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Basil Chicken with Rice & Crispy Egg

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Pad Kra Pao is one of those dishes that looks almost too simple when you break down the ingredients.

Chicken, garlic, chilli, a few sauces and a big handful of basil. But cooked quickly over high heat, it becomes much more than the ingredient list suggests.

The part I like is that the chicken isn’t supposed to be swimming in sauce. I want some of the mince to actually brown against the hot pan before adding the seasonings, then let the sauce reduce until it coats the meat.

Traditionally, the defining herb is holy basil, which has a more peppery flavour than the Thai basil that’s much easier for me to find. I’ll use holy basil when I can get it, but I’m not going to avoid making the dish because I only have Thai basil.

The crispy egg is almost as important to me as the chicken. Fried in enough oil to blister and crisp the edges while leaving the yolk runny, it gives you something rich to break over the spicy, salty chicken and rice.

This is my practical version for making at home, with enough chilli to know it’s there and very little added sweetness.

Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao) with Rice & Crispy Egg

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Pad Kra Pao is built around a very simple combination: minced meat stir-fried hard and fast with garlic, chilli and basil, then served over rice with a fried egg. This version uses chicken mince with fish sauce, oyster sauce and light soy, keeping the sauce savoury rather than overly sweet. A crispy-edged fried egg with a runny yolk turns it into a complete meal.
Servings 4
Course Whole Meal
Cuisine Thai inspired

Ingredients

  • Thai Basil Chicken
  • 600 g chicken mince
  • 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
  • 4 cloves garlic roughly minced
  • 2 –4 bird’s eye chillies roughly chopped
  • 1 small shallot thinly sliced, optional
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce optional, mainly for colour
  • 1 tsp honey or sugar optional
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 large handful holy basil or Thai basil leaves about 30–40 g
  • Crispy Fried Eggs
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 –4 tbsp neutral cooking oil
  • To Serve
  • 600 –700 g cooked jasmine rice
  • Cucumber slices
  • Lime wedges optional
  • Extra fresh chilli optional

Method

  1. Prepare everything first
  2. This is a fast stir-fry, so have everything ready before you turn on the heat.
  3. Combine the oyster sauce, fish sauce, light soy, optional dark soy, optional honey and water in a small bowl.
  4. Pick the basil leaves from the stems.
  5. Mince the garlic and chilli together fairly roughly.
  6. I wouldn’t turn them into a smooth paste. Little pieces of fried garlic and chilli are part of what I want in the finished dish.
  7. Heat the pan properly
  8. Place a wok or large frying pan over high heat.
  9. Let it get properly hot before adding the oil.
  10. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and swirl it around the pan.
  11. Fry the garlic and chilli
  12. Add the garlic and chilli.
  13. Stir-fry for around 15–20 seconds.
  14. You’re looking for fragrance and just the beginning of colour on the garlic.
  15. Don’t stand there frying it for a minute. Garlic can go from fragrant to burnt very quickly at this temperature.
  16. If you’re using shallot, add it now and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
  17. Brown the chicken
  18. Add the chicken mince.
  19. Spread it across the hot surface of the pan and leave it alone for around 45–60 seconds before breaking it apart.
  20. This gives at least some of the chicken a chance to brown.
  21. Then break the mince into relatively small pieces and stir-fry for another 3–4 minutes.
  22. I don’t want the chicken boiled in its own liquid.
  23. If a lot of water comes out, keep the heat high and let that moisture evaporate before adding the sauce.
  24. Add the sauce
  25. Pour the prepared sauce around the chicken.
  26. Toss everything together over high heat.
  27. Cook for approximately 1–2 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and is clinging to the mince.
  28. There should be enough sauce to flavour the rice underneath, but there shouldn’t be a puddle of liquid at the bottom of the wok.
  29. Taste it.
  30. You should get salty, savoury, spicy and slightly sweet, rather than a noticeably sweet stir-fry.
  31. Add the basil
  32. Turn off the heat or reduce it to very low.
  33. Add the basil leaves.
  34. Toss them through the chicken for around 20–30 seconds, just until wilted.
  35. Don’t cook the basil for several minutes. I want to keep as much of its fresh aroma as possible.
  36. Set the chicken aside while you fry the eggs.
  37. Crispy Thai-Style Fried Eggs
  38. Heat the oil
  39. Add 3–4 tablespoons neutral oil to a small frying pan or wok.
  40. Heat over medium-high to high heat.
  41. This is intentionally more oil than I’d normally use to fry an egg.
  42. The hot oil is what creates those crispy, blistered edges.
  43. Fry the eggs
  44. Crack an egg into a small bowl first, then carefully slide it into the hot oil.
  45. The white should immediately begin bubbling around the edges.
  46. Tilt the pan slightly and use a spoon to carefully spoon some hot oil over the egg white.
  47. Try to avoid repeatedly pouring oil directly over the yolk if you want it runny.
  48. Cook for approximately 60–90 seconds, until the white is cooked and the edges are deeply golden and crisp.
  49. Remove and drain briefly.
  50. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
  51. Assemble
  52. Add jasmine rice to each plate.
  53. Spoon a generous amount of basil chicken beside or partly over the rice.
  54. Place a crispy fried egg on top.
  55. Add cucumber slices alongside.
  56. I like breaking the yolk immediately so it runs through the basil chicken and into the rice.

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About the Author

Gary
Creacipes started as a place to keep track of the recipes I actually want to cook again. These days, I rarely follow recipes exactly. Between cooking at home, experimenting with ingredients and running POP UP Dumpling Bar, I’ve learned to cook more by feel and adjust things to suit my own taste. If something turns out well, this is where I write it down.

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