Spicy Turmeric Chicken with Fried Eggs is packed with spicy, sweet, and umami Thai flavors. I can’t believe that something this good and interesting can come out of my kitchen, thanks to an online lesson from Chef Patty Neuson.
Once you start cooking, things are going to move quickly. You must have all your prep finished and everything at the ready before you turn on the stove. The cooking time is so short, it’s remarkable.
Ingredients
- For the Prep
11 oz. chicken breast
1 Tbs of sliced turmeric, or 1¼ tsp turmeric powder (see notes)
3-4 cloves of garlic
3 Thai red chile peppers, stems and seeds removed
3 kaffir lime leaves
½ -1 tsp sugar
1 tsp hot water
1½ -2 tsp fish sauce
- For the Egg
3 Tbs canola or olive oil
2 eggs
- For the Chicken
18 fresh Thai basil leaves
3 mini sweet peppers of different colors, deseeded and sliced into long strips (1¾ oz. of strips)
¼ of a peeled, medium onion, sliced into long strips (1¾ oz. of strips)
Salt, to taste (lightly)
¼ tsp black pepper
Jasmine rice, for serving
Directions
- Prep
- Mince turmeric, garlic, and dried red chilies together, thoroughly. Set aside.
- Slice one of the lime leaves into the thinnest possible slivers. Set aside.
- Dissolve the sugar in the water by placing both in a teacup, nuking it for 30 seconds, and giving the sugar-water a good stir. Stir in the fish sauce. Set aside.
- Chop (rather than dice) the chicken to small pieces. Set aside.
- For the Egg
- Heat a large, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Add oil and wait until it begins to seriously shimmer, 1 minute. Crack the eggs and gently tip them into the hot oil.
- The eggs will sizzle and pop as they cook. Cook them until their edges have turned golden and crisp, and the whites start to look firm and cooked through, 2 minutes.
- Use a spoon to scoop up small amounts of oil from the pan, and drizzle it over top of the eggs. Do this just until all of the whites are fully cooked, about 1 minute. Move the eggs to a plate; set aside.
- For the Chicken
- Add the minced Thai pepper mixture to the still-hot pan; stir until fragrant, a few seconds. Add chicken; stir until cooked, about 3-4 minutes. In the final minute of cooking, raise the heat to high.
- Season chicken with fish sauce mixture. Add sliced and whole lime leaves, basil, mini peppers, and onions; stir well again until veg is al dente, 1 minute, seasoning with salt and pepper. Just before serving, remove the whole lime leaves. Serve with rice, topping each serving with a fried egg.
Notes
- Fresh turmeric is significantly better than powdered in this context, but not to the point that I wouldn’t use the powder. If using the powder, add it while the chicken is cooking.
- I used Red Boat fish sauce, but I’ve also heard good things about One Clam.
- Use one egg per intended serving. If you’ll have leftovers, a freshly fried egg is better than a reheated one. Or, eat the leftovers without any egg.
- I deliberately suggested that you “season” the dish with the fish sauce mixture. Start with half, and then see what you think.
- The rice isn’t optional. The rice balances and completes the dish. I don’t know that it has to be jasmine.
The Backstory
I live near a pan-Asian, Chicago neighborhood called the “West Argyle Street Historic District,” or sometimes less-formally, “Asia on Argyle.” One of the perks is that I am quite close to some fantastic Asian restaurants, and one of my favorites is Herb. Chef Patty Neuson, whom I adore, is nationally recognized and for good reason. She elevates Thai food to a French level, and it is categorically exquisite. Any of you foodies who might visit Chicago, her elegant, chic BYOB is an absolute must.
I don’t always take good advantage of the the many perks that come along with living near an Asian neighborhood. Among them are the amazing Asian markets and groceries. I recently took a Zoom cooking class with Patty, for which she included all the ingredients in a curbside pickup, but in order to recreate this dish, I needed to venture out into those beguiling markets. That trip was almost as fun as making this dish!
I’ve adapted the recipe that Patty worked through in her lesson, to make due in the kitchen of a wok-less white guy. Even so, you’re going to need to do some serious ingredient hunting. Some of the elements would be difficult if not impossible to source outside of an Asian market. But let me tell you, the result is well worth the effort.
Spicy Turmeric Chicken with Fried Eggs
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Chef Patty did not promise me mushroom soup for life in exchange for this post. Herb did not offer to set aside a table for me indefinitely, so that I could just wander in on any evening and expect to be seated at my usual table, immediately.
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No table for life? Damn. I use Red Boat, by the way, and I LOVE it. This is one fascinating dish. I know I’d love it, especially with the heat from the Thai chile peppers. What great ingredients. The only time I’ve seen fresh turmeric was in St. Lucia. I thought they were some kind of grub worms!!!
Chef Mimi recently posted…Celeriac Fennel Soup
I just recently found some, and they do look like worms!
Very delicious and flavourful…and the egg is cooked to perfection.
angiesrecipes recently posted…Butter Lettuce Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Thank you!
Fortunately, I live very near the “Thai Town” section of Los Angeles and ingredients like these are accessible. I say fortunately because I will definitely give this one a try. GREG
sippitysup recently posted…The Mystery of Smoked Sprats on Toast
I’d love to know what you think of it!
Ooh, I can tell how delicious this is by the list of awesome ingredients! so much flavor and combining them can only be deliciious – Definitely on my list. I probably can’t find the lime leaves except at the Asian grocery, not that I need an excuse to go there! Lovely recipe!
Laura recently posted…Goat Cheese Sweet Cherry Ice Cream (No-Churn!)
