This easy Thai Chicken and Ginger Stir-fry (Gai Pad Khing) is tasty chicken stir-fry recipe you can whip up in 25 minutes! It's one of the healthy recipes in Thai cuisine, and its flavors are light with a velvety umami taste from the delicious stir fry sauce.
If you love stir-fries, try these new recipes, Thai vegetable stir fry, Spicy Thai black pepper and garlic tofu, Thai basil chicken, and Thai cabbage stir fry with bacon. They are delicious stir-fry recipes that will keep you wanting more!
Why this recipe works
Jump to:
- It's an easy stir-fry dish—a straightforward recipe with minimal fuss.
- It's convenient. Most of the ingredients can be found at your regular grocery stores.
- This ginger chicken stirs fry recipe is healthy! With tons of fresh ginger, mushroom, and lean chicken makes, make this recipe low on fat and calories.
- The ginger chicken recipe is not a spicy dish! Besides the white pepper, no spicy peppers like Thai chiles are added, so it's easy on the taste bud.
- It's a great recipe to whip up on a weeknight for a tasty dish, perfect and
Ingredients for making Thai chicken ginger recipe
- Chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts but dark meat or chicken thighs will work too. Pork works well for this recipe too.
- Garlic. This recipe has a good amount of fresh garlic, adding to the flavors of the recipe! Use whole garlic cloves rather than garlic paste for this recipe.
- Onion. A white or red onion will work for this recipe.
- Oyster sauce. Adds a deep layer of velvety umami flavor to the dish.
- Soy sauce. Any brand of soy sauce is fine.
- Fish sauce. Thai cooking uses more fish sauce than soy sauce in stir fry dishes. It adds an extra depth of flavor.
- Sesame oil. This recipe is one of the few recipes in Thai food that calls for sesame oil. This stir fry recipe has a heavy Chinese influence, and sesame oil is common, like many Chinese recipes in Thai cooking.
- Sugar. White or brown sugar works!
- Ground white pepper. White pepper adds a unique flavor to this stir fry. It can get spicy if used too much, so go easy and add more at the end if needed.
- Carrot. Carrot chips are great for use in this recipe.
- Ginger. The main ingredient. Use fresh ginger and not the paste. Cut them into long thin strips of about 2-inch pieces.
- Mushrooms. In Thai cooking, wood ear mushrooms are typically used for Thai ginger chicken recipe. My recipe uses cremini mushrooms. If you have wood ear mushrooms, use them. See kitchen notes for more suggestions.
- Green onions. They are also called Spring onions. Chinese chives work great if they are available to you.
- Oil. Use neutral oils like avocado, canola, or vegetable oil.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Thai ginger chicken
Step 1. In a small bowl, make the stir-fry sauce by mixing oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil. Set aside
Step 2. Heat oil in large pan like a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the hot wok and fry for 1 minute or until the onion turns golden brown. Be careful not to let to garlic gets browned.
Step 3. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly golden brown. If the chicken sticks to the pan, add a little water to loosen up the pan. Use chicken broth or stock if you have any for extra flavors!
Step 4. Add the carrot and mushrooms and cook until tender for about 2 minutes.
Step 5. Add the tasty sauce to the pan, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 6. Last, add the green onions, stir, and cook for another minute or until the green onion wilt slightly. Taste and add more fish sauce, soy sauce, white pepper, or sugar here as needed! Done! Serve with cooked jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Garnishing options. Garnish your Gai Pad King with white pepper, a dash of lime juice for extra zing, green onions, and thinly sliced red bell pepper for a pop of color!
For added heat, add chili flakes or sliced Thai red pepper.
Kitchen notes
- Wood ear mushrooms are traditionally used in the authentic Thai ginger chicken recipe. Here are my mushroom suggestions. Black mushrooms (sold in cans at Asian markets), Portobello-sliced long and thin, button, king trumpets, and oyster mushrooms all work great. If you have morrel mushrooms, go fancy and use that! (:
- I tested my recipes with cremini fresh Shiitake mushrooms and loved it. You can use dried mushrooms, too, but they must be rehydrated to life with water first. Read the packet instructions for doing so.
- Use dehydrated Shiitake mushrooms but soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender again. Slice into bite-size pieces for cooking.
- Use any mushrooms available to you. I love finding mushrooms from my local farmers' markets and using them in my stir-fries. It's a great way to eat locally and seasonally too.
