Thai Style Chicken Basil (Pad Ka Prao Gai)

This recipe of Thai chicken basil (or known as Pad Ka Prao Gai) is one of my go-to recipes for weekday busy night dinner meal. Not only it is quick and simple to make, it is also very delicious that it is so hard to resist not to have seconds! Thai chicken basil has a perfect combination of flavor: savory, garlicky, and sweet flavor all of them blend perfectly.

This chicken basil Thai style is one of the most common street foods that you can find in Thailand. I heard the authentic Thai version of chicken basil usually comes with a bit of spice or heat – there is Thai bird chili in there. In my version, I omit the heat, so it is more ‘kid-friendly’. Omitting the chili doesn’t compromise with the flavor though, it still tastes as good.

Tip: Since making this chicken basil is using high heat, it is better to have all the ingredients ready ahead of time to prevent burning. For the ‘heat/spice’ lover, you can add slices of Thai Chili into this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast – cut into bite-sized
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup fresh Thai holy basil leaves
• 6 cloves of garlic – smashed and then, minced
• 1 medium-sized shallot – thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons dark sweet soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Olive oil

Directions:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of Olive oil in a skillet under medium-high heat.
• Then, add garlic and shallot. Stir them until they are fragrant.
• Add chicken to the skillet and stir fry about 3-5 minutes or until most of the chicken turns into white pale color.
• Then, add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar. Keep stirring until all are mixed thoroughly.
• Turn off the heat and immediately toss in the holy basil into it. Mix them up with the chicken and stir until the basil leaves are a bit wilted. Since the skillet is still hot, it can still ‘cook’ the basil leaves. Set aside.
• Using another pan, heat up about 2 tablespoon per egg under medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, then crack one egg into the hot oil.
• While the bottom of the egg is cooking, scoop one tablespoon of the hot oil and drizzle it on top of the uncooked part (you don’t need to flip it to cook the other side). Be careful when handling hot oil. You can cook more than one egg if you are using larger pan.
• To serve, place steamed rice in a plate, put a fried egg on top of the rice, and add the chicken basil to side of the plate. Enjoy!