Thai Basil Chicken Recipe (Step-by-Step for Dummies 101)

I injured my thumb cooking last week, so I’ve tried to be very careful with it. Because of this, I opted for a chicken meal that’s relatively easy to cook with minimal chopping involved (if you thought my chopping speed was slow before, multiply that by 5 now that I’m injured and it’s AWFUL). Tada, here’s my Thai Basil Chicken recipe – heavenly and incredibly easy to make on your own. I highly recommend it.

 

DELECTABLE FOOD FOR THE DAY: THAI BASIL CHICKEN

DIFFICULTY: Easy (with minimal chopping involved)

SERVING SIZE: Good for 5 people

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour

 

INGREDIENTS FOR THAI BASIL CHICKEN

• 5 eggs (to be made into sunny side ups)
• 1 kg chicken breast
• 25 cloves of garlic
• 10 chili (you can opt to add more if you like them VERY spicy)
• 5 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp dark sweet soy sauce (I use Marca Pina brand)
• 2 1/2 tsp sugar
• 5 stalks of basil

PROCEDURE:

STEP 1: Prepare the chicken 

• Defrost the chicken at room temperature.

• Cut out any cartilage remaining on the chicken. Slice up into small cubes. Don’t make the slices too small but don’t make them too big either. Aim for bite-sized chunks

  

STEP 2: Prepare the flavoring

• Take out the ends and skin of the garlic cloves

• Take out the stems of the chili

• Place the garlic cloves and chili together and start mashing using a mortar and pestle. No need to crush into paste, but the goal is to just bring out the garlic and chili flavors so a coarse crush is fine. Unlike mincing, grinding will really release the juice/oil of the garlic and chili which creates an additional vibrant, garlicky and spicy depth to your dish

• Wash the basil and pluck off the leaves (which is all you need here)

 

STEP 3: Cook the Thai Basil Chicken

• Cook your rice so it’s ready once you’re done cooking
• Heat pan on high heat, and add oil to the pan.
• When the oil is hot, add your crushed garlic and chili. Stir fry for ~20-30 seconds or until you start smelling the fragrance in the air. However, be careful to not let them burn or get too dry.

• Toss in the chicken cubes and stir fry continuously. You want your chicken to be fully cooked (once everything turns white). If you feel it’s getting dry, add a tiny splash of water.

• Pour in 5 tsp of oyster sauce, 2 ½ teaspoon light soy sauce, 2 ½ teaspoon sugar, and 2 tsp of dark soy sauce. Keep stir frying for about another 30 seconds.

• Toss in the basil leaves into the pan, fold it into the chicken, and immediately turn off the heat. The leaves cook REALLY fast (~5 seconds), and will continue to cook from the existing heat of the chicken. You’ll know it’s cooking as the leaves continue to wilt, even as the heat is turned off. Remember to do this because overcooked basil loses its flavor and gets chewy. If you’re using an electric stove, take out the pan from the burner.

STEP 4: Cook the egg

Make sure your egg retains a wet yolk after cooking, as the yolk adds an extra depth of flavor to your Thai basil chicken

STEP 5: Bon Appetit!