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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes » Meats » Pad Gaprao (Pad Kra Pao) Holy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry

    Pad Gaprao (Pad Kra Pao) Holy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry

    Published: Jan 1, 2016 · Modified: Dec 7, 2020 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

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    This popular Thai dish has many English spellings: Pad Kra Pao, Pad Ka Prao, Pad Ka Pow, Pad Krapow...etc. "Pad gaprao" is the phonetically closest spelling, but it seems to be the least popular way because most Thai people mispronounce it to begin with! Doesn't matter, because no matter how you spell it, they all point to this same delicious, rustic, spicy stir-fry featuring the aroma of holy basil. For a truly classic way to serve this dish, pour it over rice and top with a fried egg!

    Thai "Fast Food"

    In Thailand, this dish might be considered the equivalent of a sandwich or a burger. Something quick, easy, and ubiquitous that lots of people have for lunch. You can find pad gaprao at a simple street-side restaurant or in a food court, and many people have it for lunch. Sometimes vendors will make it fresh for you, other times, you can find it premade in a big tray and they just scoop it up and pour it over hot rice.

    Frying an Egg Thai-Style

    You can have this dish on its own with rice, but the most popular way is to have it with a fried egg. This classic combination is called "kao pad gaprao gai kai dao", which simply means rice with chicken holy basil stir-fry and a fried egg. Thai fried egg is fried in a LOT of oil because the key characteristic you want is that bubbly browned edges of the egg whites.

    The creaminess of the slightly runny egg mellows out the strong, spicy flavour of the stir-fry, and that's why it's such a winning combo.

    Changing Up the Chicken

    Although this recipe is most popular with chicken, you can make it with just about every kind of protein imaginable. Pork, beef, seafood, or even vegetarian version made with tofu and/or mushrooms. So if chicken isn't your thing, feel free to change it up!

    I use ground meat in this recipe because it's the most classic and the most "street" way you'll find pad kra pao, but you can use thinly sliced pieces of meat instead. Although, I REALLY think it tastes better with ground meat, so give it a go!

    What else can you use holy basil for?

    If you've got some extra basil after trying this recipe, you must check out the other recipe that is a classic use of holy basil, and that is pad kee mao (drunken noodles) recipe. Holy basil is used for drunken noodles, but just like pad gaprao, you can also use Italian basil or Thai basil as a substitute.

    If the basil isn't gonna last, and you don't really need anymore food yet, here's my go-to way to save any wilting basil from going bad: I make an all-purpose Thai basil sauce which can be stored in the fridge for at least a week and even frozen. When you're ready to eat, simply pour it over any cooked protein, or use it as a stirfry sauce. It is truly delicious and versatile!

    Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

    All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

    Also Check Out...

    • Thai Cashew Chicken Recipe
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    Pad Gaprao, pad krapow, pad grapao

    Pad Kra Pao (Pad Gaprao) Chicken Stir-Fry with Holy Basil

    ★★★★★ 4.9 from 28 reviews
    • Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
    • Yield: 2-3 Servings
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    • 5-10 Thai chilies, or to taste
    • 5 cloves garlic
    • 1 spur chilies or another mild, red pepper, chopped
    • ½ cup long beans, cut into short pieces
    • ½ small onion, diced
    • 300g chicken, coarsely ground (see video for how to grind your own chicken)
    • 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
    • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 tsp fish sauce
    • 1½ tsp black soy sauce (or sub dark soy sauce and reduce regular soy sauce to 2 tsp)
    • 2 Tbsp water
    • 1 ½ tsp sugar
    • 1 ½  cup holy basil leaves, loosely packed (see note)
    • Vegetable oil, as needed 
    • 2-3 eggs (1 per person)
    • Jasmine rice for serving
    • Prik Nam Pla (condiment for seasoning the egg, optional): Mix together some fish sauce, a squeeze of lime juice, chopped Thai chilies, and chopped garlic.

