If you like spicy dishes then you are going to LOVE this healthy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry recipe. The dish is full of veggies and can be prepared in one skillet. It’s a great Thai dinner for 4-6 hungry folks.
This recipe came about because my husband absolutely loves spicy Thai dishes, but where we live there is only one Thai restaurant, and the spicy dish he tried there was not spicy enough. I found a spicy shrimp recipe in a magazine and made some modifications to suit our tastes and voilà! It’s a delicious meal that our whole family loves.
Because there are lots of fresh vegetables, it does take a little bit of time for the prep work. But once the vegetables are prepped, the rest goes by fast.
While it may not be pad krapow gai, it might just be the best Thai basil chicken stir fries you have ever made.
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- Tender pieces of chicken are cooked in a delicious savory sauce!
- It’s full of fresh veggies, so you’ll get a great serving of vitamins and minerals.
- Chicken is a great source of lean protein and the vegetables provide much needed dietary fiber.
- You can customize the spice level to suit your tastes by adjusting the amount of jalapenos and chiles.
- It’s practically a complete meal made in one skillet.
Ingredients
For this delicious spicy chicken stir-fry, you need the following ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly cut on the bias
- 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup sliced yellow onion
- 2-3 carrots, thinly sliced on the bias
- 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
- 1 cup thinly sliced green bell peppers
- 1 can sliced water chestnuts
- 1 cup quartered button mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, optional (1-2 cloves of garlic)
- 2 thinly sliced serrano chiles
- 2 jalapeños, sliced
- ½ – 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
How To Make Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry
Julienne a red and green bell pepper using a sharp knife and also cut an onion into slices roughly 1-2 inches long.
For added texture, slice a couple of peeled carrots on the diagonal.
For heat, use sliced jalapeños and serrano chiles, leaving the seeds in. For less heat, you can remove the seeds.
- Once the vegetables have been prepped, stir fry chicken in sesame oil until it is no longer pink over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
- Next, whisk together the chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside the mixture.
- Now, heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high. 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.
- 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 heat until it has wilted (about a minute). Serve with your favorite rice. (Plain white rice, Basmati rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice all work well.)
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Tips
- If you can’t find Thai basil, you can use regular basil from your garden or the grocery store.
- Look for organic whole plants at the grocery store because it takes about a cup of basil in this recipe. Wash the leaves, roll them up, and then slice them thin. (This is called chiffonade.)
- To save time, purchase pre-sliced carrot slices. Look for them in the produce section at your local grocery store.
Substitutions
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Hungry for more spicy dishes? Check out our recipes for Spicy Arriabata Pasta, Peppered Cornbread which is made using habanero cheese and jalapeños, and our recipe for Pineapple Habanero Jelly, which when served with crackers and cream cheese is a great appetizer.
📖 Recipe
Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe
Ingredients
Cook:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly cut on the bias
- 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
Whisk:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Heat:
- 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup sliced onions
- 2-3 carrots thinly sliced on the bias
- 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
- 1 cup thinly sliced green bell peppers
- 1 can sliced water chestnuts
- 1 cup quartered button mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic optional
- 2 thinly sliced serrano chiles
- 2 jalapenos sliced
Stir In:
- ½ – 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves sliced into thin ribbons
Instructions
- 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.
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.
Nutrition
Be sure to come back and tell us how your Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry turned out in the comment section below!
Linda says
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.
Lynda says
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.
Marty says
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.
Lynda says
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.
Chotima Ratanasakprakan says
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
Lynda says
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Hopefully the day will come when I can try authentic Thai food in Thailand.
Kim Delatorre says
Wow! This looks SO good! I am definitely trying this recipe. We LOVE stir fry!!! Also, your pictures are beautiful!
Kelly says
Does the nutritional value include the rice? We are cutting carbs as much as possible.
Lynda says
No, the nutritional information does not include rice. If you are cutting carbs, you could serve it with cauliflower rice. Hope you enjoy!
Holly says
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.
Lynda says
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. It is a lot of work, but so worth it! Take care. <3
Geometry Dash says
This Thai Spicy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry recipe has become a family favorite, thanks to flavor profile and heat.
Stephanie L. Robertson says
Sounds great! Dinner tomorrow night! 🙂
patti says
wow! I would like to try this!!
patti says
Looks so good!
Stephanie E. says
This looks and sounds delicious!! I am going to have to try it!
Stephanie L. Robertson says
Thanks for making meal-time planning a snap!
One more thing checked off my list. Yessssssss!!!