Pad Kra Pao Recipe - Authentic Thai Basil Chicken or Pork Stir Fry

This is one of those dishes I cook often. It's easy, it's delicious, and it's comfort food I always grew up eating. This quick Pad Ka Prao recipe is packed with garlic, chili, and holy basil. A 20 minute Thai stir fry that you will crave every week!

Pad Kra Pao (Thai Basil Chicken or Pork)

Ingredients (Serves 2–3)

    •    1 lb ground chicken or ground pork

    •    2–5 Thai chilis (adjust for spice), finely chopped

    •    3–5 garlic cloves minced

    •    ½ large yellow onion (or 1 small), chopped

    •    1 tsp fish sauce

    •    1–1.5 tbsp oyster sauce

    •    1–2 tsp soy sauce

    •    1 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce

    •    1-2 tsp sugar

    •    1–1.5 cups holy basil (sub: Italian basil or Thai basil)

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Instructions

    1.    Fry aromatics → Heat 1–2 tbsp oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high. Add chopped garlic + chilis and stir-fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

    2.    Cook the meat → Add ground chicken or pork. Stir-fry until browned and crumbled.

    3.    Add onion → Toss in chopped onion, stir 1–2 minutes until slightly softened.

    4.    Season → Stir in fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, and sugar. Mix well so meat absorbs all the flavor.

    5.    Finish with basil → Turn off heat, add basil, and stir just until wilted.

    6.    Serve → Best with hot jasmine rice and a crispy fried egg on top 🍳. (To get an egg fried Thai style, use a lot of oil and hold the frying pan at an angle. Baste the egg with the oil like you would a steak.)

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Tips

    •    🌶 Use fewer chilis for mild, more for fiery.

    •    🍃 Italian basil actually comes closer to holy basil’s flavor than Thai basil if you can’t find the real thing.

    •    🍽 Add Nam Pla Prik (fish sauce + chopped chili) on the side for extra heat.