Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti

Name: Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 12 Garlic cloves – roughly chopped; 4-15 Red Chilies (Bird’s eye preferred, but Holland or any other small chilies will work too.), to taste – deseeded if desired and cut into halves or thirds depending on length; 4-15 Green Chilies (Bird’s eye preferred, but Holland or any other small chilies will work too), to taste – deseeded if desired and cut into halves or thirds depending on length; 2 large Red Chilies – thinly sliced at an angle, deseeded if desired; ½ Yellow Onion (or red/white onion/6 shallots) – thinly sliced, then sliced in half; 8 pieces Baby Corn (optional) – cut in half lengthwise, and then chopped into ½-inch pieces; 3 Green Snake Beans (also known as asparagus and yardlong beans) – sliced into thin rings; 3 cups Thai Holy Basil Leaves (substitute with Thai sweet basil or Italian basil if holy basil is unavailable) – washed and dried; 2 TBLS Light Soy Sauce; 1 TBLS Sweet Dark Soy Sauce (the thick and viscous type); 4 TBLS Oyster Sauce; 2 TSP White Sugar, to taste; 2-3 TBLS Canola Oil (or any other neutral flavored cooking oil); 7 ounces uncooked Spaghetti (or capellini, or any other noodle-type of pasta you like. Whole wheat pasta is fine too if preferred.); 480 grams (about 1 pound) Ground Chicken (or you can use ground pork or beef if you prefer); ½ cup Reserved Pasta Water; To Serve (optional): Thai-style Fried Egg or a soft-boiled egg (one for each person)

by Lavina // posted May 25, 2020 — updated August 7, 2020

Jump to Recipe· 4 from 1 review

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Thailand meets Italy in this Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti fusion masterpiece! It’s quick and easy to make, full of the best spicy, savory, and sweet flavors, and fantastic for a tasty lunch or dinner!

Top view of large wok with spaghetti tossed with ground chicken, red and green chilies, garlic, onion, baby corn, green beans, and holy basil in a brown sauce.

Hello friends!

Last week I shared my all-time favorite Thai Holy Basil Chicken recipe. It’s a garlicky and spicy stir-fry number that’s exploding with flavor! I absolutely love eating it with a bed of warm steamed rice, and can eat it on repeat for days on end! ❤️

But if you’ve been following me on the blog for a while now, you know by now that I LOVE slurping on my pasta (and noodles!) just as much as I love my easy weeknight stir-fries. I especially love pastas that are tossed with chicken – like this Kung Pao Chicken Linguini, and also this Brown Butter Miso Pasta with Baked Spicy Chicken Meatballs. (The latter is to die for and definitely a must-try if you haven’t already!). 🤤

But back to today’s recipe. I think you can see where I’m going with my love for Thai Holy Basil Chicken and pasta infatuation. Please say hello to this Thai and Italian fusion masterpiece – Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti! 🎉

Here’s what we have going on:

Ground chicken. (But you can make it with ground pork, beef, or even crumbled tofu for a vegetarian version if you like!) 👌
Aromatics. Plenty of fresh garlic and fiery Bird’s eye chilies to spice things up! We also have some large red chilies for color (they’re actually mild in taste). 🌶
A delicious, easy to make, four-ingredient savory and sweet stir-fry sauce. It’s made with everyday Asian pantry staples – light soy sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a bit of sugar to balance of the spicy and salty flavors in the dish. 😋
Veggies. Some onion, baby corn, and green snake beans for more flavor and crunch! 👍
Peppery and fragrant Thai holy basil leaves. 🌿
PAAASSSTAAAA!! Spaghetti for slurping fun times! 😍

Two diagonally placed white round plates with spaghetti tossed with ground chicken, garlic, red and green chilies, onion, baby corn, green beans, and holy basil in a brown sauce. Fork and spoon to the side of the plates.

This dish is practically the same as my Thai Holy Basil Chicken, but it’s tossed with spaghetti instead of served over rice. It’s fairly straightforward to stir-fry on any given weeknight for dinner. But it’s also great for meal prep lunches. Bonus? You can have this one wok wonder ready to go and on your table in just 35 minutes!

If you’re a Thai foodie and a pasta lover like me, I guarantee that you’re going to love this spicy, savory, sweet, and mouthwatering Thai and Italian slurp-ili-cious pasta dish!

Let’s jump in and make some Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti!

