An appetizing yet uncomplicated Thai Basil Chicken dish can be whipped up in no time using either diced or ground chicken, along with yardlong beans and fresh Thai basil. This spicy version is enhanced by a mouthwatering umami sauce comprised of fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 500g Free-range Diced Chicken Breast
- ½ cup Yardlong beans (Green beans)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Shallots
- 2 Birds eye chilli
- 1 cup Thai basil (leaves only or Italian basil)
Thai Basil Chicken Sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons Fish sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dark soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons Oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sugar (Or use rice Malt syrup)
- 1 ½ tablespoons Water
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the Thai basil sauce in a little bowl and keep it aside for later.
- Chop the garlic and chilies into small pieces and keep it aside for later. Cut the shallots (or small onion) into small pieces and keep them to the side.
- Remove and get rid of the stem end of the beans. Slice the yardlong beans (or green beans) into little pieces that are easy to chew.
- In order to prepare this dish, it is recommended to exclusively utilise the Thai basil leaves (or Italian basil) as the stems are typically robust and hard. Therefore, remove all the leaves from the stems and reserve them for the recipe while disposing of the discarded stems
- If you're not utilising minced or ground chicken, then cut the chicken into little pieces that are about half an inch in size and keep it aside.
- To avoid steaming or sweating the chicken, it is important to set the stove on high heat as this stir fry requires quick preparation.
- Once the pan is heated, add some oil to it, usually a few tablespoons. Put the shallots and chicken in the heated pan and continue cooking the chicken until it is cooked through.
- The duration required for cooking the food will differ based on the capabilities of your stove and also on the thickness of the pan used, whether it is a frying pan or wok. In our case, while using a carbon frying pan that was quite thick, with a gas stove, it took me approximately 5 minutes to cook the chicken completely.
- After your chicken is cooked completely, include the garlic, yardlong beans, birds eye chilies and sauce in the pan and cook for approximately 3 minutes until the green beans are fully cooked but still retain some crispy texture.
- Switch off the stove and incorporate the Thai basil into the mixture. Continue to stir until the basil becomes soft.
- Enjoy your meal by serving it with white rice and a fried egg.
Notes
- Our preferred method is to cook the fried egg separately beforehand and keep it aside, prior to beginning the stir-frying process. This allows the egg to be cooked on a fresh and clean frying pan or wok, preventing it from sticking due to any leftover stir-fry sauces.
- If your chicken begins to release water or “sweat”, which is more likely to happen with ground meat, continue cooking it until all the moisture has evaporated before chicken with the next step.
- If you get everything ready beforehand, creating this meal will be a breeze.
- To preserve the flavor, it’s important to switch off the heat before incorporating Thai basil in your cooking as it may lead to loss of some essential oils. However, when added after turning off the heat, residual heat produced by chicken can facilitate in softening and wilting the basil.
- It is recommended to always use freshly picked basil when preparing this Thai dish. The flavor and potency of dried basil does not compare to that of its fresh counterpart, even if using an entire package.
Nutritional Information
- Per serving
- Energy: 195 kcal / 815 kJ
- Fat: 11 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Carbs: 8 g
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