Best 5 Thai Style Chicken With Basil Cooks Illustrated Recipes

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Tantalize your taste buds with Thai-Style Chicken with Basil, a vibrant and aromatic dish that captures the essence of Thai cuisine. This tantalizing recipe, meticulously crafted by Cooks Illustrated, offers a harmonious blend of flavors and textures that will transport you to the bustling streets of Bangkok. Embark on a culinary journey as we unveil the secrets behind this delectable dish, exploring variations and providing step-by-step instructions to ensure your homemade creation rivals that of Thailand's finest restaurants. Discover alternative options such as stir-fried ground chicken, a convenient and equally flavorful take on the classic, and a vegetarian interpretation that showcases the versatility of this beloved dish. Get ready to embark on a flavor-packed adventure as we dive into the world of Thai-style chicken with basil, leaving your taste buds craving more with each tantalizing bite.

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

PAD KRAPOW GAI (THAI BASIL CHICKEN)



Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken) image

As dynamic as it is speedy, this ground chicken and green bean recipe from "Night + Market" (Clarkson Potter, 2017) by Kris Yenbamroong and Garrett Snyder, delivers a wallop of flavor with punchy ingredients that stir-fry in just 15 minutes. While this popular Thai street food can be whipped up using a range of proteins, Mr. Yenbamroong refers to his riff as "low-rent" because it's prepared with ground chicken rather than pricier slices of meat. It's piled with basil; Thai basil or holy basil provide more assertive licorice notes, but sweet basil adds herbal bursts of brightness. Spiked with Thai seasoning (see Tip), the chicken mixture is salty on its own, but it's inextricably linked with rice, and imparts the right amount of salinity when dispersed.

Provided by Alexa Weibel

Categories     dinner, easy, for two, quick, weeknight, poultry, main course

Time 15m

Yield 2 to 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound ground chicken (preferably dark meat)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (from 2 cloves)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh bird's-eye chile or other fresh chile (from 1 chile)
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon Thai seasoning sauce (such as Golden Mountain; see Tip)
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves (preferably Thai basil or holy basil)
Ground white pepper, to taste
Steamed jasmine rice, for serving
4 crispy fried eggs (optional)

Steps:

  • Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high, then swirl in the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the ground chicken and cook, actively breaking the chicken up into small pieces, until it is mostly cooked, about 6 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic, sugar and chile until evenly distributed and fragrant, about 2 minutes, then add the green beans, oyster sauce, fish sauce and Thai seasoning, and cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is fully cooked, the green beans are crisp-tender and the krapow is glossy, about 2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, add the basil and a dash of white pepper and toss to combine. If the sauce seems to cling too tightly to the mixture, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to make it loose and glossy.
  • Serve over rice, and top with a crispy fried egg, if desired. Serve with additional Thai seasoning to sprinkle on top, according to taste.

SPICY THAI BASIL CHICKEN (PAD KRAPOW GAI)



Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai) image

My version of this classic Thai dish has spectacular taste even with regular basil instead of Thai or holy basil. The sauce actually acts like a glaze as the chicken mixture cooks over high heat. The recipe works best if you chop or grind your own chicken and have all ingredients prepped before you start cooking.

Provided by Chef John

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Asian     Thai

Time 25m

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 13

⅓ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or as needed
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped
¼ cup sliced shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced Thai chilies, Serrano, or other hot pepper
1 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 cups hot cooked rice

Steps:

  • Whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl until well blended.
  • Heat large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in oil. Add chicken and stir fry until it loses its raw color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in shallots, garlic, and sliced chilies. Continue cooking on high heat until some of the juices start to caramelize in the bottom of the pan, about 2 or 3 more minutes. Add about a tablespoon of the sauce mixture to the skillet; cook and stir until sauce begins to caramelize, about 1 minute.
  • Pour in the rest of the sauce. Cook and stir until sauce has deglazed the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until sauce glazes onto the meat, 1 or 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Stir in basil. Cook and stir until basil is wilted, about 20 seconds. Serve with rice.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 715.4 calories, Carbohydrate 58.6 g, Cholesterol 155.9 mg, Fat 30 g, Fiber 1.4 g, Protein 49.8 g, SaturatedFat 6.5 g, Sodium 1181.9 mg, Sugar 6.1 g

AUTHENTIC THAI BASIL CHICKEN (VERY EASY AND FAST)



Authentic Thai Basil Chicken (Very Easy and Fast) image

This only takes about 25 minutes to make. Very easy and fabulous flavor! This is very popular in Thailand. They sell this on the streets as well as in the restaurants. You won't believe how incredible this recipe is. It is my husband's and my new favorite. Serve with white rice.

