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If you’re a Thai food lover, you’ll definitely love this easy Thai basil chicken! Made with simple fresh ingredients, after trying this dish you’ll agree it’s the best Thai basil chicken recipe!
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It’s Monday! You need a dead-easy, super delicious, better-than-take-out dish!? I got ya covered.
Before I get into all that is this EASY Thai basil chicken, I have to tell you about this book I’m reading. Have you heard of “Before We Were Yours
Ok, the food!
So you guys MUST know by now how much I love Thai food and curries, right!? This basil chicken is one of the easiest Thai dishes I’ve whipped up in a long time. It will take all of 15 minutes for you to make! Seriously.
It’s saucy, a little spicy, and wonderful. I make this recipe with Thai basil, but you can swap for regular basil if you can’t get Thai basil. ,
What’s the difference between Thai basil and Italian basil?
We actually grew both types of basil this summer, along with a sweet basil variety, so I got a real feel for the differences! The leaves on Thai basil (also known as holy basil) are slightly more jaggedy, and the flavour is a bit more peppery. It does make a difference when cooking Thai dishes!
Along with the Thai basil, another ingredient you might need to search a little further for is Thai green chilies; luckily, my grocery store has them, but you might not be so lucky. Feel free to use a different chili in your dish, even jalapenos. If you can find Thai bird chilies (the spicy red ones), even BETTER!
How do you make Thai basil chicken?
Gather up all of your ingredients. Whisk the sauce together in a little bowl beforehand, and dice up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You should absolutely have everything ready to go, on hand, before you start cooking (mise en place) because the cooking process GOES FAST! I usually start my rice at the same time.
As I mentioned earlier, we grew a lot of basil this year! Luckily it gave me the chance to experiment a lot with this dish, so I feel like I have it down! One thing to note – make sure you drain the liquid off your chicken after cooking it, before you add the sauce to make sure it gets nice and sticky! Sauciness and stickiness is key!
This dish has quickly become one of my favourite go-to dishes, especially since I can adjust the heat and make it kid-friendly too. We love chicken thighs around here, so this is just another awesome use for them!
Some Thai basil recipes call for ground chicken, which I think would also be delicious, but we’re partial to the whole meat chunks!
What do you serve with Thai basil chicken?
I HIGHLY recommend serving this dish with my easy coconut rice! If you’re eating low carb, I think cauliflower rice would be delicious too. Or regular rice if you’re not into the whole coconut milk thing (weirdo 😉)
And once you decide you love this quick dinner, which I know you will, you’ll have to check out my other popular Thai recipes!
Easy Thai Basil Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Description
If you’re a Thai food lover, you’ll definitely love this easy Thai basil chicken! Made with simple fresh ingredients, after trying this dish you’ll agree it’s the best Thai basil chicken recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (sub olive oil)
- 3 Thai green chilies*
- 2 shallots, sliced thinly
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves**
- coconut rice, for serving
Instructions
- In a small dish, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and honey. Set aside.
- Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan or wok over medium-high heat on the stove. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the chilies, shallots and garlic cloves and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the pepper and fry for another few minutes, before adding in the chicken and cooking, stirring often, until the chicken is browned and cooked through. If there is a lot of extra moisture from the chicken, drain it off before adding the sauce mixture. Stir to cover all the ingredients with the sauce, then add the basil, stirring until wilted. Serve immediately over rice!
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge, in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Notes
*If you can’t find Thai green chilies you can substitute a different hot chili, or 1 jalapeno
**Thai basil can usually be found in the Asian aisle of your supermarket. If needed, you can still make this dish with Italian basil
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
YES! I read it awhile back and I still feel sick-to-my-stomach sad when I think about it; I actually put it in the Goodwill box immediately after finishing so the cover wouldn’t continue to haunt me. Have you read Orphan Train? They’re not totally similar but Before We Were Yours reminded me of it a little; it’s really good. Anyway, on to food. This chicken looks fabulous! Such a perfect pairing with your coconut rice!
Aw Kelsie. I know, it is so hauntingly sad!! I have Orphan Train on hold at the library, I’m sure I’ll love it! Thank you my friend!!
I have a case of the mondays this morning so an easy dinner like this on the menu tonight would be heavenly! Pinning to my quick weeknight dinners board to make some time soon! Also, I love basil but I’m really not familiar with the different varieties! Thanks for the info. Maybe I’ll try growing my own next year! 😉 Hope your week is off to a great start Katherine!
It’s Sunday night and I have a case of the Mondays too, Leanne!! I might just need to make this dish again for an easy win! You should try growing your basil in a little planter. It’s so easy!! Cheers!
Hello easy weeknight dinner!! I’m loving this dish, Katherine! Seems so super packed full of flavor and veggies and just YUM! Right up my alley. I definitely want to do a side by side taste test of Italian basil vs Thai Basil now!!
SUCH an easy dinner!! It’s so easy to whip up but makes me think of take-out!! And yes! I tasted both side by side and was totally surprised by the difference!! XO
Such a quick, delicious meal for those busy weeknights Katherine. Love all the fresh, healthy ingredients. This is one dish we need to add to our menu! Pinned and excited to give this one a go!
Absolutely, Mary Ann! Quick and easy is my go-to!! Hope you give it a try my friend! XO
This is just the kind of dish I’m in the mood for right now! Delicious and oh so easy…putting this on the menu!
Yay! I hope you do, I think you’d love it Marissa!
It’s such a wonderful dinner for the family for sure! I love how easy it is and pinning for later! xo
Yes, Kim!! A super quick and easy dinner. WE all love it!!
This dish has my name written all over Kathy!! I could eat Thai food every night if possible. I’m gonna make this as soon I get hold of some Thai basil.
I know exactly what you mean, Maria! I would eat Thai food every night too. It’s my absolute favourite!!!
Katherine, that sounds like a great book! I’ll have to check it out. This Thai Basil Chicken looks so wonderful and full of flavor. Nothing beats a quick dinner! So cool that you grew your own Thai basil! And I’m definitely into your coconut rice! 🙂
It’s a very, very good book, Kelly! Just a little sad. I had trouble sleeping after reading it!! Thanks my friend, the basil was actually my husband’s idea to grow. Smart man 😉
Hubby and I love Thai so this is right up our alley! So awesome that you had luck with basil. We grow all sorts of herbs and our mint, in particular, grows like crazy, but no luck at all with basil, either inside or out. This is SO much better than takeaway! Can’t wait to try 🙂 Pinned! Have a lovely week! XOXO
I knew you were a Thai fan too, Dawn!! I have major luck with mint too but basil can be tricky. Sometimes it seems to flourish, sometimes not! Who knows! Anyway I hope you try this one, I think you guys would love it!! 🙂 Cheers! XO
Katherine! I love this recipe, as Thai food is one of my all-time faves! And with that yummy coconut rice, so so good! I made that rice last week, and my family gobbled it up so fast! Thanks for the book rec, too! I’m just finishing The Winemaker’s Wife. Looking for something new to read when I finish. Thanks for this recipe, now I’m dreaming of Thai basil and coconut rice!
Thai food is definitely one of my faves too Laura!!! I could eat it every night. I am so glad you tried the rice, it’s sooo good!!! I hope you have a nice night with Thai basil, coconut rice and that book 😉 Cheers!