Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry with Vegetables
Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is a quick, flavorful dinner made with tender chicken, fresh basil, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts in a savory sauce with plenty of heat.
This isn’t a traditional pad krapow gai. It’s a Thai-inspired chicken and vegetable stir-fry that came about because my husband loves spicy Thai food – and the local version just wasn’t spicy enough for him.
So I started with a spicy shrimp recipe I found in a magazine, made a few changes, added chicken, vegetables, basil, and extra heat, and this became one of those meals our whole family enjoys.
There is a fair amount of chopping involved, but once the vegetables are ready, the actual stir-fry moves quickly. Have everything prepped before you turn on the stove, because this is not the moment to suddenly realize the mushrooms are still in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
For this delicious spicy chicken stir-fry, you need the following:
- Chicken
- Sesame oil
- Chicken broth
- Hoisin sauce
- Soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- Brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- Onion
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Water chestnuts
- Garlic (optional)
- Peppers (red and green bell peppers, serrano, jalapeño)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Steamed rice, for serving, optional
You’ll find the complete ingredient list with exact amounts in the recipe card below.
How To Make Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry
The most important part of making a good stir-fry is having everything ready before you begin cooking.
Prepare the Vegetables
Slice the red and green bell peppers into thin strips.
Cut the onion into strips about 1 to 2 inches long.
Slice the peeled carrots on the diagonal.
Slice the mushrooms, jalapeño, and serrano pepper.
For heat, use sliced jalapeños and serrano chiles, leaving the seeds in. For less heat, you can remove the seeds.
Cook the Chicken
- Once the vegetables have been prepped, stir-fry the chicken in sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok until no longer pink. Remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Make the Stir-Fry Sauce
- Next, whisk together the chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside the mixture.
Stir-Fry the Vegetables
- Now, heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add onions and carrots and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add bell peppers, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Stir-fry everything for another 1-2 minutes.
Finish the Dish
- Add the cooked chicken, garlic, jalapeños, and serrano pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the broth mixture and simmer until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Finally, stir in the basil and cook until wilted (about 1 minute). Serve with your favorite rice.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How To Adjust the Spice Level
This recipe gets most of its heat from jalapeño and serrano peppers.
For a milder version:
- Remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers.
- Use fewer serranos.
- Substitute an additional bell pepper for some of the hot peppers.
For more heat:
- Leave the seeds in.
- Add an extra serrano.
- Add crushed red pepper or fresh Thai chiles if you like things seriously spicy.
Just remember: you can always add heat at the table.
Removing it after the entire family is sweating is considerably more difficult.
Can You Prepare This Ahead of Time?
Yes.
The vegetables can be sliced up to a day ahead and refrigerated in airtight containers.
You can also mix the stir-fry sauce ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
That makes this much faster to cook on a busy evening.
I recommend cooking the chicken and vegetables just before serving rather than fully preparing the stir-fry in advance, because freshly stir-fried vegetables have the best texture.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Reheat gently in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
You can also microwave individual portions, but the vegetables will usually remain crisper when reheated on the stovetop.
If the sauce thickens considerably in the refrigerator, add a small splash of chicken broth or water while reheating.
Substitutions
- Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can replace chicken breasts and will give the dish a slightly richer flavor.
- Regular basil: Sweet basil can be used if Thai basil isn’t available.
- Coconut aminos: Coconut aminos can replace soy sauce, although the finished flavor will be somewhat sweeter and less salty.
- Fish sauce: If you don’t use fish sauce, a vegetarian fish sauce substitute can work. Keep in mind that removing fish sauce altogether changes the savory character of the sauce.
- Bell peppers: Yellow or orange bell peppers can be used in place of red or green.
- Vegetables: This is a flexible stir-fry, so you can adjust the vegetables based on what you have on hand.
What To Serve With Thai Basil Chicken
Rice is the easiest pairing because it soaks up the savory sauce.
Try this stir-fry with:
- Jasmine rice
- White rice
- Brown rice
- Basmati rice
- Cauliflower rice
Because the stir-fry already contains chicken and plenty of vegetables, it really doesn’t need much else to make a complete meal.
For another easy vegetable-heavy dish, try my Stir Fry Vegetables.
If spicy food is more your thing, you might also like Spicy Arrabbiata Penne, Peppered Cornbread, or Pineapple Habanero Jelly.
Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Cook chicken in sesame oil until no longer pink. Remove to plate and set aside.
- Whisk together broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high. Add onions and carrots; stir-fry 1-2 minutes. Add bell peppers, water chestnuts, and mushrooms; stir-fry 1-2 minutes.
