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This serrano pepper Thai basil chicken is a go to weeknight staple in my house. It comes together in less time than it would take you to order takeout, and it tastes better too. It’s spicy but not too spicy, fresh and just downright delicious. You could bump down the spice by using jalapenos instead or even bell peppers, but I think Serrano have the best flavor. It’s a really healthy dinner that can be served over whatever you like, rice, quinoa, noodles, cabbage, etc.
If you’re not sure about fish sauce, this is the perfect recipe to give it a try. You could omit it, but it really changes the profile of the dish. It’s the “secret ingredient” that really puts this recipe on another level. It adds a depth of flavor that you just can’t get without it. So I suggest giving it a try if it’s not something already in your pantry.
This recipe comes together in about 20 minutes from start to finish, making it a perfect healthy weeknight dinner. We have a game we play called “The Restaurant Test” where we pretend we got our meal from a restaurant, would we be happy with it? Or would it not be good enough to pay restaurant prices for? This serrano pepper Thai basil chicken passes the restaurant test to the point where I’ll choose to stay home and make this over going to a restaurant.
Can’t find Thai basil at your grocery store? You can usually find it with the other fresh herbs in most grocery stores. But, if you can’t find Thai basil, you can substitute with fresh basil. It doesn’t have the exact same flavor profile but will still add freshness to the recipe and be delicious.
Hope you enjoy!
PrintSerrano Pepper Thai Basil Chicken
This Serrano pepper Thai basil chicken is a weeknight staple in my house. It comes together in about 20 minutes and is better than takeout! Serve over whatever you have in the pantry for a delicious and healthy dinner.
- Prep Time: 3
- Cook Time: 17
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
1/2 large or 1 medium onion
~10 Serrano peppers
1 lb of chicken
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbs avocado oil or oil of choice
2 tbs sriracha
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs tamari or soy sauce
1 tbs honey
handful of Thai basil
scallions (optional)
sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
Chop onion, peppers, chicken and garlic
Heat pan to medium heat and add oil
Add onions to the pan and cook until start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes
Add peppers to the pan and cook until peppers start to soften and onion develops some color, about 5 minutes
Add chicken to the pan, cook about 5 minutes on one side, giving the chicken some color
Add garlic and let the garlic get fragrant, about 2 minutes
Add sriracha, fish sauce, tamari and honey to pan. Stir and cook about 7 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened slightly
Turn off heat and stir in Thai basil
Optional top with scallions and sesame seeds
Serve over rice, quinoa, noodles or cabbage
If you like this, check out these recipes! Sweet & Spicy Shrimp Tacos or Stuffed Poblano Peppers!
Sandi says
Great recipe! So easy to make. Your photography is beautiful too.
★★★★★
Jane Clifford says
Thank you! It would be fantastic with tofu too. And, I often throw in other random veggies, which is also quite good. Everything is good in this sauce!