Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kraprow Gai)
Basil chicken with a crisp-edged fried egg makes a very appealing plate. The chicken catches a savory sauce, and the holy basil goes in at the last moment. Break into the egg and enjoy the little pieces of chicken beneath it while everything's warm.
- Prep
- 7 min
- Cook
- 3 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Original yield
- Serves 2
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Thai · Asian
- Cooking method
- Stir fry
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Pick the basil first
Pull the holy basil leaves from their stems and discard the stems before the cooking gets underway.
2. Render the skin slowly
Start the minced chicken skin and fat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally so they brown without burning.
3. Have the sauce mixed
Stir the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar together ahead of adding them to the chicken.
Get to know the ingredients
Small chicken pieces
Remove skin and fat, then cut the thigh meat in two directions to make the specified small pieces.
Finely minced skin
Keep the removed skin for rendering and mince it as finely as possible before putting it in its pan.
Roughly chopped chilies
Prepare the chilies with the roughly chopped garlic, ready to add once the chicken skin starts crisping.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 2. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 12 steps completeMake room for Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kraprow Gai)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Basil goes in off the heat
Turn off the heat, toss basil through the sauced chicken and plate immediately with the fried egg on top.
A little more help as you go
Two pans do separate jobs
Use one frying pan for rendering skin and cooking chicken, and the second for frying the egg.
Wait for shimmering oil
Heat the egg pan until its oil is hot and shimmering before carefully breaking in the egg.
A few questions you might have
Does the basil cook with the chicken from the start?
Add it after turning the heat off, once the chicken has been tossed through the sauce.
What should the fried egg look like?
Fry until the bottom is crisp and the white is cooked through, then use it to top the chicken.
When do garlic and chilies go in?
Add them once the chicken skin is browned and starting to crisp, after turning the heat up high.
How do I coat the chicken in sauce?
Add the mixed sauce toward the end and keep tossing and stir-frying until it coats the chicken evenly.
Is the skin discarded after trimming?
Keep it and mince it finely. It renders in the first pan before garlic, chilies and chicken are added.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: norecipes.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
