Thai Basil Chicken with Red Peppers
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Spicy Thai basil chicken features stir-fried boneless chicken thighs with sliced red bell peppers, fresh basil and Thai garlic sauce. This is weeknight cooking at its best! Cook this delicious dish in 25 minutes and serve with rice noodles or steamed jasmine rice.
Thai basil chicken — pad krapow gai — hits all the taste buds. Sweet, spicy, hot and garlicky — plus it’s full of fresh vegetables and a sauce that is super tasty.
This dish scores in the top five of my favorite quick chicken dinner recipes. I really want you to try this recipe, because I have a feeling you’re going to crave it over and over again.
I’ve been cooking versions of this Thai basil sauce for years, and never get tired of it! While by no means an authentic Thai recipe, this is my version of the totally mouthwatering chicken dish that pushes all the flavor buttons.
The fact that it’s still on regular rotation says a lot about how good it is — it’s definitely a recipe you’ll want in your dinnertime bag of tricks.
When it comes to Thai basil chicken, it’s always my favorite thing to order from the local Thai restaurant.
This is a spicy chicken recipe to throw together when you want something wholesome and homemade, but just as hunger-satisfying as your favorite takeout.
- Not that into chicken? Try substituting an equal amount of thinly sliced beef or pork tenderloin for the chicken, or use tofu and stir-fried vegetables to make this a vegetarian main dish dinner.
Ingredients for Thai basil chicken
This dish is has a handful of fresh ingredients, along with Asian condiments you might already have in the pantry:
- Fish Sauce
- Chili Garlic Sauce
- Soy Sauce or shoyu
- Sugar or honey
- Fresh basil (Thai or sweet Italian basil)
- Boneless chicken thigh or chicken breast meat
- Garlic
- Red onion or shallots
- Fresh red chili pepper, such as Thai chilies
- Red bell pepper
Chili garlic sauce is key to making this dish — it’s not very hot all by itself, but it has a wonderful savory flavor.
Make it your own
- If you enjoy spicy-hot flavors, just use more chili pepper to your taste.
- Sprinkle crushed peanuts or cashews on each serving.
- Stir in greens such as spinach or chopped bok choy until they wilt.
- Add chopped scallion or green onion.
- Substitute ground chicken, pork or chopped shrimp or use cubed firm tofu.
Thai Basil Chicken with Red Peppers
Ingredients
Thai Basil Sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin, or sake
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth, or water
Chicken
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken, thigh or breast meat, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons toasted peanut oil, or other high-heat vegetable oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or grated
- 1 fresh red chili pepper, thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups fresh Thai basil or sweet basil leaves
Serving suggestions
- Crushed roasted peanuts
- Fresh sliced cucumber
- Chopped green onions
- Cooked jasmine rice or rice noodles
Instructions
For the sauce
- To make the sauce, combine the fish sauce, mirin, tamari, sugar, chili garlic sauce, cornstarch and water until sugar is dissolved.
For the chicken
- Heat a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the oil and the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is seared and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper and onion and continue cooking and stirring until the onions are softened, about 1 minute, then stir in the garlic and chili pepper.
- Stir in the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Cook for another minute, then remove from the heat and add the basil leaves.
- Serve over cooked rice or rice noodles to soak up the delicious sauce.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Make this dish as spicy as you want with more (or less) fresh red chili, or add crushed red chili.
- Instead of chicken, use with turkey or pork, peeled shrimp or cubed firm tofu.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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OMG…..easy prep, easy cooking, fast, and absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! Hubby raved about it….definitely a keeper, and I’ll be making more of your recipes!!! Thank you!!!
Fantastic!!
Pretty solid! I can eat heat, wife cannot. I didn’t add the chili’s but everything else, yum.
I followed this recipe exactly as written and it was amazing! Next time I’m going to add chopped peanuts as suggested. I highly recommend that you try this. The flavors are well balanced and everyone really loved it.
Excellent recipe. Tons of flavor. We will definitely make this again. I had lomein noodles in the pantry
They worked really well.
Lo mein noodles are perfect! Happy you enjoyed.
I love thai basil but hadn’t found a good recipe until now. Better than takeout and this will definitely be in our weekly rotation.
I’m keto, and as such omitted the sugar and sake entirely. One comment for others making this recipe that if you like a good bit of sauce (and especially if you are omitting liquid ingredients like the sake), consider doubling the sauce part. (I’ll be doing that next time.)
Great recipe, thank you!
This was delicious. I will make it again.
This was delicious.. Easy to put together with pantry staples
Will definitely be making this again and again. Thanks for sharing
Wow this looks so delicious and vibrant! I am always on the lookout for quick weeknight dinners and this definitely fits the criteria. Looking forward to making it next week. Thank you!
This looks perfect. I have been craving pad thai, but am not ready to dine out yet. This will be an ideal take out fake out! I think I will try it over cauliflower rice this weekend.
Love that I can spice this way up for my husband!
Looks so good Karen! Love the combination of flavors.
Thanks Lynn – nice to hear from you!
Dear Karen – I always enjoy getting your e-mails. It is kind of like comfort food. You know comfort e-mails. I hope you are all doing well and Happy Birthday to Anabelle. The chicken with Thai Basil looks wonderful.
Best to you all –
Carol
Dear Carol- It’s so sweet to hear from you. You made my day! We all miss seeing you. XOXO