Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken (or turkey)
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2–4 Thai bird's eye chiles (or 1 serrano), thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cups Thai basil leaves (or Italian basil in a pinch)
• Steamed jasmine rice
• Fried egg (optional — runny yolk is traditional)

Method

1. Sear the chicken: Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add ground chicken, press flat, let it sear without stirring 2 min (you want browning, not steaming). Break up, cook 3 min more until browned.
2. Aromatics: Add garlic, chiles, and shallot. Stir-fry 30 sec.
3. Season: Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Toss 1 min.
4. Basil: Kill the heat. Add basil leaves, toss until just wilted (10 sec — they wilt from residual heat).
5. Serve over jasmine rice, topped with a fried egg if desired.

What You're Practicing

• Wok technique: high heat, letting the protein sear before breaking it up
• Balancing salty (soy + fish sauce), sweet (sugar), and heat (chiles)
• Adding delicate herbs off-heat to preserve their flavor and color
• This is a 20-minute dinner that tastes like it took an hour