Description
Thai basil chicken blends fragrant basil, tender chicken, and bold flavors that come together in your pan in just minutes. Fresh lime juice and a touch of heat make this dish something you can have on your table any weeknight when you need dinner fast.
Ingredients
Scale
Main ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken, sliced
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
Supporting ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 red chili, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
Instructions
- Pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into your pan and set the heat to medium, letting it warm through for about 30 seconds.
- Add your 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 sliced red chili to the hot oil, stirring them around for 1 minute until they become fragrant.
- Place your 1 pound of sliced chicken into the pan and cook it over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, breaking it up as needed until the pieces turn golden brown throughout.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon of sugar, stirring everything together for about 30 seconds.
- Add your sliced bell pepper to the pan and let it cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until it softens slightly and your chicken absorbs those flavors.
- Toss in your 1 cup of fresh Thai basil leaves and stir gently for about 1 minute at medium heat until they wilt down into the dish.
- Transfer everything to a serving plate and eat it hot alongside freshly cooked rice.
Notes
- Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces so it cooks evenly and absorbs the sauce flavors better throughout the dish.
- Mince your garlic and chili finely so they distribute throughout the pan and create a more balanced sauce rather than having chunks of raw flavor.
- Add your Thai basil at the very end since it loses its distinctive taste and aroma when cooked too long, and just a quick wilt is all it needs.
- If you’re avoiding fish sauce for dietary reasons, replace it with soy sauce or tamari in equal amounts, though the depth will be slightly different.
- For a vegetarian version, swap the chicken with firm tofu or mushrooms and use vegetable broth in place of fish sauce to keep the savory quality.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sautéed Chicken
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 225 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg