This Spicy Gluten-Free Thai Basil Chicken recipe is a quick and easy chicken dish with bold Thai basil and spicy Thai chili pepper flavor. In fact, the flavors in this recipe are so bold that I’d recommend cooking this one outdoors if you happen to have an outdoor kitchen.
Thai chili peppers contain capsaicin, which is what gives peppers their lively taste. Be forewarned, those capsaicin molecules are released when the peppers are washed, seeded, cut, or fried and can easily irritate and cause one’s eyes to water, skin to burn, and induce choking and coughing fits in one’s respiratory system.
When combined with Thai basil, is a strong aromatic herb, the air becomes heavy with an intense peppery scent that permeates everything in the home. Yeah, it’s THAT bold! But is it worth it? Absolutely!
Ingredients in Spicy Gluten-Free Thai Basil Chicken
- 1 large chicken breast
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 green onions
- 2 Thai chilies
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp oyster flavored sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 handful Thai basil
- 1 cup of cooked jasmine rice
For this recipe, all ingredients used are either fresh and naturally gluten-free or certified gluten-free products.
Rather than use any old soy sauce, we are using San-J Gluten Free Tamari Soy Sauce which we love for its rich flavor. We are particularly partial to this brand for producing many certified gluten-free products that are also non-GMO, kosher, vegan, and Fodmap friendly.
*If you are avoiding soy, as an alternative, coconut aminos can be substituted for the soy sauce in this recipe.
How to Make Spicy Gluten-Free Thai Basil Chicken
Begin by slicing 1 very large or two small chicken breasts into thin bite sized strips and set them aside.
Next, peel and mince 5 cloves of garlic with a garlic press.
Slice 2 green onions and 2 Thai chili peppers with a knife.
*If you’ve never tried Thai chili peppers, then I must caution you to start with fewer peppers than you think you may want. There are approximately 79 varieties of these tiny little Thai chili peppers, and they are much hotter than you might imagine.
According to the Scoville Scale for Chili Peppers, Thai chili peppers pack a rather fiery punch with Scoville Heat Units (SHU) of 50,000 – 100,000 SHU. That is up to 25 times hotter than the more commonly available jalapeño peppers that clock in at approximately 4,000 – 50,000 SHU.
As previously mentioned, these peppers are so hot that they can irritate eyes, skin, and lungs so it might be wise to protect yourself by wearing goggles or eyeglasses, gloves, and a slightly damp bandana, dish towel, or mask. Needless to say, consume these little firecrackers at your own risk!
Heat oil on high heat in a wok and when hot, stir in the chilies, green onion, and garlic for approximately 20-30 seconds.
Add the chicken strips to the wok and continually stir fry for approximately 2-3 minutes or until completely cooked.
*A word of caution here – it’s better to cook the meat in small batches if you intend to cook more than one or two servings at a time. The goal is to create a light sear on the meat. Cooking too much meat at one time will yield a large quantity of broth thereby steaming it and changing both the chicken’s flavor and texture.
Stir in 3 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of oyster flavored sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
Then heat through for approximately 30 seconds.
Then, stir in a handful of Thai basil and heat for a few seconds – just long enough to wilt the leaves.
Our family prefers to serve this Spicy Gluten-Free Thai Basil Chicken on a bed of steamed jasmine rice. You could use just about any kind of rice, but then you’d miss out on this truly flavorful variety. There are many brands available in markets, but we are partial to Mahatma Jasmine Rice because it cooks up perfectly every time.
Now, there’s nothing left to do here but enjoy!
If you liked our Spicy Gluten-Free Thai Basil Chicken, then you’ll love some of our other favorite recipes!
Cheesy Pico Tequila Chicken (Pressure Cooker!)
15 Minute Chicken Street Tacos
Fast Chicken Pho
Easy Baked Chicken Spaghetti
Savory Garlic Butter Chicken with Caramelized Onions
Spicy Gluten-Free Thai Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken breast
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 green onions
- 2 Thai chili peppers
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 handful Thai basil
- 1 ½ cups cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- Slice chicken breast into thin bite sized strips.
- Peel and mince garlic with a garlic press. Slice green onions and Thai chili peppers with a knife.
- Heat oil on high heat in a wok and when hot, stir in chilies and garlic for approximately 20-30 seconds.
- Add chicken strips to wok and continually stir fry for approximately 2-3 minutes or until completely cooked.
- Stir in soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar and heat through for approximately 30 seconds.
- Stir in a handful of Thai basil and heat for a few seconds – just long enough to wilt the leaves.
- Serve on a bed of steamed jasmine rice.
in the USA
in the USA
in the USA