Top view of a large wok with spaghetti tossed with ground chicken, chilies, onion, baby corn, green beans in a brown stir-fry sauce. A fork is twirled around spaghetti in the top right corner.

INGREDIENTS

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy weeknight pasta:

Garlic: I use plenty of garlic in this dish – twelve cloves! They give this pasta dish an unparalleled and incredibly delicious garlicky flavor!
Red and Green Chilies: I use Thai Bird’s eye chilies, which are incredibly HOT and tasty in my opinion! But Holland or any other small chilies will work too. Feel free to adjust the amount to taste and/or deseed them if you prefer to make this dish milder.
Large Red Chilies: These chilies are mild and are more for color than heat. You’re welcome to deseed them too if you prefer.
Veggies: I use yellow onion, baby corn, and green snake beans (also known as asparagus or yardlong beans). But you’re welcome to add or swap for any other stir-fry friendly veggies you like.
Thai Holy Basil Leaves: This lovely and unique basil has a peppery flavor and makes this dish incredibly fragrant and tasty! You can try finding it at your local Asian or Thai grocery store in the US. In Asia, it should be available at the Thai stall in your local wet market. But if it’s not easy to find for you, you can substitute with Thai sweet basil or Italian basil instead. They both can usually be found in large supermarkets.
Stir-fry Sauce: A quick and easy, salty and sweet combination of light soy sauce, sweet dark soy sauce (the thick and viscous type), oyster sauce, and some white sugar. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar and use more or less to taste.
Pasta: I used spaghetti, but capellini or any other noodle-type of pasta you have on hand will work great. You can also use whole wheat or gluten-free pasta if needed.
Canola Oil: For cooking. Feel free to use any other neutral flavored cooking oil you have on hand.
Ground Chicken: I love this dish with ground chicken! But you’re welcome to use ground pork or beef, or even crumbled tofu for a veg version if you prefer. (Check out the ‘Variations’ section below for tips on cooking this dish with different proteins.)
Reserved Pasta Water: Be sure to reserve about ½ cup of boiling salted pasta water before draining the pasta.
To Serve (optional): I typically serve this dish with some form of egg. A Thai-style fried egg (details on how to make it are in this Spicy Thai Basil Chicken post), a plain soft-boiled egg, or a soft-boiled egg that is battered and coated with seasoned bread crumbs and then deep-fried. 😍 The egg on the side compliments this dish and takes it up a notch. But serving with an egg is completely optional. (I didn’t include the egg in the photos here as I made the dish in the day and was going to be serving it for dinner. I made the battered and bread crumbs coated deep-fried soft-boiled eggs just before serving in the evening.)

HOW TO MAKE THAI BASIL CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

First, let’s get the prep work out of the way so that we have everything ready to go for the stir-fry.

1. Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta al-dente according to package instructions in a pot (or use the same large wok you’ll use for the stir-fry) of boiling salted water. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.

2. Prepare the fresh ingredients: While the pasta is cooking, start preparing the fresh ingredients. Cut the garlic and red and green Bird’s eye chilies into smaller pieces. Then smash them in a mortar and pestle until a coarse paste forms. (This helps the garlic and chilies to release their oils and makes this dish more flavorful.)

Smashed garlic and red and green bird's eye chilies in a mortar and pestle.

(Note: Depending on the size of your mortar and pestle, you may need to make the garlic chili paste in two batches. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can finely mince the garlic and bird’s eye chilies. Alternatively, you could also use a mini blender and pulse until a coarse paste-like texture is achieved.)

Thinly slice the large red chili at an angle, slice the yellow onion, cut the baby corn in half lengthwise and then again widthwise, and slice the green snake beans into thin rings. Pick the holy basil leaves off the stems, then wash and dry them with some paper towels. Set everything aside.

3. Make the sauce: Combine the light soy sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar in a measuring cup or small bowl (the measuring cup makes is easier to pour into the wok). Mix with a spoon until evenly combined and set aside.

Measuring cup with sauce and a spoon. Light and dark soy sauce bottles, oyster sauce bottle, and white sugar in a sealed airtight container behind.

Now that all of our ingredients are ready to go, it’s time to make the Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti!

1. Stir-fry aromatics and onion: Heat the canola oil in a large wok over high heat. Once hot, add the smashed garlic chili paste and the thinly sliced large red chilies. Stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. (Note: It can become quite smoky and pungent so open a window or turn on the exhaust fan!) Next, add the onion and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until slightly softened.

