Photograph of this dish. Charles Haynes · CC BY-SA 2.0.
Thai · Thailand
Holy Basil Chicken
Also called Pad Kra Pao
Chopped chicken, a lot of garlic, and basil wilted in at the end.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
A weeknight stir-fry with the heat in the chilies and the perfume in the basil. Serve it with rice and a crisp edge of fried egg if you want the classic plate.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
75
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 29%
- Carbs 51%
- Fat 20%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Suits · High protein
About 30.5 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 730 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Watch · Gluten-free
Wheat or gluten is in the required list.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
Frying makes this a harder plate when you feel unwell.
Watch · Kid-friendly
The heat is above a mild mark.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Dry jasmine rice219 kcal
- Chicken thigh151 kcal
- Neutral oil33 kcal
- Green beans10 kcal
- Palm sugar8 kcal
- Garlic7 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 40.9. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 436 kcal.
Allergens. Fish, Gluten, Shellfish, Soy, Wheat
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 327 kcal after the change.
Use tamari and skip oyster sauce.
A gluten-free plate. Add a pinch more sugar so it does not taste thin. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Use half the chilies.
Keeps the basil perfume with less fire. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 436 kcal | 22% |
| Protein | 30.5 g | 61% |
| Carbohydrate | 54.4 g | 20% |
| Fiber | 1.8 g | 6% |
| Total sugars | 2.8 g | 6% |
| Fat | 9.5 g | 12% |
| Saturated fat | 2.1 g | 11% |
| Cholesterol | 118 mg | 39% |
| Sodium | 730 mg | 32% |
| Potassium | 493 mg | 10% |
| Calcium | 52 mg | 4% |
| Iron | 3.9 mg | 22% |
| Magnesium | 63 mg | 15% |
| Zinc | 2.8 mg | 25% |
| Vitamin A | 31 mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 8.4 mg | 9% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 0.8 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 27 mcg | 23% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.5 mg | 41% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.3 mg | 25% |
| Niacin (B3) | 9.9 mg | 62% |
| Vitamin B6 · estimate | 0.8 mg | 46% |
| Folate · estimate | 158 mcg | 40% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.8 mcg | 33% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
- The method is a fry, so it stays out of the lightest group even when the rest of the plate is modest.
- Much of the energy comes from a fast starch such as white rice, white flour, or sugar.
- Fish here is a commonly eaten, lower-mercury choice when fully cooked. Follow your own pregnancy fish guidance.
- Shellfish should be fully cooked. This is an allergen for many people.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Wide skillet or wok
- Scale
- Spatula
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
- Chicken thigh, finely chopped1.1 lb500 g
Garlic, chopped6 cloves20 g
Thai chili, chopped3 chilies8 g
Green beans, cut1 cup100 g
Soy sauce1 tbsp13.04 ml
Fish sauce1 tbsp13.64 ml
Oyster sauce1 tbsp15 g
Palm sugar2 tsp8 g
Neutral oil1 tbsp16.48 ml
Thai basil, leaves1.5 cups20 g
Dry jasmine rice1.25 cups240 g
Water1.75 cups420 ml
Egg, fried to serve · optional4 eggs200 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use tamari and skip oyster sauce.. A gluten-free plate. Add a pinch more sugar so it does not taste thin.
- Use half the chilies.. Keeps the basil perfume with less fire.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Cook the rice covered until tender.
Rice 15 min
AI-generated photo.
2Stir the soy, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar together.
AI-generated photo.
3Heat the oil until it shimmers. Fry garlic and chili for a few seconds, then add chicken and beans.
Cook chicken 4 min
AI-generated photo.
4Add the sauce and toss until the chicken is cooked and the pan looks glossy.
AI-generated photo.
5Kill the heat, pile in the basil, and fold until it wilts. Serve over rice, with a fried egg if you are using one.
How you know it is done
Holy Basil Chicken is done when the outside has color and the center is cooked through for the protein in the pan.
If it goes wrong
- Holy Basil Chicken looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Holy Basil Chicken spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Holy Basil Chicken, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven, not a raw salad.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Dinner in one pan once the rice is going.
- Chopped chicken and beans make a high-protein plate that still tastes like a night market.
Notes
Pregnancy. Chicken and egg are fully cooked. Oyster sauce contains shellfish. The tamari swap removes it.
Children. For children, cook a portion of the chicken with garlic only and add chili to the adult plates.
From the kitchen. Thai basil is the right herb. Sweet Italian basil is a distant cousin, fine in a pinch, quieter on the plate.
Allergens in the required list: Fish, Gluten, Shellfish, Soy, Wheat.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.