I think I’ve mentioned this before – I have a huge love for Thai food. I’ve featured a couple of Thai recipes on Asian Meal Prep like this. And today, we’re going back to Thailand for our meal prep with spicy thai basil chicken (also known as pad kra pao!) stir-fry done the meal prep way.
This dish, like the Pad Thai is available everywhere in Thailand. It’s that dish you order if you don’t feel like having noodles. And you can have this with any kind of meat – beef, seafood etc. I’m making this with chicken!
I’ve used Thai sweet basil in this recipe – but if you want to go a hundred percent real, I’d suggest you go and hunt for Thai holy basil. It gives the peppery flavour that can be tasted back in Thailand.
Alright, so we’ve got this sorted, let’s get started. Remember, depending on your fitness goals, build your meals accordingly!
This recipe is inspired by Mark Weins from EatingThaiFood.com. I’ve substitute some ingredients in his original awesome recipe to make it more fitness friendly.
Healthy Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao) Meal Prep
Serves – 4
Time needed – 30 mins
Cost – Approximately $3.60 per serve
Here’s what you need:
- 600g chicken breast, sliced
- 4-5 cili padi (bird’s eye chilli)
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 handful Thai basil leaves, plucked from it’s stems
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp liquid aminos
- 1 tbsp honey
- A sprinkle of dark soy sauce
- 4 eggs
- 400g cooked brown or red rice
Here’s how you do it:
- Begin by cutting the chicken however you like. I have them sliced.
- Pluck basil from its leaves and prepare your cili padi.
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high and add in oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the cili padi and garlic. Stir fry them for about 20 seconds or so until they get really fragrant.
- Put in chicken and continue stir-frying. Cook until it’s just about fully cooked. At a medium high fire, it should take about 6-8 mins.
- Add oyster sauce, liquid aminos, honey, and finally a splash of dark soy sauce. Keep stir frying for about another minute.
- Grab a handful of holy basil, toss it into the pan, and continue stir-frying for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- On either a separate or the same skillet, cook your eggs, sunny side up with a spray of olive oil.
- Build your meals with the egg and a side of rice, according to your macros. Enjoy!
How much this costs:
*Keep in mind that this numbers are a rough guide. It depends on where you buy it and when. At the end of the day it’s possible to eat healthy without breaking the bank. Also, ~ denotes the items that should already be in your pantry for a long time or it’s a very small amount.
- 600g chicken breast, sliced – $6.40
- 4-5 cili padi (bird’s eye chilli) – $0.30
- 2 tbsp minced garlic – $0.40
- 3 handful Thai basil leaves, plucked from it’s stems – $3.80
- 1 tbsp olive oil – $0.30
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce – $0.20
- 1 tbsp liquid aminos – $0.20
- 1 tbsp honey – $0.30
- A sprinkle of dark soy sauce – ~
- 4 eggs – $0.60
- 400g cooked brown or red rice – $2.00
Total price = ~ $14.50
Price per serve = ~ $3.60
How much calories and macros:
Calories: 418, Protein: 49g, Carbohydrates: 31g, Fats: 10g