2. Cook chicken: Push everything in the wok to one side and add the ground chicken. Cook for 2 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up the lumps as you go. Continue stir-frying to combine with everything else.

Stir-fried ground chicken with onion, garlic, red and green chilies in a wok.

3. Stir-fry veggies: Then add the baby corn and green beans and toss to combine.

4. Add pasta, sauce, and reserved pasta water: Add the pasta and pour the sauce and reserved pasta water on top of it. Continue stir-frying and tossing until everything is coated with the sauce.

5. Add holy basil: Add the holy basil leaves to the wok and toss through to combine for a minute or so. Cook until the basil has wilted and the liquid has mostly cooked off, then switch off the heat.

6. To Serve: Divide the Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti evenly into plates or bowls. Serve immediately with a Thai-style fried egg or a soft-boiled egg if desired.

Full ingredient amounts/instructions in the recipe card below.

PRO-TIPS

Wok size: You’ll need a large wok or large deep sauté pan to make this dish due to the ingredient amounts. I use a 32cm large nonstick wok. If your wok (or pan) is not large enough, I recommend making this dish in two batches. You don’t want to overcrowd the wok as it will be difficult to stir-fry and toss.
Make ahead and storing: While this dish is best enjoyed immediately or on the day of making it, you can make it ahead up to three to four days in advance. Store it in the fridge in a sealed airtight container if making ahead. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave for a couple of minutes until hot throughout before serving.
Meal prep: As this pasta can be made ahead, you can use it for meal prep and enjoy it for the next couple of days either for lunch or dinner. Divide it into airtight food storage containers and store in the refrigerator. Then reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot throughout and enjoy!

Fork holding up a bite of spaghetti with a piece of ground chicken, baby corn, Thai holy basil, and green bean above a plate with Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti.

VARIATIONS

If you’d like to customize this Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti, you can…

Make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut aminos for the light soy sauce. Also use a gluten-free sweet soy sauce such as a gluten-free kecap manis, gluten-free oyster sauce (or gluten-free vegetarian oyster sauce if making this veg), and gluten-free pasta.
Use a different protein: Feel free to swap the chicken for ground pork or beef if you prefer. You could also use shrimp if you like. Just cook the shrimp over medium-high heat in a bit oil in the wok first for 2-4 minutes until no longer opaque. Then add it to the wok when you’d normally add the chicken and follow the rest of the recipe as indicated.
Use chicken thighs/breasts: Feel free to use diced or thinly sliced chicken thighs or breasts instead of ground chicken. I recommend thighs as they’re more tender and flavorful.
Make it vegetarian (and vegan): Use a vegetarian mushroom flavored oyster sauce and either crumbled tofu, Omnipork®, or Beyond Beef®. If using tofu, crumble it with a fork or using your hands. Then brown it in a pan (or wok) until mostly dry. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside. You can add it to the wok when you’d add the chicken. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe as indicated, and you’ll be good to go!
Add more/different veggies: I kept it simple and used onion, baby corn, and green beans only. But if you like, you can use different or add more stir-fry friendly and/or leafy green veggies. Some ideas are snap peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, baby spinach, bok choy, choy sum, etc.
Use a different basil: As Thai holy basil can be difficult to find depending on where you live, feel free to use Thai sweet basil or regular Italian basil instead.
Use a different type of pasta or noodles: Linguini, capellini, fettuccini, or any other noodle-type of pasta will work great! You could also use noodles such as flat rice noodles, hokkien noodles, udon, egg noodles, etc.

Plate with a fork tucked into spaghetti tossed with chilies, garlic, green beans, baby corn, onion, ground chicken and holy basil in a brown sauce. Close up of the same dish in a large wok. Text overlay "Thai Basil Chicken Spaghetti".

MORE THAI FAVORITES

Looking for some easy and delicious Thai recipes? Below are some of my favorites!

Creamy Tom Yum Pasta
Peanut Sauce Ground Pork Stir-fry
Easy Thai Green Chicken Curry
Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Milk Chicken Soup)
Thai Holy Basil Chicken
Easy Spicy Thai Shrimp Cakes
Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (This version is amped up with gochujang, a Korean chili pepper paste, and made with Thai sweet basil instead of holy basil.)
Or as always, feel free to check out the entire Thai recipes or pasta collection here on That Spicy Chick.

MADE THIS RECIPE? If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it! Take a photo and tag it with @thatspicychick on Instagram and hashtag it #thatspicychick and I’ll be sure to share your masterpiece!