Thai Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Chicken and Basil

The Thai name for this dish, kway teow pad kee mao gai, translates roughly as “drunkard’s stir-fried noodles with chicken.” This dish is said to have started out as a spicy, noodle-less stir-fry created to satiate the appetites of drinkers. At some point, noodles were introduced to the mix and the dish is now a ubiquitous offering in many Thai restaurants. Flat, extra-wide rice noodles give the stir-fry character, but they’re not always easy to source. We’ve found that dried rice stick noodles about ¼ inch wide are available in most supermarkets and work well in the dish. If you can find holy basil, it’s the best type to use here. But even if made with readily available Mediterranean basil, this noodle stir-fry is fantastically delicious.