Thai Chicken with Basil (Gkai Pad Gkaprow)

FMM: We tried the Cook's Illustrated recipe (2nd recipe below) and thought that there was not enough sauce in the chicken for the rice. The dish is suppose to be somewhat dry, but next time we will add some chicken stock and cornstarch for thickener if needed. It was plenty hot with the 6 chilis and I did not feel that I needed to add any of the condiments that Cook's Illustrated suggests - the extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar to be pass on the side. The dish was flavorful enough as is. We did not chop up the chicken in the food processor, but instead left the chicken in larger pieces.

A Recipe from Kasma Loha-unchit
Recipe Copyright © 2004

This recipe is for one of the favorite dishes of the Thai people. They will make Basil Anything – substitute the chicken with pork, beef, squid, shrimp, seafood, . . . anything you like.

2-3 Tbs. peanut oil for stir-frying
10-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion) – optional
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped, or cut into small bite-size pieces
12-20 Thai chillies (prik kee noo), cut into very thin rounds; or substitute 4-6 serrano, jalapeño or fresno peppers, cut into large slivers with seeds
2 small kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-gkrood), very finely slivered (optional)
2-3 tsp. black soy sauce (the semi-sweet kind), or to taste
2 Tbs. fish sauce (nam bplah), or to taste
1 cup fresh Thai holy basil (bai gka-prow), or Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) leaves and flower buds; or use 1/4 cup dried holy basil, soaked to soften plus 1/2 to 1 cup fresh Thai sweet basil (bai horapa)
Dash of ground white pepper

Prepare the ingredients as instructed in the ingredient list. Leave the fresh basil leaves whole; the flower buds may also be used. The dried holy basil will soften when soaked in tap water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pull off and discard the hard stems. Drain.

Heat a wok until its surface is smoking hot. Swirl in the oil to coat the wok surface. Wait a few seconds for the oil to heat, then stir in the garlic, followed a few seconds later with the shallots or onion. Stir another 15 to 20 seconds before adding the chicken. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until most of the chicken has changed color on the outside and is no longer pink.

Toss in the chillies, slivered kaffir lime leaves (if using), and softened dried holy basil (if using). Sprinkle black soy sauce over the mixture and stir-fry for another 15 to 20 seconds. Season to taste with fish sauce, then stir in the fresh basil. Toss well. Stir-fry another 1/2 to 1 minute, or until the basil is wilted and the chicken cooked through. Sprinkle with white pepper. Stir and transfer to a serving dish, or spoon directly over individual plates of plain steamed rice.

Serves 6 to 8 with other dishes in a shared family-style meal.

Notes and Pointers

This is a good and easy stir-fried dish and one of the favorites among Thai people. It is served over rice as a one-dish meal – for breakfast or for lunch, often topped with a crispy fried egg. Of course, it also appears frequently as one of the courses in a shared family-style meal.

If you are not able to find fresh holy basil, this recipe can be substituted with any fresh basil. I have also tried it with a mixture of fresh Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) and fresh mint leaves with good results.

The smaller the chicken is cut, the greater the surface area to coat with the flavors of the aromatic herbs and sauces, and the more flavorful the stir-fry will be. Some of my students have reported good results using ground turkey. In Thailand, this dish is often made with chopped pork, or bird meat, especially in fast-food, curry-rice shops (rahn kao gkaeng), where an enormous variety of dishes are prepared ahead of time and served over steaming white rice to order. When I travel in the rural areas, I often stop at such rice shops in small towns for lunch. Some of the best pad gka-prow can be had at these inconspicuous, no-frills, open-air places. They are made particularly spicy to help preserve the meat, as the dishes are prepared early in the morning and served throughout the day until they are sold out.

One of our particular favorites is to make it with ground pork and lots of Thai chillies. For pork, make sure you use holy basil (Bai Gkaprow), as it goes especially well with pork.

Try the above recipe also with fresh seafood (in this case, no need to chop) – shrimps, scallops, mussels, clams, crab and firm-flesh fish, such as fresh halibut and salmon.

Thai-Style Chicken with Basil
from Cooks Illustrated

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
6 green or red Thai chiles, stemmed
2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for serving
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Red pepper flakes, for serving (yeah, right!)

1. Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic, and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once during processing. Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.

2. Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into -approximate 1/4-inch pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.

3. Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 11/2 minutes; if it doesn’t, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

4. Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds.

Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar separately. [This dish is usually served with plain steamed rice.]