Thai Basil Chicken {Pad Kra Pao Gai}

Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Karen

Ground chicken and green beans are stir fried with chiles and Thai basil for a delicious, aromatic dish.

TGIF!  I am especially excited about this Friday because I’ll be picking up my brand new iPhone later.  I have been waiting for over a month and finally received an email notification earlier this week, but I haven’t found the time to go to the store, so it has been keeping me on the edge of my seat all week long.

In other news, the recipe I am sharing with you today is a recent successful restaurant recreation of mine. I have tried some variation of Fried Buffalo Cauliflower Bites which turned out horrible and Bon Chon’s Soy Garlic Wings which are still in the testing stage (I am getting pretty close though!).  But this dish, it’s my pride and joy!  Ground chicken is stir fried with crunchy long beans and seasoned with garlic, chilies, and shallots, which are, in my opinion, the trinity of Southeast Asian cooking.  The dish is so flavorful as is — the addition of Thai basil leaves at the end just makes it SING.

The inspiration comes from Pure Thai Cookhouse, which is one of our go-to takeout spots. I actually had never dined at the restaurant until this week, when a friend who was in town suggested that we go there to grab a bite. We discovered that this was one of her favorite Thai restaurants too — what a coincidence!  Anyway, I love spicy foods – I want it extra spicy when I order from the restaurant – but PTC takes its spiciness very seriously.  My eyes tear up and I get a little lightheaded every single time I eat their dish.

My version, on the other hand, provides just the right amount of heat. This is the perfect dish to serve on a pile of fluffy jasmine rice, and if you feel like it, a fried sunny-side-up egg on top — I love it either way.

Hope a weekend full of fun and relaxation is on your horizon!

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Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao Gai)

Chicken and long beans are stir fried with chiles and Thai basil for a delicious, aromatic dish.

Servings 2

Author Karen @ The Tasty Bite

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 shallots minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 4 Thai bird’s eye chilies minced
• 1 cup long beans cut into 1/4" pieces
• 8 oz ground chicken breast
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 bunch fresh Thai basil leaves stems removed
• Eggs optional

Instructions

• Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over high-medium heat. When the oil is hot, add shallots, garlic, and chilies, and cook until they are fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add long beans and stir fry for two minutes.
• Toss in chicken and stir fry until it the meat is cooked through. Add oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauce, and sugar to the wok. Add a splash of water if the mixture becomes dry.
• Fold in basil leaves and turn off the heat when the leaves are wilted. Serve immediately over rice and sunny side up eggs, if desired.