If you do find the leaves, you’ll wind up with tons leftover. They’re delicious, but they’re very distinct … so you can’t use too any at once, or expect them to go with everything. I’m going to experiment with making them into ice cream.
We got hooked on Turmeric recently and this recipe for chicken sounds delicious! It’s now on my list to try! Thanks for a great recipe.
I just found a good source for fresh turmeric, so I want to make this dish again and again.
It’s always interesting how already delicious and ready-to-enjoy elements like chicken and fried egg meet together for even a more exciting and hearty dish! I’m not a huge fan of spicy food, but this looks and sounds pretty good to my liking, so I won’t be able to pass on this.
Funny enough, one of the things Chef Patty is famous for, is a Guy Fieri show where several chefs were presented with a “spicy” challenge, and she created a dish so spicy, the judges all cried tears of spice … and awarded her first prize. But! This doesn’t have to be spicy! You can cut down or eliminate the chiles.
Ah, wandering through Asian markets is always an adventure. (Truthfully, wandering through other cultures’ grocery stores is an adventure – it’s one of my favorite things to do whenever we travel outside of the country!) You know what’s funny? Laura loves Thai food, so we actually have keffir lime leaves and Thai basil leaves in the freezer right now. I might be able to pull this recipe off with minimal additional hunting – it sounds delicious, Jeff. In fact, it might be fun to make this for Laura for Mother’s Day this year!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Vidalia Onion, Bourbon and Sorghum Vinaigrette with Black Eyed Pea Salad
Oh, David, I really hope that you do that. If she loves Thai food, she’ll really love this. There is a bit of prep involved, which you can do in advance, but other than that, it’s lightning quick to make. And it’s so delicious!
Absolutely love this recipe, I love the egg on the top!!
gloria Roa Baker recently posted…Yoghurt Cream Dessert with poached quinces ( Crema de yogurt con compota de membrillos
Thank you, Gloria. Of course, the credit goes to Chef Patty!
We are about 1/2 hour from Chinatown in Philadelphia where they actually have some wonderful vegetarian Asian restaurants that make some awesome “fake” meat dishes. Your spicy chicken with the fried egg on top sounds delicious. I’m sure my meat eating husband would love it.
Cool!
Asian markets are fun! Of course, I never know what I’m looking at half the time, but that doesn’t prevent me from buying stuff. 🙂 I’m lucky in that I live a couple of miles from several really good Asian markets. So I have no excuse not to try this! Terrific dish — thanks.
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…The Mother-in-Law Cocktail
I know, right? I’m often tempted just get pick up something, and then figure out what to do with it.
Combination is great! Looks very nutritious and healthy dish. We use turmeric alot.
Breadandsalt recently posted…Super Easy Purple Basil Sherbet (Drink)
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Wow what a unique dish! The colors in your photos are just stunning Jeff, and I am so intrigued by the flavor and texture combos. Adding Herb to my list of must-try restaurants!
Shannon recently posted…Weeknight Almond Poppy Seed Cake
If you’re ever in Chicago, it’s a must-do!
This looks fantastic–I love turmeric though I’ve never used it fresh. I will have to try it! And of course, anything with a fried egg on top has a straight shot to my heart.
Molly Pisula recently posted…Lemon Blueberry Crêpes
Thanks Molly!
This looks amazing!! Fresh turmeric has so much more flavor and color than dried. I love using it. Now to get my hands on some kaffir lime leaves. This is the kind of dish I love to make and EAT.
🙂
That looks seriously good Jeff. I bet the house smelled incredible too. We are quite fortunate in Toronto because we have many Asian neighbourhoods with amazing Asian grocery stores. It can be intimidating because many of the items don’t have any English on them, but the iPhone translate app comes in very handy. The Asian markets are also incredibly cheap so you can pantry shop without breaking the budget. I will definitely give that restaurant a try when and if we ever get to Chicago again, as our friends have moved to Arizona.
Eva Taylor recently posted…Homemade Ramen Noodles
So true! The prices are so good! If you do come to Chicago, I’ll happily meet you at Herb!
It’s obviously time fir a trip to the Asian market. Especially for the Thai basil and Kaffir lime leaves. I have everything else – even the fresh turmeric root! Love these flavors and can’t wait to try this, Jeff.
Awesome!
ooh wonderful.. all those marvellous flavours. and who doesn’t love a fried egg on top of – well, everything?! YUM.
sherry recently posted…In My Kitchen – May 2021
Right? Thanks!
This looks so very yummy!!
Sadly here Asian restaurants “turn to” the German taste, hence it´s nothing anymore.
I doubt I might get the ingredients here, sadly, but, oh, it looks tasty.
Iris Flavia recently posted…Back To Third Dimension
Ooh, how interesting. I suppose that happens here, too. I’ve heard, for instance, that what you get at your run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant in the U.S. is nothing like authentic.
Turmeric is great for reducing inflammation, so I like finding recipes that include it in the ingredients. This looks amazing!
Thanks!
Jeff, this looks amazing! I have a friend that says, “just crack an egg over it,” and it’ll be perfect. That’s exactly what seems to be going on here. Love all of these flavors, too! 🙂 ~Valentina
I know! The egg just makes it perfect. I ate the leftovers without egg, but still…
It’s hard to resist any dish with a sunny-side up egg on top. Love the ingredients, the look and all of the wonderful goodness thrown into this dish. Great job!
mjskitchen recently posted…Spinach Enchiladas with Green Chile Cheese Sauce
Agreed! And thanks!
Unfortunately as far as food markets go, I’m very limited when buying many ethnic ingredients. How nice that the chef included all the ingredients in a curbside pickup for cooks that wanted to take her cooking class. The meal sounds like a good one.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted…Panko And Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders
It really is delicious.