Basil fried rice with chicken, jasmine rice, fragrant Thai basil leaves, and flavourful homemade stir fry sauce. Spicy, sweet, savoury flavours all packed together in one dish. Perfect weeknight dinner ready in 20 minutes!
One of our favourite fried rice recipes and it's on our recipe rotation quite often. This homemade meal saves both time and money compared with ordering from takeout or going to our favourite Thai restaurant. Plus, I really love basil taste and fragrant, feeling like as it can make my appetite stronger!
Thai Basil Fried Rice
Fried rice dishes are originated from China and one of the most eaten food in all traditions as centuries passed by. It's a very simple dish that usually features rice, proteins, eggs, and vegetables. Different countries, different cultures have different fried rice recipes and tastes.
Unlike Chinese fried rice, Thai fried rice focuses on the fish sauce more while Chinese ones are mostly based on soy sauce. So if you are bored with usual Chinese fried rice, look no further, Thai-style basil fried rice has got you covered here!
Basil Fried Rice is known as ''Khao Pad Krapow'' in Thailand, it's one of the traditional Thai favorite dishes. When you're in Thailand, you can buy it from small street shops to big famous restaurants.
Can you believe that you can quickly and easily cook this restaurant-quality aromatic fried rice at home? Yes, there are only very easy steps to follow.
Ingredients you need
The Basil Leaves
Basil leaf is widely used in most authentic Thai cuisines. Not only Thai, most Asian countries and use basil leaves in their cuisine for its strong and exotic fragrance. It also contains many minerals and antioxidants that some people even make detox waters with the basil leaves to intoxicate the bodies.
Use Thai basil to taste the authentic Asian aroma, but Italian basil, holy or sweet basil is the closest substitute you can add if you can't easily get Thai Basil.
Protein
I use chicken breast in this recipe but you can add your favourite protein choices like beef, shrimps, squids, etc. Basil Fried Rice with Seafood is also a perfect mouthwatering idea.
Cooked Jasmine rice
Although you can use other long grain or medium grain rice, I would still recommend using Thai Jasmine rice because Jasmine rice has its own fragrance and taste. You can easily buy Jasmine rice at nearby supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.
A day-old Thai jasmine rice is ideal to use for this fried rice recipe as day-old rice is less in moisture and less likely to get mushy when you make fried rice.
Savoury Stir Fry Sauce
Like most Asian stir fry sauce, simply mix the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and the fish sauce. Add sugar to balance the sweet and savoury same time. This simple sauce create the fried rice a mouth-watering result and tastes better than any store-bought sauces.
Highly recommend adding fish sauce to this recipe but if you are not a fan of this sauce, you can simply swap it with soy sauce or salt to taste.
How to serve this dish
Freshly cooked basil fried rice is perfectly harmonized with side dishes and soups like Tom Yum Soup, Crispy Chilli Beef, Thai Wings, or Crispy Fried Wonton. It'll be a fantastic Thai dinner for sure!
For drink? Don't think twice, choose fresh coconut juice or lime juice are the most compatible with Thai food. Jasmine tea or Chinese green tea is great too. Hot drinks are good for your digestive system especially when you eat hot, spicy, and fried foods, Thai or Chinese cuisines.
How to make it
First of all, finely chop the garlic and red chillies. (I've used bird-eye chilli in this recipe. If you cannot find bird eye chilli, you can use any hot chilli available. )
Cut chicken into thin slices or small dices. ( You can either use boneless chicken thigh or breast for this recipe. )
In a small bowl mix all the stir fry sauce ingredients and set aside. If you don't consume fish sauce, you can substitute it with light soy sauce or salt to taste.
Heat the pan to medium heat, drizzle 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and saute the chopped garlic for few seconds. Follow with the chopped chillies and stir for few seconds. ( Stir-frying hot chilli smell can cause coughing, don't forget to turn on your ventilation at high speed. )
Add the chicken slices and stir fry for 1-2 mins until the chicken cooked through.
Then add the cooked rice, pour the stir fry sauce mixture in.
Continue stir fry for 1-2 mins with high heat until all the sauce and rice combine evenly and the rice become glossy.
Add the basil leaves and continue stir fry with high heat for another 1 min. Remove from heat and transfer to serving plate. Topped with crispy Thai-style fried egg.
Crispy Thai Egg
To make a crispy sunny fried egg with a runny yolk, you need to add more oil than a regular fried egg. ( about a half cup of oil ). Fry with medium-high heat until the edges are crispy golden brown.
Watch How To Make It Recipe Video
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Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz Chicken breast ( or thigh, about 220 g )
- 3 cup Cooked rice ( For 2 servings, about one large bowl )
- 1 cup Thai basil ( or Holy/Sweet Basil or Italian Basil )
- 4 Bird eye chilli
- 2 Egg
- 2-3 tbsp Vegetable oil
Stir fry Sauce
- 3 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Cut chicken and into thin slices. Finely chop the garlic and red chillies.
- In a small bowl mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Heat the pan, drizzle 2 tablespoon of oil then add garlic and stir for few seconds. Follow with chillies and stir for few seconds and add the chicken slices and stir fry for 1-2 mins until the chicken cooked through.
- Place the cooked rice in the pan and pour the sauce mix.
- Stir fry for 1 - 2 mins with high heat untill all the sauce and rice combine well and the rice become shiny.
- Add the basil leaves and continue stir fry for 1 min.
- Remove from heat and transfer to serving plate.
- Topped with crispy Thai style fried egg.
- Delicious Basil Fried Rice is ready! Enjoy!
Notes
- A day-old/leftover jasmine rice or any pre-cooked medium grain rice is perfect for this recipe.
- If you cannot find Thai basil, you can use holy, sweet or Italian basil.
- If you don't consume fish sauce you can substitute it with light soy sauce or add salt to taste.
- To make a crispy egg, add half cup of oil in a pan/wok, heat up to medium-high heat, and add the egg and fry till the edges turn crispy and light golden brown.
Odelia says
Still trying to figure out why my thai basil chicken fried rice had a bitter taste even half hour after finish eating. What caused it? Would like your advise.
Khin says
Hi Odelia, basil has a pungent flavour and overcooked basil can turn a bit bitter. Suggests adding in the fried rice just before turning off the heat.
tyesh says
Came out perfectly <3
Khin says
Very glad that you enjoyed Tyesh!