This Whole30, paleo, keto, and gluten-free spin on Thai Basil Chicken can be on your table faster than it takes to pick up take-out. It’ll take less than 30 minutes to make this deliciously spicy protein-packed chicken stir-fry!
Table of Contents
- What is Thai basil chicken or pad krapow gai?
- Good thing this version is keto, paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free!
- Ingredients
- How to make Thai Basil Chicken
- Make the sauce
- Fry the aromatics
- Add the chicken
- Add the green beans and sauce
- Finish with the fresh basil
- Fry up the crispy eggs!
- Time to eat!
- Other tasty paleo and Whole30 stir-fries!
- Thai Basil Chicken (Paleo, Whole30, Keto) Recipe
What is Thai basil chicken or pad krapow gai?
A popular street food in Thailand, Thai Basil Chicken (or pad krapow gai) is finely chopped chicken quickly cooked in a spicy and savory sauce and topped with a crispy fried egg. It’s also become a favorite stir-fry dish served at Thai restaurants here in the States, where folks chow it down with jasmine rice. Although the traditional version is delicious, it’s not on the menu if you’re paleo, gluten-free, keto, or doing a Whole30 because it contains gluten, soy, and sugar. Boo!
Good thing this version is keto, paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free!
But don’t worry, Nomsters—I put on my testing apron and my thinking cap and came up with a nomtastic version of this street food classic that tastes pretty freakin’ close to the authentic version. It’s perfect for us special-diet eaters—and it’s just as delicious as the original, so even your non-paleo friends and family will ask for seconds. No need for a wok, either!
Ingredients
The key to getting any stir-fry on the table quickly is to prep all your ingredients ahead of time. If you’ve got your mise en place, the actual cooking time will be less than 10 minutes!
- Coconut aminos: I use this as a substitute for the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar in the sauce.
- Red Boat fish sauce: This Thai Basil chicken won’t taste quite right if you leave out this umami-rich condiment!
- Avocado oil: Instead of vegetable oil, I always use avocado oil for stir-fries and other high-temperature dishes.
- Shallots: I love thinly sliced shallots in this dish, but you can substitute red onion in a pinch.
- Garlic: The more the better!
- Thai chili peppers: This dish is supposed to be spicy and I love using Thai bird chilies in this recipe. If you’re not into spicy dishes, you can leave them out or use less. No Thai chilies? Substitute some red pepper flakes to taste!
- Ground chicken thighs: I prefer ground chicken thighs in this recipe. Seriously, people: it tastes better than ground chicken breast. Still, any ground meat will do!
- Green beans: The traditional recipe uses long beans, but we gotta work with what’s readily available! Besides, I love me some green beans.
- Basil leaves: Copious amounts of fresh basil are a key ingredient that lends a distinctively fragrant flavor to this dish. In the traditional version, Thai holy basil is the preferred variety but if you can’t find it at your local South East Asian market, you can use Thai basil leaves or Italian basil.
- Eggs: Sunny-side up fried eggs with crispy whites and gooey yolks are the perfect topper for this dish. And yes, the whites should be browned and crispy!
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
How to make Thai Basil Chicken
Make the sauce
The sauce is super simple to make—just stir together the coconut aminos and fish sauce in a small bowl and set it aside.
Fry the aromatics
Next, heat a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add some oil and the shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots soften, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and chili peppers and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
Add the chicken
Time to add the ground chicken! Cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink—about 3 minutes.
Add the green beans and sauce
Toss in the green beans and the reserved sauce and cook, stirring, until the beans are tender-crisp and the chicken is fully cooked, about 2 minutes.
Finish with the fresh basil
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the basil leaves until wilted. Set aside.
Fry up the crispy eggs!
Heat a small cast iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough avocado oil to reach ¼-inch up the sides. Crack an egg in the pan and baste the whites and yolk with some hot oil. (Here’s a recipe and video of how I like to fry crispy eggs with frizzled edges.)
When the whites are golden brown on the edges and the yolks are done to your desired consistency, transfer the fried egg to a plate with a slotted fish spatula. Season the egg with some salt. Fry the rest of the eggs, adding more oil if necessary.
Time to eat!
Serve the Thai Basil Chicken stir-fry over cauliflower rice and top each bowl with a crispy fried egg. When you eat it, break the yolk and let it ooze over the spicy stir-fry. It’s the perfect combination!
Other tasty paleo and Whole30 stir-fries!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022)
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Thai Basil Chicken (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1½ tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons Avocado oil and more for frying the eggs
- 2 large shallots thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 Thai chili peppers finely chopped
- 1½ pounds ground chicken thighs
- ½ pound green beans cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1½ cups holy, Thai, or Italian basil leaves loosely packed
- 4 large eggs
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together coconut aminos and fish sauce. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and the shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots soften, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and chili peppers and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Don’t burn the garlic!
- Time to add the ground chicken! Cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink—about 3 minutes.
- Toss in the green beans and the reserved sauce and cook, stirring, until the beans are tender-crisp and the chicken is fully cooked, about 2 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the basil leaves until wilted. Set aside.
- Heat a small cast iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough avocado oil to reach ¼-inch up the sides.
- Crack an egg in the pan and baste the whites and yolk with some hot oil. When the whites are golden brown on the edges and the yolks are done to your desired consistency, transfer the fried egg to a plate with a slotted fish spatula. Season the eggs with some salt. Fry the rest of the eggs the same way.
- Serve the Thai Basil Chicken stir-fry over cauliflower rice and top each bowl with a crispy fried egg. When you eat it, break the yolk and let it ooze over the spicy stir-fry. It’s the perfect combination!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made this for my family and it was a big hit!! They loved it. It was perfectly spiced. Nice and warm. Not too hot. Thank you, Michelle, for another great recipe!
Another amazing recipe! It’s simple, easy and delicious. Also a versatile leftover.
what other vegetable can I sub the green beans with?? (cauliflower??)
I would use some diced up baby broccoli or asparagus.
Do you grind your own meat? I think all the ground chicken in the store is breast meat.
Nope! I buy ground chicken thighs at my neighborhood Japanese market. Also, Mary’s brand has 93% lean ground chicken which I think is a mix of breast and thigh.
We enjoyed this so much – substituted a Fresno chili since I couldn’t get Thai chilies. Better than take out; quick and easy.
Spectacular!!
Yup. It hits just like the restaurants! And I was psyched to learn that my local grocer carries bulk ground chicken thighs!
Personal preference: I like my basil chicken with a little more “sauce,” so I added about a 1/4 cup of chicken stock at the end and a 1/2 Tbspn of Coco Aminos before I added the basil at the end. Boy, is this good!!!
Easy, delicious, and healthy. I loved this dish. It’s the first time I cooked with Thai chili peppers and they are nice! I might bring down the heat for my household next time I make it but otherwise it was great. I am going to served with rice noodles.
YUM!! This dish was so easy and had so much flavor! It’s going into the rotation!
Question!!! I have an issue where I can not tolerate real spicy…so what do you recommend as a replacement for the Thai chilies? I will be making this just not as spicy and am excited to try it. Thank you
Just leave them out! It will still taste delicious without the spice!