    Note: If you don't have holy basil, Thai basil will work fine; however, I have found that regular Italian basil actually has a more similar flavour to holy basil than Thai basil does, so that will work as well!

    Tools needed: A wok or a large skillet for the stir-fry. For the fried egg you can use a wok or a small frying pan, and non-stick would be better so you don't have to worry about the egg sticking.

    See Kitchen Tools and Ingredients I Use


    Instructions

    1. Pound Thai chilies into a fine paste.
    2. Add garlic and spur chilies and pound into a rough paste.
    3. Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, black soy sauce, water and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar.
    4. In a wok or a large saute pan, saute the garlic-chili paste in a little vegetable oil over medium high heat until the garlic starts to turn golden.
    5. Add chicken and toss until they're no longer in big clumps. Add the sauce and continue tossing until the chicken is almost done.
    6. Add onions and long beans; toss until the chicken is done.
    7. Remove from heat and stir in the holy basil.
    8. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

    For the fried egg:

    1. Heat about 1 cm of vegetable oil in a small non-stick pan or a wok over medium high heat.
    2. Once the oil is hot (you want the oil very hot, especially if you like runny yolk), crack the egg directly into the pan and let it fry until the edges are browned and bubbly.

    Serve the stir-fry over rice and top it with the fried egg. Drizzle a little of the prik nam pla over the egg and enjoy!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Summer

      December 18, 2022 at 8:37 pm

      I've been trying to recreate this dish for awhile. I'm so happy I've found an amazing recipe for it.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. David

      October 31, 2022 at 1:39 pm

      If it's not minced pork, it's not authentic. Also not a fan of adding onion, it's very over powering and ruins the balance of all flavors.

      Reply
    3. Kristen

      October 11, 2022 at 5:04 am

      Sawadee kha, Pai! Big fan! I work in Vientiane, Laos; used to make regular trips to Nong Khai and Udon Thani back before Covid. Krapow is my family's favorite dish, and I make it regularly. How do you wilt the basil without it turning black??? It is never the same as the ran-ahan. What am I doing wrong?

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        October 18, 2022 at 1:45 pm

        Hi! So exposed to too much heat basil will turn black. You're letting it linger too long in the hot pan is my guess. So I always turn the heat OFF then add the basil and fold it in using the residual heat and take it out of the pan asap. If you use electric stove you can move it off the element also.

        Reply
    4. Jerko

      July 09, 2022 at 4:47 pm

      This is a favorite of my family for years now. We grow the tulsi basil in an aerogarden. Love everything about it. We usually sub a thai chili paste instead of fresh and most of the time we just don't have the long beans. Love it every time.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • SL

        August 17, 2022 at 10:26 pm

        Hi Pai!!! First of all, big fan! Love all your videos and recipes! In fact this one is one of my favorites! I've made this a few times! I just made this for dinner, got over confident and didn't measure the fish sauce right and now it's too salty!!! Do you have an recommendations how to adjust the saltiness? Help please! I made so much and don't want to waste so much. THANK YOU!!!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
      • SL

        August 17, 2022 at 10:29 pm

        Sorry I didn't mean to reply to your post with my post! Now I can't delete it. Sorry!!!

        Reply
    5. Doug

      July 05, 2022 at 1:32 pm

      Hi For the Thai chilies just regular fresh bird’s eye or even serranos? And the Spur chili —I only have dried spur chilies, from Thailand but I can’t find them fresh. Would dry work here?

      And if not is there a source where I can find fresh Prik ban chang chiles?

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        July 07, 2022 at 4:47 pm

        Any hot chilies will work in place of the Thai chilies, so yes serranos are fine. Dried spur isn't common, but I think it would be interesting and good and I've seen people used fresh+dried combo. I'd finely chop them so it's not leathery.