Provided by Nancy Gibson

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Chicken     Chicken Breast Recipes

Time 24m

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup oyster sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pinch white sugar
2 small chile peppers, sliced
⅓ cup water
½ cup fresh basil leaves

Steps:

  • Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir in chile peppers. Pour in water. Cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in basil before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 303.7 calories, Carbohydrate 14.5 g, Cholesterol 58.5 mg, Fat 16.2 g, Fiber 2.1 g, Protein 25.8 g, SaturatedFat 2.8 g, Sodium 1625.4 mg, Sugar 5.7 g

THAI CHICKEN WITH BASIL



Thai Chicken With Basil image

Provided by Marian Burros

Categories     dinner, easy, main course

Time 40m

Yield 2 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

3/4 cup long-grain rice
1 jalapeño
1 hot red pepper
4 large cloves garlic
4 shallots
1/2 teaspoon canned green peppercorns
2 teaspoons canola oil
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons nam pla fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, plus a few basil leaves for garnish

Steps:

  • Combine rice and 1 1/2 cups water in heavy-bottom pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook the rice, covered, for 17 minutes.
  • Trim and seed the jalapeño and the red pepper. Put from half the jalapeño to all of it, and as much of the red pepper as you like, into a food processor, and add the garlic, shallots and peppercorns. Process to make a coarse paste.
  • Heat a nonstick pan (large enough to hold all the ingredients except the rice) until it is very hot. Reduce heat to medium high, and add the oil. Sauté the garlic mixture for 30 seconds. Set aside.
  • Finely chop the chicken breast in the food processor. Return pan to heat, and sauté the chicken, breaking it into tiny pieces while cooking.
  • Add the fish sauce and sugar, and stir well. Set aside.
  • Wash and dry the basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Return pan to heat, and stir the basil into the chicken mixture. Serve over rice, garnished with the remaining basil.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 737, UnsaturatedFat 14 grams, Carbohydrate 90 grams, Fat 21 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 46 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 1542 milligrams, Sugar 19 grams, TransFat 0 grams

THAI-STYLE CHICKEN WITH BASIL (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)



Thai-Style Chicken With Basil (Cook's Illustrated) image

I have yet to try a recipe from the Food Gods that are Cook's Illustrated that I didn't care for and this one fails to disappoint as well. The method here requires slower cooking than the usual stir-fry in order to allow the aromatics to permeate the oil. It should be noted that my version had some ingredients substituted with what I could find: jalapenos for the Thai chilies (I know...what was I thinking?) and Italian basil for what C.I. recommends; "hot basil". I'm not even sure what that is, but apparently it has a "robust texture that can stand up to prolonged cooking". Anyway, it was still delicious with my substitutions! Times are estimated.

Provided by Sandi From CA

Categories     < 60 Mins

Time 40m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 cups fresh basil leaves (hot basil or Thai holy basil if you can find it)
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
6 Thai green chili or 6 red Thai red chili peppers, stemmed
2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for serving
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
red pepper flakes, for serving

Steps:

  • Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 1-second pulses, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed (turn off processor first!).
  • Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.
  • Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate 1/4-inch pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. [ NOTE: I used a blender and it started to make the chicken mushy, which was *not* what you want here. I stopped immediately and ended up hacking away at the remains with a cleaver. :o) ] Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.
  • Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1 1/2 minutes; if it doesn't, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
  • Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute.
  • Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar separately.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 221, Fat 9.9, SaturatedFat 1.5, Cholesterol 72.6, Sodium 963.5, Carbohydrate 6.5, Fiber 0.4, Sugar 3.6, Protein 25.6

Tips:

  • Use a large skillet or wok. The chicken should have plenty of room to brown and cook evenly.
  • Stir-fry the chicken in small batches. If you overcrowd the pan, the chicken will steam instead of brown.
  • Don't overcook the chicken. The chicken should be cooked through but still tender and juicy. Overcooked chicken will be tough and dry.
  • Use a variety of vegetables. Some good choices include bell peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli, and zucchini.
  • Add the vegetables to the skillet or wok in stages. The vegetables that take longer to cook should be added first.
  • Use a flavorful sauce. The sauce should be savory, sweet, and slightly spicy. You can use a prepared sauce or make your own.
  • Serve the chicken and vegetables over jasmine rice or noodles.

Conclusion:

Thai-style chicken with basil is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. With its vibrant flavors and tender chicken, this dish is sure to please everyone at your table.

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