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Thai Basil Chicken

Thai Basil Chicken

This is a very fast stir-fry; the entire cooking process takes less than 10 minutes, so you must have every single ingredient prepped and next to the stove before you even think about turning on the heat. The most important part is adding the basil after the wok is off the heat; the residual heat is more than enough to wilt it perfectly without turning it black and bitter.
Prep Time15 minutes
Active Time7 minutes
Total Time22 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 3 to 6 Thai chilies stemmed
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 large chicken breast coarsely ground (or 3/4 pound store-bought ground chicken)
  • 2 large shallots cut into thin strips
  • 1/2 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
  • 1.5 handfuls fresh Thai basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1.5 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1.5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth

Instructions

  • Mince Thai chilies and garlic together in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
  • Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, and chicken broth in a small bowl.
  • Heat a wok over high heat until very hot. Add peanut oil and swirl to coat.
  • Add chili-garlic mixture and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Add ground chicken and break into small crumbles. Stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add shallots, bell peppers and sauce mixture. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.
  • Turn off heat. Add basil leaves and fold into the hot mixture until just wilted, about 30 seconds.
  • Transfer immediately to serving plate and serve with jasmine rice.

Notes

Have all ingredients prepped and ready before starting to cook.
Add basil only after turning off heat to prevent bitterness.
Serve right away for best texture and flavor.