        Reply
    6. Mark

      April 30, 2022 at 8:47 am

      Fantastic flavor; heat yet not so overbearing that the sauce is overwhelmed. Love it! One comment: video link at the top of the recipe is not working.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Misa

      February 27, 2022 at 7:08 pm

      My husband and I LOVE this! Tastes just like Thailand!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Tony Morris

      November 13, 2021 at 11:55 pm

      Thank you so much for this simply amazing recipe! I’ve cooked it twice now and it is fantastic. Everyone in our family loves it and it’s so easy to make. I use an electric wok and the eggs turn out perfectly!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    9. mavee125

      October 21, 2021 at 1:59 am

      This Pad Kra Pao recipe is so delicious! I used Healthy Boy Brand Thin Soy Sauce which I bought at Karman Foods, as an alternative, and the taste was absolutely delightful! It's our family's new fave dish!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. David Rowbottam (Rowdyman)

      October 09, 2021 at 5:39 am

      Khun Pailin, alloy mak!
      Really enjoyed the flavours, we lived in Thailand for four years before returning to Australia. We're fortunate that the ingredients are easy to get most of the year here in Perth.
      I could almost hear the two-stroke motor bikes as we enjoyed this dish.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Adam from HTK

        October 09, 2021 at 3:52 pm

        Lol love it! 🙂

        Reply
    11. St

      September 28, 2021 at 9:00 pm

      Hi Pailin! Have been following your recipes for forever. This has become my go to as it’s my favourite lunch dish and even though I live in your country (Thailand) COVID has certainly deprived me of ordering often from the small local shops. So I bought a basil plant and now I eat kaprao kai almost every other day following your recipe. Thanks a lot. Btw I have one question can I pre mix the sauces and sugar and keep in my pantry to have on hand always?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        October 04, 2021 at 1:10 pm

        Hi! That's so great to hear! Yes you can pre mix the sauce. The sugar will have a hard time dissolving in such a thick/salty sauce, so you might want to add that when cooking, or dissolve in in a little bit of hot water (make a thick syrup) and then add it in. Thanks for the review!

        Reply
    12. Eine

      September 27, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      I have tried this many times sooo good even though without holy basil cause my holy basil plant is dead. 🙁

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. Alison L.

      September 14, 2021 at 5:16 pm

      So good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • JAMR

        February 28, 2022 at 11:01 am

        Can you use that store bought thai chili paste? Theres a garlic-chili paste and just the chili paste, which one is best?

        Reply
        • Pailin Chongchitnant

          March 01, 2022 at 12:13 pm

          Thai chili paste is very different and cannot be used, the garlic chili paste (green lid?) doesn't have nearly the amount of garlic that you would want and also has vinegar added. I'd stick with making it fresh!

          Reply
        • babyboby

          August 02, 2022 at 1:03 am

          Judging the sauces and methods used i would say this is quite an authentic recipe. To make it even more phenomenal, add a dash of white pepper powder in the end.

          ★★★★★

          Reply
    14. Ralph

      August 22, 2021 at 6:32 am

      Favorite Thai dish! My holy Basil dies in the winter though. Any thoughts on making this with dried holy basil or powder? Frozen basil? I guess a small indoor greenhouse might be in the works.

      Reply
      • Olga

        August 28, 2021 at 12:41 pm

        If I omit the thai chilies entirely will I be missing a crucial piece to this dish? My kids are hyper sensitive to spicy food and those little chilies have some kick.

        Reply
        • Pailin Chongchitnant

          September 02, 2021 at 11:32 pm

          Yes and no. The dish is supposed to be spicy, so you wouldn't be experiencing the dish as it should be. However, if you make sure you have enough of the non-spicy peppers, then you'll still get the pepper flavour, and you can always add more spicy chilies to yours at the table!

          Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 02, 2021 at 11:46 pm

        I would recommend just making it work regular Italian basil. Dried or powdered just don't have good flavours.

