Many years ago, a friend wanted me to make Thai Basil Chicken for her party, so I altered an old recipe from my collection and whipped this up. It was a huge success! This dish became a staple when I discovered a good store for good basil prices. It’s quick, easy, inexpensive, and nearly foolproof.
I originally shared this favorite recipe over a decade ago, but have updated the post and added more options in the recipe for different dietary needs. For vegetables, we sometimes just serve this over cauliflower rice or add steamed broccoli or bok choy for equally fast sides.
Special Diet Notes: Thai Basil Chicken
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, optionally nut-free, optionally peanut-free, and optionally soy-free. Just be sure to choose the ingredient options that fit your needs and seek out a simple fish sauce without a bunch of additives.
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoon peanut oil or your cooking oil of choice
- 1 to 2 Thai chili peppers (also called bird's eye), seeded and finely chopped, seeded*
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 to 2 teaspoons)
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, wheat-free tamari (for gluten-free), or coconut aminos (for soy-free)
- ¾ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- Brown rice, white rice, or cauliflower rice, to serve
- Handful crushed peanuts, for garnish (optional)
- Cut the chicken into small pieces.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and peppers and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken and stir fry until the meat is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the green onions, fish sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the basil.
- Serve over rice and garnish with peanuts, if desired.
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16 Comments
I love Thai basil, it’s so flavorful and fragrant that I’d love to add into most of my dishes ?
This bowl of basil chicken might be lovely for my coming weekend!
This is perfect for you then Natalie! It’s so easy and versatile. We just add whatever veggies we have on hand!
This looks SO amazing! My family would really love this for dinner. Love that it only takes 17 minutes to make!
Yep, we’re all about fast and easy at dinner time 🙂
Quick and easy! This would make a great meal option for a busy weekday.
Thai basil everything for me. Can’t wait to make one of my fave dishes at home!
I love the addition of thai basil! I bet my husband would love this – pinning for later!
Mine does and he’s not even a basil fan!
I love thia, basil, and chicken! This is the perfect dish for me to try out!
I love anything with fresh basil! What a great summer meal!
This sounds so delicious. My hubby is allergic to basil. Is there anything that would work as a substitute? This sounds too good to not try.
Oh wow, that’s the first basil allergy I’ve heard of! It’s possible that cilantro would work well, but I’m not a big cilantro fan myself. I would lean toward adding kaffir lime leaves or lemongrass (and removing them after cooking) and/or maybe parsley. Those would be my best guesses!
This looks like something I could look forward to on a Friday night, or every Friday night. Love Thai flavors.
It’s totally a weekend meal!
This is one of our favorite meals! It’s so yummy! We just add less red pepper flakes for the kids. Thank you!
I’m glad you are enjoying it as much as we do Natasha!