A beloved Thai street food classic featuring ground chicken stir-fried with fresh holy basil, chilies, and garlic in a savory-sweet sauce. Quick to prepare and intensely flavorful, it is traditionally served over jasmine rice with a crispy fried egg on top.
For best results, fry the eggs fresh just before serving rather than storing them with the chicken. This dish can also be made with ground pork, ground turkey, or finely minced chicken thighs if ground chicken is unavailable.
Store covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before serving. Serve with sliced cucumber on the side for a cooling contrast to the heat of the dish, as is common in Thailand.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ lbs ground chicken
- 2 cups fresh holy basil leaves (or Thai basil as a substitute)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 Thai bird's eye chilies (adjust to heat preference)
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (for serving)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ lbs ground chicken
- 2 cups fresh holy basil leaves (or Thai basil as a substitute)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 Thai bird's eye chilies (adjust to heat preference)
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (for serving)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
Make the sauce
Combine the oyster sauce (2 tbsp), fish sauce (2 tbsp), soy sauce (1 tbsp), dark soy sauce (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), and water (2 tbsp) in a small bowl.
Stir until the sugar dissolves and set aside.
Equipment: small bowl, spoon
Prepare garlic and chili paste
Peel and roughly chop the garlic (6 cloves).
Trim the stems from the bird's eye chilies and roughly chop them.
Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife, pound or smash the garlic and chilies together into a rough paste.
Equipment: mortar and pestle, knife, cutting board
Slice the shallot
Peel and thinly slice the shallot (1 large) into half-moons.
Equipment: knife, cutting board
Prepare the basil
Pick the Thai basil (2 cups) leaves from their stems, discarding the stems.
Rinse and pat dry, then set aside.
Equipment: paper towels
Heat the wok
Heat vegetable oil (1 tbsp) in a wok or large skillet over high heat until shimmering and just beginning to smoke.
Equipment: wok, large skillet
Stir-fry garlic and chili
Add the garlic and chili paste to the hot wok and stir-fry until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn.
Equipment: wok, spatula
Add shallot
Add the sliced shallot and stir-fry until slightly softened.
Equipment: wok, spatula
Cook the chicken
Add the ground chicken (1 lb) and spread it out in the wok.
Let it sear undisturbed.
Break it apart with a spatula and continue stir-frying over high heat until cooked through with no pink remaining.
Equipment: wok, spatula
Add sauce and caramelize
Pour the prepared sauce over the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
Continue stir-frying until the sauce is absorbed and slightly caramelized.
Equipment: wok, spatula
Finish with basil
Remove the wok from heat and fold in the fresh [missing: thai_basil] leaves, stirring until they are just wilted from the residual heat.
Taste and adjust seasoning with additional fish sauce or sugar if needed.
Equipment: wok, spatula
Fry the eggs
In a separate skillet, heat the remaining vegetable oil (1 tbsp) over medium-high heat.
Crack in the eggs one at a time and fry until the whites are set and crispy at the edges but the yolks are still runny.
Equipment: skillet, spatula
Plate and serve
Divide the jasmine rice (4 cups) among four plates.
Spoon the Thai basil chicken alongside or over the rice, and top each serving with a crispy fried egg.
Serve immediately.
Equipment: plates, spoon
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • For best results, fry the eggs fresh just before serving rather than storing them with the chicken.
- • This dish can also be made with ground pork, ground turkey, or finely minced chicken thighs if ground chicken is unavailable.
- • Serve with sliced cucumber on the side for a cooling contrast to the heat of the dish, as is common in Thailand.
- • Store covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before serving.
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