Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Made this for lunch today and absolutely loved it. After reading reviews, here is what I did in order to make enough for 4 lunches (2 days for 2 adults). I must also say, my husband and I are doing low-carb right now, so I wanted to keep this induction (Phase 1) friendly, which is why I cut out the sugar so much. We didn't miss it, but we also really like spicy food! 

First, I ground 3 chicken breasts and 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs myself to ensure our meat mixture was fatty enough and wouldn't become dry like some others said (measured it out to 2lbs and froze the rest). I used 2 red bell peppers to add some veggies, and I also only used 1 packet of Stevia/Monk Fruit sweetener instead of the brown sugar. Next, I tripled the sauce ingredients (adding even a bit more soy sauce at the end of cooking to keep the mixture moist), and to the sauce I added 2 knobs (about 1/2 inch each) of ginger grated with a microplane. When we made the wraps, we added some Harissa paste on top (I know it's Morcoccan not Thai), and it really made the flavor of the wraps pop. 

I entered this into My Fitness Pal as I made it and it came to 470 calories (for 1/4 of the meat mixture and 4 Bibb lettuce leaves) and 10g carbs. 

The recipe does not call for lettuce leaves so make sure you add them to your shopping list!  Very good!  My serranos were rather large and it was a bit spicy but the family still liked it.  The kids even wanted leftovers in their school lunches!  will make again!

I followed the recipe exactly. I used two Serrano peppers and I didn't find it too spicy. I would classify it as mild-medium spice. The recipe was tasty, but nothing to write home about. And mine turned out a bit dry - not sure what I did to cause that. I'll keep this on file and may make it again some day, but it won't be a regular on the roster.

My family loved this so much, it inspired me to write my first ever recipe review.   I mostly stuck to the recipe, though I added some fresh ginger along with the garlic.  And I thought it needed a bit of salt to bring the flavors together at the end, so I added a bit of kosher salt.  I used iceberg lettuce leaves to create the wraps and really loved the refreshing crunch (I cut the iceberg in half first and then used the half-leaves from that for less ripping). I served it with a Thai cucumber salad with chopped cashews and cilantro from another publication.  Total hit in our house!  Oh yeah...I used Thai basil.  If you can get your hands on that, it really takes this dish over the top.  

Very tasty and relatively easy dish although the 20 minute label is misleading due to the amount of prep/chopping involved. Our lettuce leaves didn't work (used wrong kind--bibb lettuce would be ideal) so at the last minute we punted and made ramen noodles (without the seasoning). Worked well and was very fast. (didn't have time to make rice). I would make again and try with chopped pork too.

This was delicious! I followed the advice of earlier reviews and tripled the vegetables and sauce, and threw in a little leftover quinoa. Very flavorful and fulfilling.

Really good!

just ok for me, didn't have enough kick, I better when I added sriracha sauce. Too plain, I won't make this again

Unusual blend of flavors. Tasty.

My family loved this dish. I used cut up chicken breast and I doubled the sauce recipe based on what others said. Next time, I would triple the sauce.

This recipe came out amazing. This was the first time I have tried to make Spicy Basil Chicken and my wife loved it. Loved it so much she specially requested that i make it again.

Very tasty recipe!!! Fresh and flavorful.

Went to my local farmer's market on Sunday and a found a vendor with Thai Basil (home grown) which I love, love, love (did I mention I love Thai Basil). Have made this recipe before using plain basil which was very good as well. Using the Thai Basil really brought out a brightness in the dish. Doubled the sauce as suggested by others. Also upped the veggies by adding a cup of fresh green beans (another farmers market find). Served in lettuce cups with brown rice on the side. My husband even had seconds and he claims he does not like green beans LOL :)

Amazing! This is my third time making it. I don't add the chiles and fish sauce. I added diced fresh ginger, carrots, and tamari soy sauce. Incredible flavors on top of the boston or bib lettuce. Quick to cook, but prep (dicing everything) takes some time. Could prep ingredients ahead of time and have ready to cook for a dinner party.

Great recipe! Tons of flavor and very easy to make.

This was so good my son wanted to make it for his girlfriends family. And he did.

My family really liked this. Even my 2 year old liked the idea of the lettuce wrap. Definitely double the sauce. Don't skip the fish sauce or the basil because they really lend the authentic flavors for Thai food. I used less serrano (for my kids) and the multi-colored baby peppers because I had them on hand. Will definitely make again.

Terrific flavor, fast and easy to make.

Excellent meal. I tripled the sauce because I used 1.5 lbs of ground chicken. This truly was a great and tasty meal. Just enough spice - and we cleaned our plates. This is definitely going into my favorite recipes folder. The basil added at the end was so good. Thumbs up!