        Reply
    15. Brett

      May 23, 2021 at 9:37 pm

      Is it possible to prepare this in advance without adding the basil and refrigerate or freeze for any time.

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        May 24, 2021 at 4:32 pm

        Sure, you can certainly do that. It'll last a week in the fridge at least. Then add the basil when reheating.

        Reply
        • Lyle

          May 30, 2021 at 11:54 am

          This recipe is awesome! So easy to prepare and although very authentic, it is better than you find in Thailand at typical fast food shops. This is more like an elevated version you'd find in a proper restaurant. Now two things I've noted. The black soy sauce is very much the flavor of molasses. I never found this flavor prevalent in dishes in Thailand. Unless you really want a molasses flavor very prevalent I suggest reducing to 1/3rd and add more after tasting. Second is the recommendation of 5-10 chilies. I made this with 3 and it has some nice heat, which made my nose a bit sniffley. Unless you and yours like quite spicy 5 chilies may be too much. You can always add heat but you can't remove it, so be careful. Oh and lastly if you only have Thai basil, it's still amazing I'm sure even with normal basil it'd be great.

          ★★★★★

          Reply
        • Brett

          June 30, 2021 at 10:53 pm

          My grand daughter asked me to make this dish for her12th birthday for 7 people and I had to break out the BIG wok.
          I hav forwarded you recipe that least 5 of the parents at the party.
          My daughter, son in law and grandkids had a vacation to Thailand 2 years ago to visit my sister and her new Thai husband and my grad daughters favourite dish on the trip was Pad Kra Pao. They spent 2 weeks in Hua Hin, where my sister lives and apparently she hat this dish several times.
          Last week, my grad daughter graduated from elementary school and her request for dinner was the local Thai restaurant and she ordered Thai Basil Chicken.
          The next day, she told me I should take my wok over to them and give some lessons.

          Reply
        • GJ

          August 20, 2021 at 5:49 am

          Sawasdee krub Pai! 🙏 Do you have other Thai recipes that use Holy Basil aside from Pad Kra Pao?

          Reply
          • Adam from HTK

            August 20, 2021 at 9:11 am

            Hi GJ! https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/?s=basil Have fun 🙂 Adam

            Reply
    16. Hannah

      April 21, 2021 at 5:50 am

      I made this with Thai basil instead and it was absolutely delicious!!! It tasted like the ones you get at thai restaurants. Next time, ill make it with the holy basil and see if there's a difference.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Ed

        April 27, 2021 at 1:18 pm

        The difference is incredible, completely different dish and well worth doing!

        Reply
    17. Wendy

      April 06, 2021 at 9:03 pm

      Love this! and I make it with Gluten Free sauces.
      I used Thai Basil as I couldn't find Fresh Holy Basil.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    18. Mark

      March 13, 2021 at 1:27 pm

      I made this tonight. Really good, although i only put two chillies in. Thoroughly recomend the recipe.

      ★★★★

      Reply
    19. Melissa

      February 10, 2021 at 4:23 pm

      I really want to make a vegetarian version of this, either using veggie beef crumbles or tofu and mushrooms. Could you advise how you would do it? Thank you!! All of your recipes look so good and I’m going to start making some of them soon.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Patrick

        February 17, 2021 at 6:27 pm

        Hi I make a version of this fairly often and use Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) as a replacement. It works very well as a replacement for ground meat in general!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
      • Aishvarya Arora

        March 06, 2021 at 12:26 pm

        I've also made this using crumbled firm tofu (or even extra firm depending on what brand) and it comes out SUPER well! I have personally preferred that to using a crumbled meat substitute, because when I have used those they tend to impart their own additional flavor, and don't hold up as well texture wise.

        Reply
        • Julie

          March 10, 2021 at 7:41 am

          Melissa, I made it with some steamed and chopped tempeh, and it was delicious! I also made it with crumbled extra firm tofu, and it wasn’t as good (that might have been my fault but it was mushy).