- Add chicken, garlic, jalapenos and serrano and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in broth mixture; simmer until thickened, 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in basil and heat until wilted (about a minute). Serve with rice.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- If you are a fan of dark meat, feel free to substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts.
- You can use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- If you don’t like the taste of fish sauce, use a vegetarian or vegan fish sauce.
- You can use yellow bell peppers in place or in addition to the others in this recipe.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Is This the Same as Pad Krapow Gai?
No.
Traditional pad krapow gai is Thai chicken stir-fried with holy basil, chiles, garlic, and a savory sauce. It usually contains far fewer vegetables than this recipe and has a different flavor profile.
This recipe is better described as a Thai-inspired basil chicken stir-fry with vegetables.
That distinction matters because if you’re looking for traditional pad krapow, this isn’t pretending to be it.
If you’re looking for a spicy chicken stir-fry loaded with vegetables and fresh basil, however, you’re in the right place.
Thai Basil vs. Regular Basil
Thai basil has a distinct flavor with slightly spicy, anise-like notes and holds up well to cooking.
If you can find it, use it.
Regular sweet basil will also work, but the finished dish will taste a little different.
This recipe calls for quite a bit of basil, so buying a whole basil plant can sometimes be less expensive than buying several small packages of leaves.
To prepare the basil, stack the leaves, roll them tightly, and slice them into thin ribbons.
FAQs
Yes, all the vegetables can be prepped up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. It’s a great way to save time on busy weeknights.
No, regular basil can be used as a substitute if you can’t find Thai basil. You will need about half to one cup of basil for the recipe.
Absolutely. A large skillet works well. The important thing is to use a pan large enough that the ingredients have room to cook quickly rather than steam.
This recipe contains lean chicken and a generous amount of vegetables. How it fits into your diet will depend on portion size, the amount of rice served with it, and individual nutritional needs.
Remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeños and serranos, reduce the amount of hot peppers, or substitute additional bell pepper.
Last Bite
This Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry gives you tender chicken, plenty of vegetables, fresh basil, and enough heat to make dinner interesting – all in one skillet.
How spicy do you like your stir-fry: mild, medium, or “pass me a glass of milk immediately”? Let me know in the comments.
I normally access my recipes on my laptop, so that I can set it on my kitchen countertop and not have to print anything out. Unfortunately, I’m planning to try this recipe today, but with advertisement bubble that keeps popping up on the left side, I had to print it out. That’s a little irritating, but hopefully it’s a good enough recipe to justify having to use paper.
I know ads can be annoying, but they also help pay the expenses of maintaining a blog.
We really LOVE the recipe. Please come back and tell us how it turned out for you.
This is the BEST Thai Chicken recipe! It requires a lot of chopping but it is delicious! The sauce, the chile papers, and the Basil are what makes this a 5-star recipe. I am now going to try a couple more of your recipes.
I don’t know who you are, but I bet we could be good friends. 😊 I completely agree with you – it’s a lot of work but well worth it. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for you choose thai cuisine menu to share to everyone. It’s look nice and delicious but it is not Thai dish as I eat at my home in Thailand.
For the Thai basil spicy meat stri-fry, we just use
1. Meat that you like or you want to eat.
2. Thai basil of course
3. Chopped Chilli ( bird eye chilli)
4. Chopped Garlic
5. Fish sauce
6. A little bit of oil
7. Boil rice
How to cook
1. Add a little oil in the hot pan (high level of the heat)
2. Add chopped garlic and chopped chilli (this part will have strong small from smell) and then stir
3. Add the meat you like and stir until the meat is cooked
4. Add 1-2 table spoon of fish sauce and then stri it well
5. Add thai basil, turn of the heat and stir and mix well
6. Serve with boil rice.
My home recipe cook like this.
Thank you
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Hopefully the day will come when I can try authentic Thai food in Thailand.
Wow! This looks SO good! I am definitely trying this recipe. We LOVE stir fry!!! Also, your pictures are beautiful!
Does the nutritional value include the rice? We are cutting carbs as much as possible.
No, the nutritional information does not include rice. If you are cutting carbs, you could serve it with cauliflower rice. Hope you enjoy!
This was a lot of work but it was excellent. I just used a tablespoon of oil each time and took the seeds ot of the serrano peppers and the flavor was awesome. I will definitely make this again.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. It is a lot of work, but so worth it! Take care. <3
This Thai Spicy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry recipe has become a family favorite, thanks to flavor profile and heat.
Sounds great! Dinner tomorrow night! 🙂
wow! I would like to try this!!
Looks so good!
This looks and sounds delicious!! I am going to have to try it!
Thanks for making meal-time planning a snap!
One more thing checked off my list. Yessssssss!!!