Description
Spicy Thai Basil Chicken is a quick and flavorful stir-fried dish featuring tender chicken thighs cooked with fragrant Thai basil, garlic, shallots, and fiery chilies in a savory-sweet sauce. Perfectly paired with hot steamed rice, this classic Thai recipe delivers a perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and salty notes for an authentic and satisfying meal ready in just 25 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce
- â…“ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or as needed
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Main Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup sliced shallots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced Thai chilies, Serrano, or other hot pepper
- 1 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
- 2 cups hot cooked rice
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Collect all the ingredients needed for the recipe to have everything ready before cooking.
- Prepare Sauce: Whisk together chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
- Heat Skillet and Cook Chicken: Place a large skillet over high heat and add vegetable oil. Once hot, add the chopped chicken thighs and stir-fry until the chicken turns opaque and loses its raw color, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add Aromatics: Stir in the sliced shallots, minced garlic, and chopped chilies. Continue cooking on high heat, stirring frequently, until some of the juices caramelize on the pan’s bottom, approximately 2 to 3 more minutes.
- Add Sauce to Caramelize: Pour about one tablespoon of the prepared sauce mixture into the skillet. Cook and stir continuously until the sauce begins to caramelize and coat the chicken, about 1 minute.
- Deglaze and Glaze: Add the remaining sauce to the skillet and stir well. Cook until the sauce deglazes the pan’s bottom and reduces to a glaze that sticks to the chicken, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Finish with Basil: Stir in the thinly sliced fresh basil leaves. Cook and stir for about 20 seconds until the basil wilts and incorporates into the dish.
- Serve: Serve the spicy Thai basil chicken hot with steamed rice. Enjoy your flavorful meal!
Notes
- Adjust the quantity of chilies according to your preferred spice level.
- Use boneless chicken thighs for juicier and more flavorful meat compared to chicken breasts.
- Fresh Thai basil is essential for authentic flavor; if unavailable, sweet basil can be a substitute but will alter the flavor profile slightly.
- Stir-frying requires high heat and quick cooking to maintain tender chicken and fresh aromatics.
- Serve immediately to enjoy the best texture and flavor of the basil and sauce.
