Thai Chicken and Basil Stir-Fry

My garden has been really starting to pick up lately (*knock on wood*), overflowing (kinda) with parsley, cilantro, lettuce, and of course basil, which means that it's about high time that I start using some of my homegrown herbs/lettuce/(and maybe someday peppers).

After thinking about all the awesome stuff I want to do with basil- pesto, caprese salad, strawberry-basil ice cream, tomato-basil soup, et cetera, et cetera, I decided that to start out, a Thai-inspired chicken and basil stir-fry would be the way to go.  I've made a terrific riff on chicken-basil stir-fry before that uses shitake mushrooms (that I'll make sometime soon), but I wanted to try something a little different, and so I came across a few recipes through Tastespotting that sounded promising. They are actually very similar to the one that I've made in the past.  I love the both simplicity and complexity of this stir-fry.  On one hand you have only two main ingredients- chicken and basil- very simple, but then you have the flavorings which give your taste buds a workout- sweet and spicy at the same time.  It's really awesome!

Thai Chicken and Basil Stir-Fry

Source: Gimme Some Oven, originally adapted from Rasa Malaysia and No Recipes

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 "bird's eye" chilies, minced with seeds (or 2-3 jalapenos, if you can't find bird's eye chilies)

2 shallots (or 1 small onion), diced

10 oz. chicken (thigh or breast meat), ground or finely chopped

1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

1 big bunch Thai basil leaves, stems removed (or Sweet Italian Basil, if you can't find Thai Basil, or have regular basil growing in your garden!!)

2 dashes ground white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper, if you don't have white pepper)

Jasmine or Basmati rice for serving

Directions:

1. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add oil, garlic, and chilies, and stir-fry about a minute, until the garlic is fragrant.

2. Add shallots, and stir-fry until they have wilted, about a minute more. 

3. Add chicken, and stir-fry until cooked.  

4. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and pepper, and stir-fry until the liquid is pretty much evaporated.

5. Add basil, and cook until basil is wilted, but still bright green- 30 seconds or so.

Notes:

• I  couldn't find Bird's Eye chilies- even at Whole Foods :(  But the jalapenos still tasted delicious.  Feel free to adjust the amount of peppers to your individual taste.  I'd omit the seeds if you like milder food.
• Since I decided to make this recipe with my homegrown basil in mind, I used my Italian Basil rather than the Thai basil which has a slightly different flavor, and whose flavor is more stable when cooked, but I think that the Italian basil works just fine, and has great flavor in this dish.  I also decided to use some of my Red Rubin basil which has a slightly stronger flavor than the sweet basil, and worked awesomely in this dish as well!
• I served my stir-fry over Jasmine rice, but you could serve this in lettuce wraps if you wanted to, or even over pasta.

Chicken and Red Pepper Stir-Fry

After a few days worth of cheesy meals (which don't get me wrong, were super delicious), I decided somewhat lighter far was in order.  Stir-frys always seem a good bet to me in that respect and so I chose a simple one that I've made a few times in the past, where the main ingredients consist only of chicken, red peppers, and onions.  Until fairly recently, I was under the impression that stir-frys needed to be chock full of veggies- the more the better- but for some reason, despite the over-abundance of ingredients, they always came out bland.  One fateful day though, as I was perusing the interwebs looking for something I could cook with ingredients on hand, I came upon a Thai-inspired chicken and basil stir-fry- one where only the chicken and basil were the star ingredients (and the delectable sauce that is), and that was a huge success.  After that I had a revelation- simple sometimes equals better.  Since then, I've gone for simple stir-frys, and I haven't turned back yet.

This recipe comes from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast which I only received a few months ago for Christmas, but have so far not been steered wrong by.  The recipe is for Stir-Fry Wraps, where they suggest serving the Stir-Fry in leaves of Boston lettuce.  Now, this sounds delicious, but last night I decided to go with a more standard side dish of Jasmine rice.  Maybe next time though.... They also suggest trying it served in tortillas, which sounds excellent as well.

Chicken and Red Pepper Stir-Fry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced

Course salt and feshly ground pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp. water

Rice for serving. ( I used Jasmine rice, but you can use Basmati rice, or really whatever type suits your fancy)

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of the oil over high heat.  Add half the chicken; cook, stirring constantly, until opaque throughout, 2 to 4 minutes.  Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

2. Add the remaining tbsp. oil to the pan, along with the onion and bell pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the onion is tender and golden, about 4 minutes (reduce heat if browning too quickly).

3. Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the pan; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. 

4. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch mixture; remove from the heat.  Add the chicken and any accumulated juices; toss to coat.

5. Serve over rice. (Or in Boston lettuce leaves, or tortillas!)

Source: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Notes: I, unfortunately, do not have a large nonstick skillet (or I suppose I should say I have one, but it is no longer nonstick), so I used my regular large stainless steel saute pan, and lo and behold the chicken stuck, but hey, it was still delicious.  I actually cooked the chicken and veggies at a medium high-heat because my burners tend to run hot (and I've been afraid of cooking with oil and high heat ever since the time I almost lit my kitchen on fire when some hot oil burst into flames).  The cooking times remained the same though on the lower heat- and I did end up having to turn the heat down when cooking the peppers and onions.  I also didn't seem to have quite a pound and a half of chicken last night, so I added extra bell pepper, and there was still definitely enough.