I was disappointed in this recipe after reading all the positive reviews. I even doubled the sauce. It was bland. I don't know how a recipe with serranos, limes, and fish sauce can be bland, but it was. It needed more of a sweetness to bring out the different flavors. I added some hoison and that seemed to help but would not be making this again.

Tastes even better when you add fresh ginger to the shallot mixture.

I thought this was really good, too. I added Worchestershire sauce and Rice Wine in place of the fish sauce, and used fresh chicken, cut up into very small pieces. I also doubled the sauce. I served this over brown rice. The only thing I would have done different is chop up the basil leaves more finely. This recipe definitely makes the rotation!

Delicious! Like some other reviewers, I doubled the sauce. Easy, healthy, husband loved it also. Great for leftovers.

Definitely double the sauce! You'll probably want to drink it. The recipe doesn't make much, so if you're planning to squeeze four servings out of it, you'll want a filling side or two.

Followed the recipe but substituted crushed red pepper for the Serrano chiles. This is awesome! We used them as lettuce wraps with butter lettuce. Definitely in the weekly rotation!!

One of the tastiest, and spiciest Cooking Light recipes I've tried! Definitely full of flavor and easy to make. De-seed the peppers if you don't want the heat! Like this better than my favorite Chinese restaraunt's lettuce wraps!

Didn't care for this too much. Nothing special. But don't go by me - the other people that cooked it seemed to love it.

Delicious! Prep tip: use food processor to mince shallots, garlic and Serrano chiles (separately). Will definitely make again.

easy and great

Fantastic! Made a few minor changes- mostly because we had an extra person for dinner. Used 1.25 pounds of meat. Doubled the sauce items (fish sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce). Added 2 teaspoons more garlic, mostly because we love garlic! Served with rice with sesame oil in a large cabbage leaf. If you love spicy, put the serranos in with all of the seeds! Amazing!

We loved this. Used 2X the veg and 2X the sauce with 1 lb chicken. Husband said he'd eat this again - which doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it is. We'll eat this regularly!

Cooked the recipe as-is and thought it was really good!

This recipe was so good that my husband went the very next day and got more chicken! I didn't have chiles so I used chili/garlic sauce instead. I realized we didn't have any fresh basil, so used dried. I'm sure it would be much better with fresh! I also added sliced green onion for more color. Even spoon over lettuce for a salad, it was wonderful!! Thanks for publishing this!

Definitely needed more crunch, so I added peanuts at the end. I couldnt find the ground chicken so I used finely cut up chicken breast.

Overall I thought it was a great dish and will make again but add some type of crunch, something like water chestnuts. I used ground turkey thighs for the protein - it was the only option. Make sure to use fish sauce! It stinks but its a huge flavor enhancer. Two Serrano peppers with seeds was spicy.

Great recipe. Changes I made to the recipe: chopped, versus sliced, the red bell pepper; used ground turkey instead of chicken, used 1 versus 2 Thai chiles (and it was plenty spicy), used Thai basil instead of regular basil, and I doubled the sauce based on others' review. I will make it again just as I prepared it tonight. Tasty!!

Absolutely delicious! So much flavor for such a healthy meal. I used Red Thai Chili peppers and it was pretty spicy.

Really enjoyed, this simple to make dish. I used ground turkey, extra low sodium soy sauce instead of the fish sauce and used up Jalapenos that I had on hand. Also added a little Sambal Oolek to spice up the flavor

This was VERY good! Would suggest doubling the sauce or having a dipping sauce as others suggest because it was a bit dry (but did not take away from the great flavor). Also made it with tofu, and my vegan daughter could not get enough. (For the tofu, I used a firm block, drained/pressed dry; cut into lg cubes; tossed in cornstarch then pressed into Furikake - Japanese sesame & seaweed blend; and fried until well browned and crunchy in canola oil. Followed everything else in the recipe). Highly recommended!!

Made this with ground turkey. Turned out pretty good. Seemed to need a bit more of the sauce, though. Added a little more. Also, made a 'dipping' sauce with hoisin, fish sauce, garlic chili paste, and lime juice. That really added a lot!

loved it. We omitted the fish sauce and added extra bell peppers. Tasty and easy- perfect for our family with 2 toddlers!

My husband and I liked this recipe a lot. We used Serrano chiles and de-seeded them; next time we will probably leave the seeds in, as I would like a bit more spice. We used Bibb lettuce for wraps - very easy and tasty. We'll be adding this one in to our regular rotation.