Thai basil chicken is a super quick and delicious recipe. You can rustle up the Thai basil chicken for the whole family after a long day, as it’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
How is this Thai basil chicken recipe different from a regular Italian basil chicken recipe?As the name suggests, these basils have different countries of origin. Thai Basil is natively grown in Southeast Asia, it plays a important role in Vietnamese (opens in new tab) cuisine, often found in dishes such as summer rolls and as a garnish for Pho. These basil leaves give off a liquorice and spice-like flavour. Dissimilarly, the Italian Basil plant has delicate leaves that have a sweet-peppery taste.
You’re sure to have used these leaves at home to make a delicious pesto or as an accompaniment to fresh, sweet tomatoes with olive oil and salt. A winning partnership! Be aware that swapping Italian basil for regular basil won’t give off as much intensity, so it’s perhaps better to sway towards an alternative such as coriander.
This easy Thai basil chicken recipe is so simple, with just a handful of ingredients, you can whizz it up in no time and it’s guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family. You can also use the base of this recipe to experiment with alternative meats, such as beef, or for a meat-free alternative add in sliced tofu, mushrooms and sugar snap peas.
Thai Basil Chicken is super speedy to cook as it’s ready in just 15 minutes, so it’s perfect for feeding a hungry family!
If you're looking for more exciting chicken recipes, have a look at our equally easy chicken parmesan bake (opens in new tab) or these Korean fried chicken wings (opens in new tab) for a hint of something really special.
Method
- Heat a wok over a high heat; add the oil, chillies and shallots. Fry for 1-2 mins until the onions are lightly coloured. Add the garlic and chicken and stir-fry for 2 mins, until browned over.
- Add the sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir-fry for another minute, ensuring the ingredients don’t stick by turning often.
- Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 mins.
- Add the beansprouts, stir and cook for a further 3 mins.
- Remove from the heat and stir through the Thai basil.
- Serve the chicken over a plate of fluffy white rice and garnish with some additional basil leaves.
Ingredients
- 4tbsp veg oil
- 1 red bird’s eye chilli, de-seeded and thinly sliced
- 3 banana shallots, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2tbsp sugar
- 2tbsp soy sauce
- 1tbsp fish sauce
- 300ml chicken stock
- 25g Thai basil
- 100g beansprouts
- Basmati rice to serve (optional)
Top Tip for making Thai basil chicken
Top with a fried egg and a dash of chilli oil to spice it up
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