Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is even better than take-out and you control what ingredients you add in creating a customized, healthier dish. Ground chicken is sautéed with a serrano chile for spice and paired with fresh vegetables like zucchini and bok choy and a light, sweet Thai inspired sauce. This works great over rice or with rice noodles. 

SPICY THAI BASIL CHICKEN STIR-FRY

Who likes spicy food?

I love extra spicy food, especially when it comes to Thai dishes. When I go to a Thai restaurant or order take-out you can almost always find me asking for some extra spice in my dish. Today’s Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is a variation of a Thai dish that many of you have probably had, Pad Krapow Gai. When I created this stir-fry I used many of the flavors that are in that traditional dish but also mixed things up a bit.

When I asked you guys what recipes you wanted more of a lot of you requested Thai recipes. I was pleasantly surprised. I love Thai food and don’t share nearly enough of those type of recipes here. Today’s stir-fry is a nice balance between Thai flavors, fresh vegetables and a sweet, savory sauce.

The nice thing with a stir-fry recipe is that you can customize it to your liking. I added zucchini, bell pepper and bok choy but you can feel free to throw whatever vegetables you have on hand. I also use ground chicken for this Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry but chicken tenders or cubed chicken works great. One thing I like about using ground chicken is that it not only makes a nice stir-fry over rice but it works great for lettuce wraps.

What should I use to make this dish spicy?

When I make this dish I like to use a serrano chile pepper. I remove the seeds if my husband is eating the stir-fry because he can’t handle as much heat as I can. If you want a bit less heat try a jalapeño. For those that don’t like spice at all, don’t worry! This stir-fry is a great option without the spice too. You won’t even miss it. There are enough flavors going on to keep your tastes buds happy.

What should I add to my stir-fry?

I added zucchini, bell pepper and bok choy to my stir-fry. Some other ideas that works nicely include mushrooms, celery, chunks of tomato, spinach, broccoli, pea pods, edamame and watercress. When I serve this stir-fry I like to put it over brown or jasmine rice but have also served it with rice noodles which works nicely.

This dish comes together in under 30 minutes, making it one to keep on hand for busy weeknights. You can feel good about putting a dish like this on your table packed with fresh vegetables and lean protein.

Yield: 6-8

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry

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Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is even better than take-out and you control what ingredients you add in creating a customized, healthier dish. Ground chicken is sautéed with a serrano chile for spice and paired with fresh vegetables like zucchini and bok choy and a light, sweet Thai inspired sauce. This works great over rice or with rice noodles. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the stir-fry

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced or 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
• 1/2 of a medium zucchini, diced
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 3 cups Thai Basil or regular basil leaves
• 2 or 3 cups of bok choy
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

For the sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
• 2 teaspoons honey

Additional ingredients:

• cooked brown or jasmine rice
• Green onions, chopped
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

In a medium bowl whisk together the soy sauce, fish sauce, broth, honey, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper until combined. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once hot add the vegetable oil, shallot, garlic and chile and sauté for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Add the ground chicken, bell pepper, zucchini and and continue to cook until the chicken is browned, about 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the sauce along with the basil and bok choy. Let the stir-fry simmer until the bok choy is wilted, about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from the heat and serve over rice garnished with green onions and cilantro.

Notes

If you do not like spicy food you can omit the serrano chile/jalapeño and the crushed red pepper. If you like more spice feel free to leave the seeds in the chile or add an additional chile or jalapeño.

This kind of stir-fry is great for adding additional vegetables in. Try things like mushrooms, eggplant, spinach and celery.

I like to serve my stir-fry over brown or jasmine rice but you can also serve it with your favorite noodles. Rice noodles pair nicely.