One of my all time favourite Thai takeout dishes, made in the comfort of your own home! You’ll be surprised how simple it is to make this Thai Chilli Basil Chicken – you can pick up all the ingredients at the supermarket and it’s on the table in 15 minutes!
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!
Wowser. I LOVE Thai Chilli Basil Chicken. Just looking at these photos and writing up this post at 6.39 pm on Wednesday night 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 back when I was in uni. And it’s one of the few recipes that I haven’t tinkered with at all. I’m always very open when I tinker with a recipe – even 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. It is just like what you get from the streets of Thailand (minus the fried egg which seems to make an appearance on the side of most dishes in Thailand).
The name “Thai Chilli Basil Chicken” is a nice hint of two main ingredients in this recipe: Chillies and Basil. The basil used in the authentic version of this recipe is Holy Basil which is different to the sweet basil we use in Italian cooking and is also different to Thai Basil which is now widely available in Australia at supermarkets and green grocers (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms). Holy Basil is available at some Asian grocery stores, and it tastes almost peppery with a hint of cloves.
If you can find it, use it. Die-hard-Thai-food-purists will tell you that you MUST use Holy Basil, otherwise don’t bother making this. I say that Thai Holy Basil is definitely worth using if you can find it (and if it’s not too expensive), but it will NOT make or break this dish.
I usually make this with Thai Basil because my closest (good) Asian store is 30 minutes away (?), and that’s what is pictured below and used in the video. The flavour is not quite the same as Holy Basil, but it’s similar. And if you can’t even find Thai Basil, it is most definitely still worth making this using normal basil. It is still a darn tasty stir fry, and it’s better with any type of basil than without.
Thai Chilli Basil Chicken is often quite saucy when you get it from restaurants which is not the way it is made in Thailand. This recipe sticks to the traditional way of cooking it with enough sauce to coat the stir fry but such that when you dish it up it is not 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.
As with all stir fries, this 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
PS If you want to add a fresh side, try this Asian Slaw – it’s a great all rounder that goes with all Asian foods.
More Thai takeout favourites
- Pad Thai – truly just like takeout!
- Thai Red Curry and Green Curry
- Massaman Curry
- Starters – Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Cakes
- Thai Fried Rice
- Pad See Ew – Thai stir fried noodles
- Browse the Thai recipe collection
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Thai Chilli Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 225g / 7oz chicken thigh fillet, skinless boneless, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 scallion/shallot stem, cut into 4cm / 2" lengths.
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves, loosely packed (Holy Basil if you can find it) (Note 1)
- 2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1 birds eye or Thai chilli, deseed and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
Sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (or all purpose) (Note 3)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
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 shallots/scallions and chicken and fry until cooked, around 2 minutes.
- Add sauce and cook for 1 minute until the water evaporates to make a thick glossy sauce.
- Remove from heat and toss through green part of scallions/shallots and the end.basil leaves. Stir until just wilted, then serve immediately with rice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in July 2014, updated with fresh new (better!) photos, new words, a recipe video and of course I added a Life of Dozer section!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Thai Chilli Basil Chicken recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
Story of his life. And mine, for that matter.
Hey Nagi, thanks for the recipe. Made this tonight and it was fantastic. Will do it again. Keep up with the great recipe videos AND DOZER!
Thanks for the great feedback David!
I love your face- your smile.
I will make the Thai chilli basil Chicken and know that it will be lovely!
I hope you love it Toni!
This is an absolute winner! I’ve made this exactly as mentioned and then again with added veges and double the sauce. Both times tasted like what you would get at a restaurant.
That’s so great to hear Cathy!
Hi Nagi. Have you ever came across “cinnamon basil”? I checked my Asian grocery store for Thai basil and holy basil but this is what I saw they had instead. Can this be used instead?