          Reply
    20. Bike

      January 14, 2021 at 12:18 am

      I love this dish and made it several times now. It is fast easy and delicious. A slightly different dish is this one with black century eggs. Is the recipe still the same? Just add the century eggs add the end?

      ★★★★

      Reply
    21. Marty

      January 12, 2021 at 6:41 am

      I've made this recipe a few times now and it's always great. I never have the black soy sauce so I just use regular... can't find holy basil so use Italian... bell pepper instead of spur chili... chicken or pork doesn't matter - it's always awesome! If you're reading the recipe and don't have some of the ingredients, you can improvise and it will still taste great.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Brett

        June 30, 2021 at 10:37 pm

        The black soya sauce is readily available as Kecap Manis which is Indonesian sweet soya sauce in most western super markets.

        Reply
    22. Dana

      January 03, 2021 at 11:24 am

      Instructions are clear, ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store, and it's DELICIOUS!!! It's healthy takeout you can make yourself!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Riane

        January 14, 2021 at 4:22 pm

        This recipe might be my favorite dish of all time, and it's at least in my top 3 dishes.

        It's so tasty, and so unbelievably quick and simple to make! I hadn't even heard of it until I stumbled on your youtube channel, and now I make it almost every week!

        Thanks so much for sharing this. I love making my roommates cough when I start frying, because no matter how high the fan is turned up or how open the windows are, it still gets everyone in the house. XD

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    23. Ian

      January 01, 2021 at 2:32 pm

      In Chicago I have only been able to find one store that semi-regularly stocks Kaprao, but man do I wish I could have it in my fridge all the time. If that was the case this would definitely be a weekly make. Also a great dish to teach yourself how to love spicy food.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    24. Visoot

      December 18, 2020 at 11:22 pm

      This is the first time I have a comment on your website. But I have been following your posts and videos for years. They are very informative even for a Thai like me.

      The recipe you post here is very much the standard Pad Gaprao as it is being cooked nowadays. But lately I have been having some misgivings with it. I find it too similar to 三杯鸡 (sān bēi jī) or 3-cup chicken, hence not Thai enough. I have been researching and experimenting with Pad Gaprao. One ingredient has stood out in my various experiments - ลูกกระวาน (Amomum kravanh). It gives my Pad Gaprao an unmistakeable Thai flavour profile. Khun Pai, as a professional chef, what is your take on adding ลูกกระวาน to the paste for Pad Gaprao?

      Reply
    25. Holly Salley

      December 12, 2020 at 4:44 pm

      This is one of the most simple and delicious recipes I have ever made. I love the egg on top. Take that extra step. I love this one.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    26. Michael

      December 08, 2020 at 10:12 am

      An easy to make Thai dish.
      The basil tast makes it special. Everyone loves it.
      I use minced pork meet because somtimes chicken could be dry a little.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Tabitha McIntyre

        December 09, 2020 at 12:43 pm

        I use this recipe almost once a week! It tastes great and is easy to prepare. Reminds me of the food I enjoyed non Thailand!!
        The Holy Basil/Thai Basil makes the dish!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
      • Kev

        December 12, 2020 at 12:15 pm

        Have used this recipe a few times thanks. I'm an Englishman who worked in Bangkok for years and cooking this takes me back. I add Maggi to the sauce and sprinkle liberally on the dish. The frozen basil you can get in supermarkets here works well.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Oanh

          May 03, 2021 at 4:27 pm

          Made this tonight and it was delicious. Thank you so much!

          ★★★★★

          Reply
          • Adam The HTK Intern

            May 04, 2021 at 5:33 pm

            Excellent! 🙂

            Reply

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    Sawaddee ka! I'm Pai, a chef, author, and YouTuber. I'm here to demystify Thai cuisine and help you cook great Thai food at home. How did a girl from Thailand come to teach Thai cooking to millions worldwide? Here's my story.

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