This delicious and authentic Pad Kra Pao recipe combines minced chicken and hot basil and is one of the most popular foods in Thailand.
If you find yourself wandering the streets of Bangkok or Chiang Mai, it won’t be long before you come across restaurants or street vendors selling Pad Kra Pao.
Pad Kra Pao is among the most popular things to eat in Thailand. This incredible mixture of minced chicken (or pork) and hot basil paired with a few special ingredients isn’t just one of the easiest Thai foods to make, but it’s among the most delicious.
This authentic pad kra pao recipe will transport your taste buds back to the emerald shores of Phuket, the elephants of Chiang Mai, or the temples of Ayutthaya with every bite.
What Is Pad Kra Pao
Pad Kra Pao, also known as Thai basil chicken is a popular stir-fry dish in Thailand made primarily with minced chicken or pork paired with chili peppers, and garlic mixed with a combination of sweet and salty sauces such as Maggi seasoning and fish sauce.
This isn’t just one of the most popular street foods in Thailand, it’s one of the most popular dishes throughout the country.
Ingredients for Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao)
Pad Kra Pao or Thai Basil Chicken is very easy to make. The dish combines just a few crucial ingredients to achieve an authentic and delicious meal.
There are several variations on the dish, but as long as you combine the key Pad Kra Pao ingredients, you’ll end up with a dish that you return to time and time again.
Protein
Traditionally, pad kra pao is made with minced chicken. However, many people use pork for their pad kra pao recipe instead to change up the flavor or to save on costs. It’s easy to make a vegetarian pad kra pao as well simply by changing the protein to tofu and switching out the fish sauce for soy sauce.
Sauces
The secret ingredient to an authentic pad kra pao lies in the sauce. While many people use broths, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, in Thailand, nearly everyone uses Maggi cooking sauce mixed with fish sauce and a bit of black bean sauce. This helps achieve a rich, savory flavor that you rarely find outside of the country.
Garlic and Chili Peppers
Minced garlic and a healthy amount of chili peppers give this thai basil chicken recipe its signature heat. As with most authentic recipes, adding the chiles in yourself gives you the ability to make pad kra pao as mild or as spicy as you would like.
Hot Basil
The key ingredient of creating the perfect pad kra pao recipe is basil. Many dishes call for holy basil or sweet basil. These can be used to change up the flavoring of your Thai basil chicken, but authentic pad kra pao recipes usually call for hot basil.
Hot basil offers a signature aroma and a peppery, spicy, minty flavor that pairs magically with the chili peppers for that unforgettable smell and flavor that makes this dish so popular. The aromatic basil leaves are the perfect pairing for the sweet, salty, and spicy flavors of this dish.
How to Make Authentic Thai Pad Kra Pao
Making Pad Kra Pao is quite easy. The actual recipe has just four simple steps prior to serving. To make the recipe even easier, prepare all of the ingredients prior to starting the cooking process. The meal is prepared quite quickly, so this will ensure that no single ingredient gets overcooked and your pad kra pao recipe comes out just how you like it.
For this recipe, you can use a large pan, but I highly recommend a wok. A wok offers an even heating surface and lots of room for mixing the ingredients without having things spill out of the side. If you order pad kra pao in Thailand, you’ll find it’s always cooked in a wok.
Simply heat the oil, add the chicken, and cook. Toss in the garlic, and chilies. Once fragrant, you’ll add the various sauces and toss to coat and heat. Then serve up your authentic pad kra pao over some rice and enjoy this delicious dish.
Authentic Pad Kra Pao Recipe (Stir-Fried Chicken with Hot Basil)
Pad Kra Pao is a local favorite in Thailand. This authentic dish is made with minced pork or chicken and stir-fried with basil and various seasonings is what many local Thais order during a night out on the town.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken. I recommend not using fresh, not frozen chicken to avoid extra water in the cooking process.
- 1 cup hot basil leaves
- 6-8 hot chili peppers (smashed)
- 2 oz green beans (thinly chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp Maggi seasoning sauce
- 1/2 tsp black bean sauce
- 4 tbsp vegetable cooking oil
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Add cooking oil to a wok or large pan, and heat to medium-high.
- Once hot, add garlic, chili peppers, and chicken.
- Once the chicken is cooked through raise the temperature to high. Add fish sauce, water, and Maggi seasoning. Cook until simmering.
- Add green beans, black bean sauce, and hot basil leaves. Stir quickly and transfer to a plate.
- Serve with rice.
Notes
For vegetarian Pad Kra Pao, substitute tofu for chicken and use soy sauce rather than fish sauce. The dish can be made with pork with no other changes to the recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 650Total Fat: 25gCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 50g
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