Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

This is a very fast stir-fry; the entire cooking process takes less than 10 minutes, so you must have every single ingredient prepped and next…

by Simone Holloway

July 23, 2025

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Ingredients

3 to 6 Thai chilies, stemmed
6 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large chicken breast, coarsely ground (or 3/4 pound store-bought ground chicken)
2 large shallots, cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1.5 handfuls fresh Thai basil leaves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1.5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chicken broth

Prep Your Mise en Place

Mince the Thai chilies and garlic together. A few quick pulses in a small food processor is ideal; you want a coarse mince, not a paste.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, light brown sugar, and chicken broth until the sugar is dissolved.

Place these bowls, the ground chicken, the sliced vegetables, and the basil leaves next to your stove.

Bloom the Aromatics

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates instantly. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the surface.

Add the minced chili and garlic mixture to the hot oil. Stir-fry constantly for no more than ~30 seconds. The moment you smell the fragrant garlic, you’re ready for the next step. Do not let it brown.

Cook the Chicken and Vegetables

Add the ground chicken to the wok. Use a spatula to immediately start breaking it apart into small crumbles. Continue to stir-fry, breaking up any clumps, until the chicken is no longer pink, which should take ~2-3 minutes.

Add the shallot and bell pepper strips and pour the prepared sauce all over everything. Continue to stir-fry for another ~2 minutes. The sauce will bubble and thicken slightly, and the vegetables should soften but retain a slight crunch.

Add Basil Last, Off the Heat

Turn the stove off completely.

Immediately add all of the basil leaves to the wok. Use your spatula to fold them into the hot chicken and sauce. They will wilt from the residual heat in about ~30-45 seconds.

Serve Immediately

Scrape the contents of the wok onto a plate. This dish needs to be served immediately with jasmine rice. The basil will continue to darken as it sits, and the textures are best right out of the wok.

Thai Basil Chicken

This is a very fast stir-fry; the entire cooking process takes less than 10 minutes, so you must have every single ingredient prepped and next to the stove before you even think about turning on the heat. The most important part is adding the basil after the wok is off the heat; the residual heat is more than enough to wilt it perfectly without turning it black and bitter.

Prep Time15

Active Time7

Total Time22

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Ingredients

3 to 6 Thai chilies stemmed
6 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large chicken breast coarsely ground (or 3/4 pound store-bought ground chicken)
2 large shallots cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1.5 handfuls fresh Thai basil leaves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1.5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chicken broth

Instructions

Mince Thai chilies and garlic together in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, and chicken broth in a small bowl.
Heat a wok over high heat until very hot. Add peanut oil and swirl to coat.
Add chili-garlic mixture and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add ground chicken and break into small crumbles. Stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes.
Add shallots, bell peppers and sauce mixture. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Turn off heat. Add basil leaves and fold into the hot mixture until just wilted, about 30 seconds.
Transfer immediately to serving plate and serve with jasmine rice.