Thai Basil Chicken

Thai Basil Chicken, easy to cook and very flavorful. Ready in no time and perfect for weeknights or maybe when you don’t want to cook an elaborate meal.

It’s summer time here at its peak and and in a month’s time from now the school would be closing down for summer holidays. Another academic year is about to get over…can’t believe…kids growing up so fast. Things have changed a lot since they came into our lives…the priorities have changed, my world revolves around them. When I look back it I get pretty amazed to see a changed me, responsibilities have changed…kids are more important[i] to me now, much more than anything. With summer here it means quick meals, less time in kitchen but at the same time cannot compromise on the quality of the food, the cooking has to be quick and at the same time delicious.

Recently I have realized that some of the Thai dishes are becoming my new comfort food. They are so easy to cook and in less than 30 minutes you have a super delicious meal in front of you. I would prefer to cook pasta over anything anytime but off late I find myself studying more about Asian cuisine and cooking more of it. Thai food requires very few ingredients to cook…Thai Basil Chicken is one of my favorite these days.

I love making this dish more often at home as VK, kids all enjoy this absolutely easy to make and flavorful dish. Athena and Arnav both enjoy with their favorite fried egg, on the other hand VK and me cannot stand runny or undercooked eggs.My family enjoys this dish as much as I enjoy cooking it, in less than 30 minutes you have a gorgeous dish which is not only delicious but takes very less time to cook as well.

Now let’s discuss something about the dish we are talking about Thai Basil Chicken. Since it’s a stir fry and need to be cooked on high heat, it is necessary to have preparations done before hand, have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking. The aroma from basil, fish sauce, birds eye chilli increases the hunger and it linger even after the cooking is done. I like the spiciness from the birds eye chilli but kids do not enjoy the heat from chilli, so I remove their portion and then add the chilli. When making this dish when Vk is eating I
usually serve with green papaya salad along.This time it just kids and me so I made it one pot meal sort of…rice topped with lots of delicious and fragrant Thai basil chicken and fried eggs for kids and without egg for me. Since I made it without chilies they licked their bowls, it was so good to see them eating and enjoying their meal. Happy kids is a happy me.

Now sharing the recipe below :

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon oil
2 chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
7 – 8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
5 – 6 Thai Birds Eye Chilli
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup basil leaves chopped
¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
Salt as needed
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions :

Wash and chop the chicken into ½ inch pieces.
Ad In a small bowl mix together oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth, sugar and set aside.
Take a wok, heat oil over moderate to high heat.
Add garlic, onion and cook for 3 -4 minutes till it gets transclscent. Add the chopped birds eye chilli and saute for 30 seconds.
Throw in red and yellow bell peppers and sauté for a minute or two.
Add chicken to the pan. Cook for about 5 – 7 minutes, stirring continuously on high heat or till the chicken is cooked well.
Now add the sauce mixture, saute on high heat till chicken is well coated with sauce and everything looks well mixed. Takes about 3 – 4 minutes.
Add white pepper powder and mix. Check and adjust seasoning.
Add the chopped basil leaves, remove from heat and mix well.
Thai Basil Chicken is ready to be served.
To serve – Take a bowl, add rice to it top with cooked basil chicken, fried egg, sliced bell peppers, basil leaves. Enjoy

Love,

TIP : Since fish sauce, oyster sauce already, so add more salt only if needed.