the sweetness mellowed down especially for the portion I left for the next day which I preferred. Thanks for another lovely recipe!
Absolutely love this recipe. Question though…..
CAN IT BE FROZEN?
I planted Thai basil and have an oversupply atm. As the growing season is nearly over I don’t want the plants going to waste so was thinking of cooking big batches of this recipe and freezing ready to quickly reheat and serve at a later date.
Finally made this as I found my local Tesco now due fresh Thai basil.one very happy cook xx
Love love love it. I never thought it’d be this easy and tasty to make it at home. Thank you so much for such detailed recipe. It’s a hit.
Love it, love it, love it!
Why? Because it’s easy to make, quick to make and is delicious!