Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice (Khao Pad Kra Pao)

Name: Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice (Khao Pad Kra Pao)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 4 cups (620 g) cooked jasmine rice, cold, day-old, clumps broken up with your fingers; 12 oz (340 g) ground chicken (thigh preferred), cold from the fridge; 3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil such as canola or peanut; 5 cloves (20 g) garlic, peeled and roughly pounded or minced; 4 chilies (10 g) Thai bird's eye chilies, stemmed and roughly pounded or finely chopped; 1 medium (40 g) shallot, thinly sliced; 4 oz (115 g) long beans or green beans, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces; ½ medium (75 g) red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) strips (optional); 1½ tbsp (22 ml) fish sauce; 2 tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce; 1 tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce; 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar; 2 cups (40 g) Thai basil leaves, loosely packed, leaves picked from stems; 4 large (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil for frying eggs; 1 small (150 g) cucumber, sliced into half-moons (optional); 1 whole (65 g) lime, cut into 4 wedges

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A fiery, fragrant Thai-style fried rice with juicy minced chicken, garlic, fresh chilies and a big handful of Thai basil that wilts into the hot rice at the very end. Ready in about 30 minutes, with day-old jasmine rice for separate, slightly chewy grains.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Makes: About 6 cups (4 generous servings)

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Ingredients

4 servings

4 cups (620 g) cooked jasmine rice, cold, day-old, clumps broken up with your fingers
12 oz (340 g) ground chicken (thigh preferred), cold from the fridge
3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil such as canola or peanut
5 cloves (20 g) garlic, peeled and roughly pounded or minced
4 chilies (10 g) Thai bird's eye chilies, stemmed and roughly pounded or finely chopped
1 medium (40 g) shallot, thinly sliced
4 oz (115 g) long beans or green beans, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces
½ medium (75 g) red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) strips (optional)
For the sauce
1½ tbsp (22 ml) fish sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce
1 tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce
1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
2 cups (40 g) Thai basil leaves, loosely packed, leaves picked from stems
To serve
4 large (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature
3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil for frying eggs
1 small (150 g) cucumber, sliced into half-moons (optional)
1 whole (65 g) lime, cut into 4 wedges

Equipment (4)

14-inch (35 cm) carbon steel wok or 12-inch (30 cm) large skillet
Wok spatula or wooden spoon
Mortar and pestle or knife for the garlic and chilies
Small bowl for the sauce

Steps

Before you start

Use cold, day-old jasmine rice (or rice cooked and spread on a tray, then chilled at least 1 hour). Fresh warm rice turns mushy.
Stir-frying is fast: measure and prep everything before turning on the heat.
Thai basil (horapha) has anise notes; holy basil is more traditional for kra pao but harder to find. Do not use Italian basil unless you must.
Chilies set the heat: 4 Thai chilies is spicy, 2 is moderate. Remove seeds for less heat.

1
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
- Set next to the stove along with all other prepped ingredients.
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Ready when: Sugar is fully dissolved and no grains remain.
2
Prep the aromatics
- Pound or finely chop the garlic and chilies together into a coarse, wet paste.
- Slice the shallot, cut the beans and bell pepper, and pick the basil leaves.
- Break up any clumps in the cold rice with your fingers.
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Ready when: Rice grains are loose and separate.
Tip: Wear gloves or wash hands well after handling chilies, and avoid touching your eyes.
3
Fry the eggs
- Heat the egg oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 1 minute.
- Crack in 2 eggs at a time and fry 1½–2 minutes, spooning hot oil over the whites, until the whites are bubbly and crisp at the edges and the yolks are still runny.
- Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining eggs.
- Wipe the wok clean.
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Ready when: Whites are set with crispy lacy edges; yolks still jiggle.
Tip: Cook eggs first so the wok is free for the high-heat fry; they hold fine while you cook the rice.
4
Bloom garlic and chili
- Heat the 3 tbsp (45 ml) oil in the wok over high heat until it just begins to smoke, about 1½ minutes.
- Add the garlic-chili paste and shallot and stir constantly for 20–30 seconds.
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Ready when: Very fragrant and garlic is pale golden, not brown.
Tip: If the garlic darkens it turns bitter; lift the wok off the heat for a moment if needed.
5
Brown the chicken
- Add the ground chicken and spread it out in the wok.
- Let it sear undisturbed for 45 seconds, then break it into small crumbles with the spatula and stir-fry 2–3 minutes more.
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Ready when: No pink remains and some edges are lightly browned; internal temperature 165°F (74°C).
Tip: Don't crowd the pan; if the chicken releases lots of liquid, keep cooking until it evaporates.
6
Cook the vegetables
- Add the green beans and bell pepper.
- Stir-fry 1½–2 minutes until the beans turn bright green and are crisp-tender.
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Ready when: Beans are bright green and still have a snap.
7
Add rice and sauce
- Add the rice and press it against the hot wok with the spatula, then toss and fold.
- Pour the sauce around the edges of the wok (not directly on the rice) and toss for 2–3 minutes.
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Ready when: Rice is evenly browned, steaming hot throughout, and grains are separate, not wet or clumped.
Tip: Sauce hitting the hot metal caramelizes slightly and adds deeper flavor.
8
Wilt the basil
- Turn off the heat.
- Add all the basil and fold for 15–20 seconds, just until the leaves wilt and darken slightly from the residual heat.
- Taste and add a splash more fish sauce if needed.
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Ready when: Leaves are glossy, dark green and fragrant but not blackened.
Tip: Cooking the basil longer dulls its aroma, so add it off the heat.
9
Serve
- Divide the rice among 4 plates.
- Top each with a crispy fried egg, and serve with cucumber slices and a lime wedge.
- Squeeze the lime over the rice and break the yolk into it just before eating.
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Ready when: Rice is piping hot and eggs are still warm.

Good to know

Tips

Use high heat and don't overload the wok; if your pan is small, cook the rice in two batches for better browning.
Day-old rice is drier, so the grains fry instead of steam. If you must use fresh rice, spread it on a tray and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Add sauce in small amounts, tasting at the end; fish sauce brands vary in saltiness.
Prik nam pla (sliced chilies in fish sauce) is a classic table condiment for extra heat.

Make ahead

"Cook the jasmine rice up to 2 days ahead, spread on a tray to cool, and refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour, then covered. Prep the sauce, aromatics and vegetables up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate separately."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: no more than 1 hour. Refrigerator: store rice (without eggs) in an airtight container up to 2 days; cool quickly. Freezer: up to 1 month in freezer bags, flattened. Reheat in a hot skillet with a splash of water for 3–4 minutes, or microwave covered until steaming hot (165°F/74°C). Fry fresh eggs for serving."

Substitutions

ground chicken (thigh preferred) → ground pork, thinly sliced chicken breast, or crumbled firm tofu. Pork cooks in the same time; tofu should be browned well and may need an extra tablespoon of oil.
Thai basil leaves → holy basil (kra pao). The most traditional choice; use the same amount.
oyster sauce → vegetarian mushroom stir-fry sauce. Use with soy sauce in place of fish sauce for a vegetarian version.
Thai bird's eye chilies → 1 fresh serrano or red jalapeño. Milder; seed it for even less heat.