Variations
- For protein, you can use thinly sliced pork instead of chicken. For a vegetarian version, use crispy fried or baked tofu as a substitute.
- For serving, instead of white rice, use cauliflower rice instead for an even lower carbs meal. If you love brown rice or other types of rice, go for it!
- Crispy fried fish could substitute for this easy Thai Chicken and ginger stir-fry (Gai Pad Khing). Shrimp works better.
Substitution
Instead of soy sauce, use coconut aminos as a substitute. Use vegan oyster sauce instead of regular soy sauce.
Storage
Thai ginger chicken keeps well as leftovers in the refrigerator in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 days.
Helpful Kitchen tools for this recipe
- Carbon steel wok and spatula set
- None stick large skillet
- Caraway large skillet. A splurge and my current favorite!
- Stir fry Spatula
FAQs
Thai ginger chicken is typically served with cooked rice. Cauliflower rice is a great option if you want to go lower carbs.
Yes, you can! Leave out the chicken, and add extra carrots, onions, and mushrooms. Snow or sweet pea pods are a great addition to this recipe for an extra serving of vegetables.
Yes! You absolutely can! You make the sauce up to 3 days ahead of time. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you can use it.
More Thai dishes you'll love
- Pad Prik king with green beans and shrimp
- Easy beef pad Thai
- Thai basil chicken stir fry
- Drunken noodles
- Mussels stir fry with fresh basil
- Thai morning glory stir fry, (Pak Boong Fai Dang)
* Love a recipe you've tried? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and a review in the comments section further down the page. Or follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram! **
Print
Easy Thai Chicken and Ginger Stir-Fry (Gai Pad Khing)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
This easy Thai Chicken and Ginger Stir-fry (Gai Pad Khing) is a tasty chicken stir-fry recipe you can whip up in 25 minutes! It's one of the healthy recipes in Thai cuisine, and its flavors are light with a velvety umami taste from the delicious stir fry sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 ounces fresh ginger, sliced long like match sticks
- 1 cup sweet onion, sliced long and thin
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced, not too small
- 1 pound chicken, sliced thin and long- 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup carrot, thinly sliced like carrot chips
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced thin and long-2-3 inch pieces
- 2 stalks green onions, cut 2-3 inch pieces
The sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper. Add more as needed
Instructions
- In a small bowl, make the stir-fry sauce by mixing oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil. Set aside
- Heat oil in large pan like a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the hot wok and fry for 1 minute or until the onion turns golden brown. Be careful not to let to garlic gets browned.
- Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes. If the chicken sticks to the pan, add a little water to loosen up the pan. Use chicken broth or stock if you have any for extra flavors!
- Add the carrot and mushrooms and cook until tender for about 2 minutes.
- Add the tasty sauce to the pan, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Last, add the green onions, stir, and cook for another minute or until the green onion wilt slightly. Taste and add more fish sauce, soy sauce, white pepper, or sugar here as needed! Done! Serve with cooked jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Garnishing options. Garnish your Gai Pad King with white pepper, a dash of lime juice for extra zing, green onions, and thinly sliced red bell pepper for a pop of color!
For added heat. Add chili flakes or sliced Thai red pepper.
Notes
- Wood ear mushrooms are traditionally used in this Thai recipe. I used Shiitake mushrooms with mine and loved it. Here are my mushroom suggestions. Black mushrooms (sold in cans at Asian markets), Portobello-sliced long and thin, button mushrooms, King trumpets, and oyster mushrooms all work great. If you have morrel mushrooms, go fancy and use that! (:
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms are great options. Or you can use dried mushrooms too, but they must be rehydrated to life with water first.
- Use dehydrated Shiitake mushrooms but soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender again. Slice into bite-size pieces for cooking.
- Use any mushrooms available to you. I love finding mushrooms from my local farmers' markets and using them in my stir-fries. It's a great way to eat locally and seasonally too.
** Thank you so much for visiting my blog! This is truly a passion for me. If you have enjoyed these recipes and appreciate the hard work I put into them, I would love it if you would share them with your friends! Your recommendation is the highest review I could hope for, and I’d appreciate it! **
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Easy recipes, chicken recipes, healthy recipes
- Method: stir-fries
- Cuisine: Thai
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Pairing
These are my favorite drinks to serve with Thai ginger chicken stir fry.
Suwanee says
Thanks. (:
Dui says
Wow 🤩 wow