Chicken Thigh Stir Fry with Basil (Pad Kra Pao)
Thai basil drives me crazy. It's difficult to find in a regular supermarket and impossible to grow. (My Italian basil grows like a weed indoors, in a crummy plastic pot.)
I can find it at an Asian market (not in my neighborhood), so I buy a bunch and rush to cook Thai recipes to use it up because the leaves turn black within a few days.
But it's all worth it because it adds a special flavor to a stir-fry. Just be sure to use lots of it.
You can substitute the chicken thighs with ground chicken, pork chunks, or ground pork.
Ingredients
- 1 lb450g boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup240ml green beans or broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup240ml red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp30ml canola (or any neutral) oil
- 44 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 33 scallions, sliced
- 1 tsp5g chili paste
- 66 mild, long red chilies, whole
- 11 large bunch of basil, leaves picked
- Steamed riceSteamed rice
- ¼¼ sliced cucumber (optional)
- Fried egg (optional)Fried egg (optional)
Stir-fry sauce
- 4 tbsp60ml oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp15ml fish sauce
- 1 tbsp15ml soy sauce
- 1 tsp4g sugar
Prik nam pla dipping sauce
- ¼ cup60ml fish sauce
- 33 spicy Thai 'prik kee noo' chilies, finely sliced
- 11 garlic clove, finely sliced
- ½½ small lime, cut into small wedges
Preparation
For the prik nam pla, add the ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok over high heat, then stir-fry the chili paste for 1 minute. Add the chicken and stir-fry until almost cooked. Set aside.
Add the chilies, garlic, and scallions to the wok and cook for a minute.
Pour the stir-fry sauce around the edges of the wok, allowing it to start to caramelize. Toss the ingredients together to coat the chicken with the sauce. Add the basil and stir-fry for 30 seconds until wilted. Serve with steamed rice. Beans and fried egg are optional on the plate.
