Sticky Basil Chicken — Skip takeout and make this AMAZING chicken that tastes like it’s from an Thai restaurant at home in 15 minutes!! So EASY with the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and plenty of fresh basil!!
Easy Spicy Basil Chicken Recipe
This recipe is a spinoff of my Better-Than-Takeout Sticky Chicken. I love that chicken so much and decided to make a basil-infused version.
The chicken is ridiculously tender and loaded with authentic Asian flavors that keep you going back for one more juicy bite.
The sauce is just sweet enough, but is balanced with the tang of the vinegar, the saltiness from the soy sauce, and you can make it as spicy (or not) as you like with the chili garlic sauce.
This homemade non-fried version of sticky chicken that’s made in one skillet and ready in 15 minutes will knock your socks off. It tastes like it’s from a restaurant and you don’t even need to leave your house.
It’s hassle-free and perfect for busy weeknights.You probably have almost everything on hand to make it and if you don’t, not to worry because all the ingredients are easily found at your local grocery store.
How Is This Recipe Different Than Thai Basil Chicken?
Primarily, I used regular basil and not Thai basil, but if you can find Thai basil and want to use it, go for it.
Basil trivia coming up from what I have learned on the internet:
There are two types of Thai basil: regular Thai basil and Holy Basil.
Holy basil is more typically used in the restaurant version of this dish but is also harder to find that Thai Basil, which is already hard to find. So count me out, I have no patience driving around looking for ingredients.
Also in restaurant versions of Thai basil chicken, the sauce isn’t as thick or sticky, and the chicken doesn’t tend to have any breading on it (no flour or cornstarch) so that’s another difference.
But truth be told, I love chicken that has exactly this texture and prefer this to any restaurant version of traditional spicy Thai basil chicken.
What’s in the Sticky Basil Chicken?
To make the chicken and the sticky basil sauce, you’ll need:
- Honey
- Ketchup
- Soy sauce
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vinegar
- Chili garlic sauce
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Fresh basil
What Kind Of Basil To Use?
I really wanted to make “Thai Basil Chicken,” which is a fairly popular Thai restaurant recipe.
However, it’s tricky to find Thai basil unless you live near a Thai or Asian market, and even if you do, it’s likely not convenient to go there solely to track down Thai basil.
I never want anyone to go on a goose chase that I wouldn’t go on myself. So because of that, we have Sticky Basil Chicken rather than Thai Basil Chicken.
I used fresh basil from Trader Joe’s but if you have basil from your garden, that would be lovely.
How to Make Sticky Basil Chicken
To a large skillet, add boneless skinless chicken breast pieces that have been dredged in egg, flour, and corn starch.
Cook until the chicken is done, about 8 minutes, and then add the sauce.
Finish with a big handful of torn fresh basil leaves and garnish with sesame seeds if you like and dig in!
Is Basil Chicken Spicy?
I added 3 heaping tablespoons chili garlic sauce to the sauce mixture and the chicken and sauce had a nice kick.
If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, dial that quantity back. Start with 1 tablespoon and work up from there. Or if you don’t want any spiciness, it’s easy to omit.
But in my opinion for most homemade versions of Asian-inspired recipes or to recreate an Asian restaurant dish, there needs to be at least some spiciness.
Tips for Making Sticky Basil Chicken
Be sure to cut the chicken breasts into same-sized pieces so they cook in the skillet at an even rate.
You can dial up the heat in this dish by adding extra chili garlic sauce, or even a few squirts of sriracha.
Leftovers will last up to five days in the fridge. I recommend gently reheating them in a skillet rather than the microwave so that the chicken doesn’t dry out.
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4.59 from 73 votes
Sticky Basil Chicken
By Averie Sunshine
Skip takeout and make this AMAZING chicken that tastes like it's from an Asian restaurant at home in 15 minutes!! So EASY with the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and plenty of fresh basil!!
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Sauce
- ⅓ to ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or regular or rice vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons lite or lower-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 to 4 tablespoons chili garlic sauce, to taste (I used 3 heaping tablespoons and there was a nice kick; reduce to 1 tablespoon or less if you're very sensitive to spicy foods)
Chicken
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup corn starch, for dredging
- 1.75 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary
- 1 big handful fresh basil leaves, torn into large pieces, or as desired; plus more for garnishing optionally
- sesame seeds, optional for garnishing
Instructions
Sauce:
To a medium bowl, add all the ingredients, and whisk to combine; set aside.
Chicken:
Add the egg to a small bowl, the flour to a separate shallow bowl, and the corn starch to another shallow bowl.
Add the chicken to the egg bowl (I add it all at once and smoosh it around with my fingers), pick it up and transfer it to the flour bowl and coat it with flour (doesn't have to be 100% completely and perfectly coated), pick it up and transfer it to the corn starch bowl and coat it with corn starch.
To a large skillet, add the oil, the chicken, and cook over medium to medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, or until the chicken is seared, lightly browned or golden on the outside, and cooked through; slip intermittently to ensure even cooking.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the sauce to the skillet, and stir to combine. Stir the sauce nearly continuously for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up and likely it will have reduced and absorbed into or clung to the chicken and there won't be much excess.
Turn the heat off, add the handful of torn basil, and stir to incorporate and until wilted.
Optionally, garnish with additional basil and/or sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: Chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Adapted from Better-Than-Takeout Sticky Chicken.
Nutrition
Serving: 1, Calories: 711kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 67g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 215mg, Sodium: 806mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 24g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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