Thai Basil Chicken Wings (Pad Krapow Gai)
Among Thailand's beloved street foods, Thai basil chicken holds a special place, and rightfully so. Its simplicity, sweetness, subtle spiciness, and aromatic profile make it a crowd favourite. In this rendition, however, I take a creative twist by featuring the humble chicken wing, transforming the classic Thai basil chicken into irresistibly finger-licking Thai Basil Chicken Wings!
Equipment
- Large frying pan or wok
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Kecap manis)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 eschalots, roughly chopped
- 1-2 long red chillies, roughly chopped (or use 2-3 birds eye chilli for extra hot)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 1.2kg chicken wings, cut at the joint, tips discarded
- 2 spring/green onions, cut into 4cm lengths
- 1 small red capsicum, cut into strips
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves (Use Holy basil if you can get it)
TO SERVE
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Thai basil leaves
- Sliced red chilli
- 4 fried eggs (Optional)
Instructions
- Combine kecap manis, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place eschalots, chilli, and garlic into a small food processor or chopper and pulse until a roughly chopped. Alternately pound in a mortar and pestle or chop by hand. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat until hot. Add half of the chicken wings and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat process with remaining wings. Set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan.
- Add the spring/green onions and capsicum to pan. Stir fry briefly for 1 minute or until just softened, then remove and set aside.
- Add the eschalot mixture to pan and stir-fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return all the chicken wings and add the sauce to the pan, tossing well to coat. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken wings are completely cooked through and they are nicely glazed.
- Return the spring/green onions and capsicum to the pan and toss to combine. Serve wings with steamed jasmine rice and garnish with extra Thai basil leaves and sliced red chilli. If desired, serve fried eggs on the side.
Notes
- COOKS NOTES:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified.