When dropping off Kaitlin back in Philly after the 4th of July Weekend a couple weeks ago, I decided to stay and hang out for a few days. Even Jakie came along:
We whipped up a few dinners in her tiny apartment kitchen…
And this Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-fry was one of the fastest and easiest. It’s a simple chicken dish with veggies (we used yellow squash, carrots, onion, and scallions, but you can use whatever you have. Asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, snap peas, snow peas, etc. would all be great), but the addition of Thai basil is what really makes it pop. It was really simple to make, and it’s a great dish to scale up or down, depending on how many people you have.
Here’s what you need. This easy stir fry recipe serves 2, but feel free to increase the quantities.
Recipe Instructions
Start by cutting your chicken into slices.
Put the chicken into a bowl and add the fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and cornstarch. Mix it well, incorporating all the seasoning ingredients. Then just let it sit while you’re preparing the other ingredients.
Chop, slice, and dice everything you need.
Again, feel free to deviate from the veggie ingredients we have here. This recipe is more of a rough guideline than anything. This is a great dish to make if you want to use up odds and ends in your vegetable crisper (that’s what we were doing, anyway).
When you’re ready to cook, heat a wok over medium high heat and add a couple tablespoons of oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it’s got some color. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the pan and add all your vegetables, garlic, and chili. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender. Take a minute to admire your handiwork. Pretttyyyy colors.
Add the chicken back to the pan along with the Thai basil and stir-fry until everything is well-combined, and the basil is wilted. (uhhhh….the thai basil may or may not be in this photo. We need to improve our photo timing.)
Plate, and serve hot with some rice!
…and maybe some bok choy that was also languishing in the fridge.
Enjoy it guys. Here’s the printable version:
Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 small yellow squash (sliced)
- 1 medium carrot (sliced)
- 1 scallion (sliced)
- 1/2 of a small onion (sliced)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1 red chili pepper (chopped)
- vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup Thai basil
Instructions
- Cut your chicken into slices and put it in a bowl. Season with the fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir it up and let it sit while you're preparing the other ingredients.
- Chop, slice, and dice all the veg and the garlic. When you're ready to cook, heat a wok over medium high heat and add a couple tablespoons of oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it's got some color. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and add all your vegetables, garlic, and chili. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the Thai basil and stir-fry until everything is well-combined, and the basil is wilted. Plate, and serve hot with some rice!