If you’re looking for a really fast, easy dish to make with all of that basil and mint you’ve got growing like weeds in your garden this summer––and perhaps a dinner that tastes just like (better?) than what you can get from your local takeout place, this Thai Chicken Stir-fry with Basil & Mint is the answer to your weeknight dinner prayers.
From start to finish, it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and it will make you look like a total BOSS in the kitchen.
And who doesn’t want to look like a total kitchen boss to their family, significant other, roommate, friends, and/or SELF?
Dishes like this Thai Chicken Stir-fry with Basil & Mint make me think about a lot of people who are just getting started in the kitchen––those Seamless, GrubHub, takeout menu dependents who think cooking is too hard or complicated (to be fair, we can probably blame THAT on all the episodes of Chef’s Table and Mind of a Chef we’re all watching on Netflix), or requires a lot of equipment.
Or those who’ve ventured into the kitchen to try something out, but had it all end in crunchy spaghetti, undercooked meat, or a tornado of seemingly every appliance, utensil, and plate scattered and splattered everywhere.
Dishes like this are confidence boosters. They prove that cooking can be fast and easy. Just think, you can walk into your now quiet kitchen, slice and chop a few things, take out a pan, and have this on the table (or…let’s be real, the couch) in front of you in FIFTEEN MINUTES.
That’s less time than it takes me to check my email most days. That’s one or two YouTube video’s worth of time. It’s less time than it takes for the delivery guy to get to your house!
So yeah. Hope that was motivating. Now go to the kitchen and make this. You’re just 15 minutes away from kitchen boss status.
You’ll need:
- 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, sliced into thin strips
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh holland or Thai bird chili, de-seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
Combine the sliced chicken with the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chicken, and stir-fry until opaque. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil in the wok, and add the garlic, onion, and chilies. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the reserved chicken, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, Thai basil, and mint.
Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the basil and mint leaves are wilted.
Serve your Thai Chicken Stir-fry immediately with steamed rice.
Thai Chicken Stir-fry with Basil & Mint
Ingredients
- 12 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (340g, sliced into thin strips)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (plus 2 tablespoons)
- 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 fresh holland or Thai bird chili (de-seeded and thinly sliced)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves
Instructions
- Combine the sliced chicken with the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chicken, and stir-fry until opaque. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil in the wok, and add the garlic, onion, and chilies. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the reserved chicken, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, Thai basil, and mint.
- Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the basil and mint leaves are wilted. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Sam Daniel says
Thai people don’t use chopsticks for a stir fry…..
Bill says
Hi Sam, true that many Thai people use spoons and a forks for stir fry dishes, but Thai Chinese and definitely Chinese still use chopsticks. What I say to everyone is – use whatever you’re comfortable with to maximize your eating experience :)
Sofina Khatun Basha says
Hi there, want to try this but wondered if it could be done with lamb?
Sarah says
You could certainly try this with ground lamb!