Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry

Hello and welcome to Sunday Supper! Today’s dish is a popular street food in Thailand, it’s called Pad Gra Prow Gai. Served with a fried egg, this dish is savory, sweet, a little spicy and thoroughly delicious. The fresh basil leaves give it a sweet, fresh flavor; the sauce coats the ground chicken and crunchy green beans for a ton of savory flavor in every bite. I had this dish recently at a local Thai restaurant and I couldn’t wait to try it at home. It’s super easy, are you ready? Let’s do this Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry!

There are some substitutions I have made: 1) I used ground turkey instead of chicken; 2) regular sweet basil subs in for Thai basil; and 3) instead of Thai chiles, I have used one Serrano pepper and one red chile pepper. Also I have opted to garnish with sliced scallions. While ground turkey and chicken are widely available, the rest of the subs are easier to find at the supermarket, so hopefully you won’t have any trouble replicating this recipe.

A Note on Thai Basil versus Sweet Basil

Thai basil has a slightly anise flavor, with some spicy, peppery notes; whereas sweet basil is much more mildly flavored. There will be a little bit of flavor difference, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing! If you can easily find Thai basil, go for it!

Prep the Ingredients

Prep the ingredients before starting. Get your Jasmine rice going first – about 15-20 minutes before you start prepping. We have about 1 cup of diced fresh green beans; thinly sliced red chile pepper and thinly sliced Serrano pepper; about 5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced; and about 3 shallots, diced. The basil leaves we will leave alone until we’re ready for them, so the leaves won’t turn brown. We have our eggs (1 per serving) and some oil for the pan.

We will start with the sauce, so the flavors can hang out together while we stir fry the meat and veggies. In a small bowl, whisk together Dark Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, and Regular Soy Sauce. Set this aside until we’re ready for it.

Ready to Stir Fry

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or so. Then pour in 2 tablespoons of grapeseed or peanut oil. Let the oil get hot, about 1 minute. I am using my brasier, which works great for this recipe. To the hot oil add garlic, chile peppers and shallots. Stir and let sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Then add the ground chicken or turkey. Break it up as it cooks, we are looking for small cooked pieces of protein. No large chunks. Ground turkey and chicken are great for this because they break up into small bits a lot more easily than say, beef or pork.

Once the protein is mostly cooked through and broken into small pieces (about 6 minutes), set up a Nonstick Egg Pan or skillet over medium-low heat with a drizzle of oil. Let the oil get hot and then crack your eggs into the skillet. Let the eggs fry and turn your attention back to the stir fry. Add the sauce and stir to coat the meat in the sauce.

Then add the diced green beans to the stir fry. Stir to fully incorporate the green beans and coat them in sauce.

Now check your eggs. The whites should be mostly set, so cut the heat and cover the pan. Let the eggs finish cooking with the radiant heat of the pan.

Now, add the basil leaves to the stir fry; pluck the leaves from the stems and drop them in, tear the largest leaves in half as you add them to the meat mixture. Stir in the basil leaves, cooking for only about 30 seconds, then cut the heat.

Plate it up!

Scoop a generous serving of jasmine rice into a wide shallow bowl and top with the Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry. If your eggs cooked together, use a silicone spatula to slice them apart and top the Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry with an egg.

If you want to top with sliced scallions, go for it! You can set out some Thai sweet chili sauce and some sriracha sauce, if you like.

This dish really ticks every single box for me. The next time I make it I will definitely double the recipe because it’s great as leftovers too. We have tried a few other Thai, or Thai-inspired dishes on Djalali Cooks, like Coconut Curry Soup, Thai-inspired Chicken Salad and Spring Rolls – give them a try! Thanks for joining me today, take care and be well! xo Kelly

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Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry - Pad Gra Prow Gai

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Dinner, Main Course – Thai

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~10 Minutes – Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Spicy, sweet and savory are perfectly balanced in this popular Thai Street Food dish, Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry Spicy - Pad Gra Prow Gai. With Ground chicken or turkey, fresh basil, green beans in a flavorful sauce. Served with a fried egg and rice.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Jasmine Rice, cooked to package directions
• 2 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 3 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Grapeseed or Peanut Oil
• 1 Serrano Chile Pepper, sliced thin (with or without seeds)
• 1 Small Red Chile Pepper, sliced thin (with or without seeds)
• 5 Cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
• 3 Shallots, minced
• 1 lb. Ground Turkey or Chicken
• 1 cup Diced Green Beans
• 1.5 cups (or 1 large bunch) Sweet Basil (or Thai basil), leaves torn from stems
• 2 Eggs (1 per serving)
• 1 Scallion, sliced thinly for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1

Get your Jasmine rice going first, about 15-20 minutes before you start prepping.

2

In a small bowl, whisk together Dark Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, and Regular Soy Sauce. Set this aside until we're ready for it.

3

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or so. Then pour in 2 tablespoons of grapeseed or peanut oil. Let the oil get hot, about 1 minute.

4

To the hot oil add garlic, chile peppers and shallots. Stir and let sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

5

Then add the ground chicken or turkey. Break it up as it cooks, we are looking for small cooked pieces of protein. No large chunks.

6

Once the protein is mostly cooked through and broken into small pieces (about 6 minutes), set up a Nonstick Egg Pan or skillet over medium-low heat with a drizzle of oil. Let the oil get hot and then crack your eggs into the skillet.

7

Let the eggs fry on medium-low and turn your attention back to the stir fry.

8

Add the sauce to the meat mixture and stir to coat the meat in the sauce.

9

Then add the diced green beans to the stir fry. Stir to fully incorporate the green beans and coat them in sauce.

10

Now check your eggs. The whites should be mostly set, so cut the heat and cover the pan. Let the eggs finish cooking with the radiant heat of the pan. We are looking for set whites, with runny yolks.

11

Now, add the basil leaves to the stir fry; pluck the leaves from the stems and drop them in, tear the largest leaves in half as you add them to the meat mixture. Stir in the basil leaves, cooking for only about 30 seconds, then cut the heat.

12

Scoop a generous serving of jasmine rice into a wide shallow bowl and top with the Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry. If your eggs cooked together, use a silicone spatula to slice them apart and top the Stir Fry with an egg.

13

Garnish with thinly sliced scallions, if desired. Serve with sweet chili sauce and sriracha.