Stir-Fried Chicken with Ginger – Kai Pad King
- InFusion
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
A typical dish from Sino-Thai cuisine
Known in Thai as Kai Pad King, this dish is one of the best examples of Chinese influence on Thai cooking. It combines fresh ginger, dark soy sauce and sesame oil, ingredients rarely used in traditional Thai cuisine but essential to Sino-Thai flavours.
This dish is simple, balanced and full of aroma. Made with everyday ingredients, chicken, mushrooms, onion, ginger and a few sauces, it contains no hot chillies, so it suits every palate. Quick to cook, nourishing and satisfying, it’s perfect served with jasmine rice for a complete meal.
If you’re new to Thai cooking, don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, or simply want to enjoy good food on a budget, this recipe is for you.
Stir-fried chicken with ginger (serves two)
Ingredients
Chicken and vegetables:
200 g chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced
70 g wood-ear mushrooms, thinly sliced
30 g ginger, cut into very thin julienne
50 g onion, sliced
½ fresh red cayenne chilli, sliced diagonally
3 tbsp chicken stock (or water)
10 g spring onion, cut into 3 cm pieces
10 g leaf celery, cut into 3 cm pieces
2 tbsp sesame oil
Seasoning:
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp white sugar
Preparation
Heat the sesame oil in a wok.
Add the chicken, mushrooms, ginger, onion and chilli. Stir-fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
Add the stock and seasoning. Cook gently for another 2 minutes.
Taste and adjust if needed, then add spring onion and celery. Toss quickly and remove from the heat.
Tips for success
The secret of a good Kai Pad King lies in the ginger. Slice it into a very fine julienne, thinner than a matchstick, so it releases its fragrance without overpowering the dish. Use fresh young ginger whenever possible, its aroma is milder and its texture more tender.
Learn more: Sino-Thai cuisine and cooking classes
Love Sino-Thai food?
Join our private Thai cooking classes on Koh Samui and learn how to prepare this dish and many others. Discover all our programmes on the page Thai Cooking Classes on Koh Samui.
Explore more Sino-Thai recipes
The Kai Pad King perfectly illustrates the Chinese influence on Thai stir-fried dishes. Discover other recipes from the same tradition:
And soon, read our full feature on Sino-Thai cuisine.
Would you like to learn more about Sino-Thai cuisine?
Read our article dedicated to the Chinese heritage of Thai gastronomy, from the migration routes that shaped Bangkok’s Chinatown to the southern dim sum tradition. Discover how wok cooking, soy sauce and Thai ingredients blend to form one of Thailand’s most enduring culinary identities.
Find this recipe in our book
This recipe comes from our cookbook “Wok Stir-Fried Dishes”, featuring 40 easy recipes with meat, seafood, tofu and vegetables. Available in the InFusion Cooking Classes Koh Samui online shop.
A simple and comforting meal
Quick to cook, made with easy-to-find ingredients, and full of the aroma of fresh ginger, stir-fried chicken with ginger is the perfect introduction to everyday Thai cooking.
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