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Thai Basil Chicken: A Quick and Flavorful Weeknight Favorite
Thai basil chicken is one of those dishes that’s simple, versatile, and always full of bold, delicious flavor. You can make it with cubed chicken breast or ground chicken—either way, it’s quick to stir-fry and comes out tasting incredible.
If you want to take it to the next level, serve it with a sunny-side-up egg. Let the yolk melt into the hot basil chicken, and every bite becomes rich, silky, and absolutely heavenly. It’s such a simple addition, but it makes the dish feel extra special.
This is one of my favorite recipes when I have a surplus of basil in the garden. There’s nothing better than tossing a big handful of fresh basil into the pan and letting it wilt into the chicken, releasing that signature aroma.
It’s the perfect weeknight meal—fast, flavorful, and satisfying. Just serve it over a bowl of steamed rice, and dinner is ready in no time.
Spicy Thai Basil Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 3 lbs chicken breast, roughly ground or cut into one inch pieces
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
Caramel Sauce:
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup sugar
Aromatics:
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- ¼ cup Thai chili peppers, chopped
Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ Tbsp Maggi , or soy sauce
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup mushroom powder
- 1 Tbsp chili paste
Topping:
- 2 cups basil, thinly sliced
Optional Topping:
- Eggs , sunny side up
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients together and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients together. Mix well and set aside.
- I find it best to use a rubber spatula during the cooking process so the caramel sauce does not stick to the spatula.
- In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add oil and sugar to make the caramel sauce. Stir occasionally until you see an amber color and the sugar is fully melted. This will take around 2-3 minutes. Do not burn this part, and if you do, then start all over again.
- Once sugar is melted, add marinated chicken and thoroughly combine with the caramel sauce. Turn heat up high and then let it cook untouched for 3 minutes. Then toss and cook for another 3 minutes, untouched. With your spatula, break apart the chicken by “stabbing” and chopping it to separate the chicken pieces.
- Remove the chicken along with all of its juices and put aside.
- Add additional oil and now add garlic, shallots and chili peppers.
- Cook the aromatics for a couple of minutes, pour the sauce into the pan and mix it with the aromatics and let the sauce cook for 30 seconds to a minute then add the cooked chicken along with all of its juices.
- Cook for another 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. If using one inch pieces of chicken breast then your cooking time might be a bit more.
- Remove skillet from heat and stir in basil.
- Serve with a bowl of rice.
Nutrition
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