Easy and delicious Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry that's ready in 25 minutes and all made in one skillet! Spicy, sweet and salty flavors come together with Thai basil to create the perfect sauce to go with crispy pieces of chicken and sautéed bell pepper. Serve this asian inspired stir fry over rice.
Have you ever cooked with Thai Basil? It's has a lot of similar flavors to regular sweet Italian basil, but more of a peppery, spicy bite. When mixed with asian flavors, it creates a super delicious chicken stir fry!
If you don't have Thai Basil, you can most certainly substitute sweet basil! The stir fry will still taste amazing!
This is an easy, yet tasty, recipe that I come back to again and again. Especially since I have loads of Thai basil, sweet basil, and red basil growing in my garden! This is a great way to use up all the basil before summer comes to an end 😢
How to Make Chicken Stir Fry with Basil.
Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry is so easy to make - all you need is 25 minutes!
Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces then toss them with cornstarch. The cornstarch will give the chicken a nice browned exterior and help to thicken the sauce. Cook the chicken in sesame oil with thinly sliced bell pepper until the chicken is browned and no longer pink inside.
While the chicken cooks, mix together the sauce. The sauce made up of a handful of simple ingredients that add spicy, sweet and salty flavors to the dish.
Once the chicken is cooked through, add fresh garlic and ginger to the skillet then pour in the sauce. Let cook for a couple minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Mix in roughly chopped Thai bail, and serve over rice.
Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients.
Chicken. I like to use breast meat.
Cornstarch.
Sesame oil. You can also use olive oil
Bell peppers.
Soy sauce. I like to use low sodium, but regular soy sauce will work great too.
Oyster sauce. This can be found at more grocery stores.
Brown sugar.
Chicken broth.
Ginger. I recommend using fresh ginger.
Garlic. I recommend using fresh garlic.
White rice. Your favorite white rice: long grain rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice
Can I use normal basil instead of Thai Basil?
The simple answer, yes.
Thai basil has a purple stem and small green leaves. It has a peppery, slightly spicy flavor.
Normal basil aka sweet Italian basil has big, floppy, green leaves and a sweet, peppery flavor.
Sweet bail can be used in place of Thai Basil, it just won't give you that same spicy bite. But, the stir fry will still taste great!!
More chicken recipes you will love!
Spicy Orange Chicken & Broccoli
Chicken Banh Mi Burgers with Quick Pickled Vegetables
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Beer Braised Chicken Tacos
If you make this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate the recipe below using the stars or leave a comment. If you're on Instagram, share a picture of the food you created and tag me at Modern Farmhouse Eats! I love seeing all the pictures! 😊
Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces (about 3 chicken breasts)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil (or olive oil)
- 2 thinly sliced bell peppers
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated (about 2 teaspoons)
- 3 garlic clvoes, minced
- 1 cup thai basil, roughly chopped (can substitute regular sweet basil)
- cooked rice, for serving
Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons sriracha
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with sesame oil.
- To a large bowl, add the cornstarch and chicken pieces. Toss until the chicken is coated. Add the chicken and sliced bell pepper to the hot skillet. Cook until the chicken is browned and no longer pink inside and the peppers are sautéed.
- While the chicken and peppers cook, mix together the sacue. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until combined.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, reduce heat to medium. Add the ginger and garlic; cook for one minute until fragrant. Pour in the sauce and mix together. Cook until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken, about 1-2 minutes. Toss in the basil and stir to combine.
- Serve the stir fry over rice. Garnish with fresh thai basil, if desired.
Jaimy says
Wow, this tasted like an authentic Thai meal! I substituted salmon for the chicken and doubled the basil, because I had an abundance. Delicious! Added fresh squeezed lime and chopped cilantro at the end for garnish. Thank you for sharing this recipe. We will be making this again!
Modern Farmhouse Eats says
Jaimy, thank you for giving the recipe a try! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!! 😊