Thai Basil Chicken
Thai Basil Chicken is a DELICIOUS way to have your basil shine. I absolutely love the sweet fragrant and sharp taste of Vietnamese/Thai (also known as Holy) basil. It’s only got a hint of the regular basil taste that we get at the supermarket here but it creates a completely different flavor profile. Honestly speaking regular basil used in a recipe that asks for Thai basil really doesn’t taste the same or do the trick. You CAN use it BUT if you can get your hands on some Thai basil, I HIGHLY recommend it.
I’ve learnt a neat little trick to keep chicken juicy, if you sprinkle a tiny bit of bakind soda on it it stays super moist, be careful not to use too much though because I personally don’t liek the aftertaste that it can potentially leave.
It’s unfortunate that Thai basil is just so hard to come by here, I’ve also tried to grow it a few times with not too much success. I’m all out of seeds now though so I’m going to have to find some more and try again because this is an ingredient that I’d be more than happy to have access to year round.
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)
Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast cubed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or as needed
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup shallots sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Thai chilies (or other chilies) finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Make the sauce by mixing together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Set aside.
- Heat large skillet over high heat and then add the oil. Add the chicken and mix continuously for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it loses the 'raw' color.
- Add the shallots along with the garlic and chilies. Continue cooking on high heat until some of the juices start to caramelize at the bottom of the pan, about 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add the sauce mixture to the pan and keep stirring until sauce begins to caramelize and thicken so that it nicely coats the chicken (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the basil and stir, then immediately remove from the heat.
Notes
© Ammara Cokar 2020
