This ground chicken stir-fry is an easy meal you can throw together for a sweet and spicy midweek dinner.
I love Thai basil chicken (gai pad krapow), and it’s often my go-to order at Thai restaurants. This recipe is loosely inspired by versions I’ve had at restaurants and versions I’ve made as quick dinners or lunches in the past. If you want to make a truly delicious gai pad krapow, I highly recommend making the Woks of Life recipe for gai pad krapow.
As I said, this is a loose interpretation of the iconic dish, but it’s something I regularly riff on in my own kitchen because of how delicious and fast it is to throw together. It’s common for gai pad krapow to use just a handful of ingredients, highlighting the beauty of its simplicity. You’ll typically find a few aromatics, like garlic and shallot. The spice comes from Thai chili peppers. The chicken is typically dressed simply with just soy sauce, sugar, and fish sauce. Thai basil–the hero of the entire meal–is added at the end.
How to make this ground chicken stir-fry recipe:
What you need
For this ground chicken stir-fry recipe, I used the familiar Thai basil (of course!), a little soy sauce for saltiness, a little honey instead of sugar, and a mix of jalapeño, sriracha, and chili oil for heat. Of course, fish sauce is a must here! I also added lime juice for a small punch of acidity. Typically, pad krapow is very simple, with meat, aromatics, sauce, and Thai basil as the primary players. I added lots of vegetables that I had in my crisper including bell peppers, tomatoes, and bok choy.
It’s just a few short steps between you and a delicious dinner.
- Step 1: Brown the chicken and take it out of the pot.
- Step 2: Begin layering in the vegetables. Start with the shallot, and then add the bell pepper. Add the tomatoes, the light parts of the bok choy, and a sliced jalapeño.
- Step 3: Whisk together the sauce ingredients.
- Step 4: Return the chicken to the pot and add the sauce. Bring to a boil. Finish by adding the leafy green parts of the bok choy and torn Thai basil leaves. Simmer the sauce to reduce it a bit.
That’s it! It’s an easy breezy dinner that you’ll love for leftovers.
How to serve it
You can serve this over white rice or with a crispy fried egg on top. I’ve been all-in on my little ground chicken wraps, so I actually served it with a whole-grain wrap, and I must say, it’s very delicious and easy. I just char the wraps on my burner and pile the chicken and vegetables in the wrap.
Ground Chicken Stir-Fry
Equipment
- Skillet or wok
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 shallot, peeled and diced
- 1 bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, and sliced into strips
- 2 heads baby bok choy, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 8 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 jalapeńo or Thai chili pepper, trimmed and sliced into rounds, optional
- 12–15 Thai basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving
- Salt to taste
Sauce:
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- ¼ cup sriracha
- 1–2 tablespoons honey (more or less to taste)
- 1 tablespoon chili oil (optional)
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
For serving
- Cooked white rice
- Fried eggs
Instructions
Cook the chicken:
- Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a wide skillet. Add the chicken and cook for 12–15 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned and cooked through. Season with salt and transfer to a plate.
Sauté the vegetables:
- Add 1 teaspoon neutral oil to the skillet. Add the shallot and bell pepper. Cook for 5–6 minutes, turning often, until they soften. Season lightly with salt.
- Add the light parts of the bok choy, tomatoes, and jalapeńo. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
Make the sauce:
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce. Taste and adjust according to your preference.
Finish the chicken:
- Return the chicken to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the Thai basil leaves and the leafy green parts of the bok choy. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring for 2–4 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. If the sauce reduces quickly, add a few splashes of water as needed. Taste and season. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
- Spoon the chicken onto a serving platter and garnish with more Thai basil leaves. Enjoy!
Made this with ground pork and it was amazing!
That sounds delicious! Thank you!
Great recipe! Only change I made was using broccoli instead of bok choi.
Recipe was easy to make and delicious.
So happy to hear this. Thank you!