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5 from 1 vote

Thai Chicken with Holy Basil "Gai Pad Grapow"

A favorite, simple Thai chicken stir-fry with chili and Thai holy basil.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Chicken, Main Dish
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 2
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

  • 1 Tbsp. sweet Thai soy sauce (see note)
  • 2 tsp. Thai soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. fish sauce

For the Chicken:

  • 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 16 oz. (460g.) chicken, finely chopped or ground
  • 3-6 Thai bird's eye chilis, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 30 whole leaves Thai holy basil

For Serving:

  • 2 cups cooked white rice
  • 2 eggs, cooked sunny-side up
  • extra fish sauce mixed with thinly sliced bird's eye chills

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the sweet Thai soy sauce, Thai soy sauce, and fish sauce.
  • Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and, as soon as it begins to steam, add the chopped chicken to the wok, stirring continuously to cook on all sides. When the chicken is nearly cooked through and is golden brown on the outside, about 3 minutes, add the prepared sauce, chilis and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce has evenly coated the chicken and the garlic becomes tender and caramelized, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil.
  • Serve immediately, with rice, eggs, and extra fish sauce on the side.

Notes

Sweet Thai soy sauce is a thick, dark, sweet variety of soy sauce, shown in the middle image below. There is no true substitute, but you can use regular soy sauce and dark brown sugar to approximate its combination of salty and sweet. In addition, an Indonesian sauce called "Kecap Manis" provides a close approximation of its flavor.