The objective of this experimental investigation was to develop a novel two‐step process for production of high‐quality chicken powder infused with basil. The first step consists of ultrasonication of an aqueous chicken pieces mixed with chopped basil leaves to enhance extraction of basil flavour and also pretreat the chicken microstructure to intensify the drying kinetics in the second step. The drying was carried out using microwave vacuum followed by hot air. The results showed that the drying time of chicken was the shortest (110 minutes) after US 40 minutes. In terms of product quality, the best rehydration (136.18%), the lowest hygroscopicity (3.84%) and the best colour of basil chicken powder were obtained after US 40 minutes. In the aspect of flavour addition, the content of linalool, estragole and eucalyptol in the chicken powder treated by US 40 minutes was the highest, and these three compounds were the main flavour substances of basil. At the same time, the content of some substances with bad smell, such as benzaldehyde, was greatly reduced after adding basil flavour. The overall quality of chicken powder produced by this novel process was found to be superior to that of commercially available spray‐dried chicken powder.