This is a first for me, Amanda! According to Wikipedia though, “cinnamon basil” can be another name for Thai basil. If it smells and tastes aniseedy, it probably is. –Nx
Delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Turned out better than many restaurant versions. I added extra red and green peppers I had in the fridge. Did not have oyster sauce so made a substitute by mixing about 2:1 ratio of Hoisin Sauce:FIsh Sauce and skipped the extra sugar. Worked out great!
I’m so glad it worked out for you Peggy!
Thank you Nagi, I love this meal, it is really simple to make and tastes delicious.
I add one bit of star anise to the sauce to give it the holy basil flavour, (just because I like it) and I add cubed courgette at the end to add some green veg (again, because I love it)
Finger licking good!
Wahoo! Thank you – N x
This was easy and a huge hit – thank you!
Terrific Gigi!!!
Hi Nagi, I am trying to add more veggies into my kids diet and was wondering if you have already done this and, if so, are their any particular groupings of veg that work best together – any suggestions are truly appreciated. Also, if you were preparing this on the weekend for a few days later, would you cook the whole recipe and then fridge it and reheat a few days later. Or, would you cook the chicken and veggies separately and then add them together on the night? Thanks so much for all your assistance. It’s truly appreciated.
Hi Tina! To cram more veg in, I would use more Asian vegetables 🙂 In terms of preparing ahead, what I do is prepare the ingredients then cook it fresh because it does cook fast!!
Nagi I would love to try this. My only problem is that Thai Basil is not available easily. In fact I did some research and it is not available at all. But normal basil leaves are available and also HOLY basil (Tulsi in hindi) is easily available. how do I get that thai flavour. Please help! 🙁
Delicious Nagi!!!! Really enjoyed this dish, easy to make and not time consuming
Glad you enjoyed this Kimberly! Thank you for letting me know! N x
I had this last night – super easy & quick to make, and really yummy. Will be doing this one again soon.
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!!!! N xx
Absolutely delicious and so quick and easy. It’s now a weekly staple in our house, thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed this Orla! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
Made it tonight with our own Thai Basil…we grow about eight different herbs and lettuces in the house using AeroGardens, and I made sure we were growing Thai Basil. Next round I’m going to ask that we skip the curly parsley and do double the basil!
Hi,
I cooked Thai Chilli Basil Chicken, but could only find Thai Basil in my local fresh markets rather than Holy Basil but the recipe turned out fabulous, so full of flavour. My family has asked for this meal to be served every week !! We love foods with plenty of flavour but also full of freshness, this hits the spot, they too have also said it was even better than our local Thai restaurant. I was so pleased it turned out fabulous now I can’t wait to cook more meals from your other recipes.
Thank you for the free recipes 🙂
That’s great to hear Cheryl!! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! N x
Hi Nagi, I am now an avid follower of your recipes. Could this Thai Chilli Basil recipe be used for beef. If so which cut of beef. Thanks
Nagi,
thanks for the recipe. Believe it or not, I couldn’t find a decent Thai place where I live and I used to love it while I lived in the city and Chatswood. Out of sheer necessity I decided to cook it myself, and it was amazing.
I would have left the seeds in the chilies as I like my food a bit hot. Also, the missus thinks some of the restaurants also add beans, what do you think?
Once again, thanks for the recipe.
I LOVE hearing that Rajesh! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Hi, could you use quorn pieces as a chicken substitute? I don’t really like tofu
Yes you certainly can!
I recently made the chicken with cashews and aside from making the mistake of using my standard Chinese ‘light’ soy sauce and, therefore, making it quite salty, I loved the results from velveting the chicken with baking soda. Is there a reason why you don’t use the same process in this recipe?
Hi Nagi
Love love love this recipe!!! The first of your recipes I tried some time ago. I gave it to my son as an easy tasty meal for him to cook now that he’s moved out of home. He loves it too. He went to Russia recently to study and cooked this for his housemates. They all loved it. Particularly his Russian “house mother” who now makes it for her friends and family.
Love hearing that Molly!! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know – N x ❤️
So Nice!! Love it. mmmmmm
So pleased to hear that Angela! N xx