This Japanese Eggplant with Chicken and Thai basil stir-fry involves so many of my favorite things to eat, and it’s a very quick and easy meal to boot. The fragrant combination of aromatics, including Thai basil, wakes up your taste buds. Add a little eggplant and chicken (or omit the meat to make this vegetarian), and you have a satisfying meal after less than 15 minutes at the stove!
We call for Japanese eggplant in the recipe. Japanese eggplant is lighter in color, has thinner skin than Chinese eggplant and is, arguably, more tender than other varieties.
For this reason, this recipe calls for it, but don’t hesitate to substitute Chinese eggplant or another variety that you have locally in your market. If using eggplants with thick skin, like the regular large variety you find at your average grocery store, you can peel all or part of the skin off. Similarly, we call for Thai basil or holy basil, but Italian Basil can also work in a pinch!
Now that we’ve gotten the finer points about eggplant and basil varieties out of the way, we can talk about cooking eggplant. Specifically, eggplants are little sponges that seem to absorb just as much oil as you add. For this reason, we refrain from deep frying it when we cook it at home, and instead use the dry fry method in the wok. That said, restaurant-style eggplant dishes almost always rely on a deep or shallow fry, and consequently, Chinese eggplant dishes, while delicious, are often swimming in oil. To lessen this problem, we use the dry fry method in our Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce and with this recipe.
Whether you’re buying Japanese eggplants from your local Asian grocery store, picking them from the garden, or using another variety you find locally, take advantage of eggplant season, and enjoy this one!
You’ll need:
- 8 oz. chicken breast, sliced about ¼-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus more for cooking
- 1½ teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Japanese eggplants, cut on an angle into 1 1/2-inch wedges
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 3 scallions, sliced 1½ inches long on an angle, separated into white and green parts
- 1 large bunch of Thai basil or holy basil, stems removed (about 1 cup loosely packed)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry cooking wine
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Thai thin soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- Freshly ground white pepper
- ¼ cup hot chicken stock
In a medium bowl, massage the chicken with the water until it is completely absorbed, and add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch until well incorporated. Set aside. For more information and preparing chicken for stir fries, see Bill’s post on Chicken velveting 101.
Heat your wok over medium-high heat and coat it with 2 tablespoons of oil. Spread the Japanese eggplant out evenly in the wok, and let sear with the cover on the wok for 2 minutes.
Remove the cover, turn the eggplant pieces over, and pour another tablespoon of oil around the perimeter.
Cover the wok, and turn heat to medium-low for another 2 minutes until the eggplant is just tender. Next, raise the heat to high to cook the eggplant to a golden brown color–another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to your wok and heat until just smoking. Add the marinated chicken, and spread it around the wok. Let it sear for 30 to 60 seconds (depending upon your burner capacity) on each side, and transfer back to the marinade bowl.
With the wok over high heat, add another tablespoon of oil, the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the basil.
Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the chicken and Japanese eggplant.
Next, add the Shaoxing wine, and stir everything together. Add the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauces, sesame oil, and white pepper, and stir until everything is combined–about a minute. Next, add the green portion of the scallions.
Pour the chicken stock around the perimeter of the wok to deglaze it. Stir fry until everything is well-combined, and most of the liquid has been absorbed by other ingredients. Serve with steamed jasmine rice!
Japanese Eggplant with Chicken & Thai Basil
Ingredients
- 8 oz. chicken breast (225g, sliced about ¼-inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (plus more for cooking)
- 1½ teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Japanese eggplants (cut on an angle into 1 1/2-inch wedges)
- 3 cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
- 3 scallions (sliced 1½ inches long on an angle, separated into white and green parts)
- 1 bunch Thai basil or holy basil (stems removed, about 1 cup loosely packed)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry cooking wine)
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Thai thin soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ground white pepper
- ¼ cup chicken stock (hot)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, massage the chicken with the water until it is completely absorbed, and add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch until well incorporated. Set aside.
- Heat your wok over medium-high heat and coat it with 2 tablespoons of oil. Spread the eggplant out evenly in the wok, and let sear with the cover on the wok for 2 minutes. Remove the cover, turn the eggplant pieces over, and pour another tablespoon of oil around the perimeter. Cover the wok, and turn heat to medium-low for another 2 minutes until the eggplant is just tender. Next, raise the heat to high to cook the eggplant to a golden brown color--another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to your wok and heat until just smoking. Add the marinated chicken, and spread it around the wok. Let it sear for 30 to 60 seconds (depending upon your burner capacity) on each side, and transfer back to the marinade bowl.
- With the wok over high heat, add another tablespoon of oil, the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the basil. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the eggplant and chicken.
- Next, add the Shaoxing wine, and stir everything together. Add the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauces, sesame oil, and white pepper, and stir until everything is combined--about a minute. Next, add the green portion of the scallions.
- Pour the chicken stock around the perimeter of the wok to deglaze it. Stir fry until everything is well-combined, and most of the liquid has been absorbed by other ingredients. Serve with steamed jasmine rice!
Nutrition
Elizabeth Rhine says
This was the bomb! I used leftover pork loin instead of chicken, and fresh Japanese eggplant and (Italian) basil from my garden. Quick, easy, and full of flavor.
Bill says
Hi Elizabeth, glad to hear you used Italian basil as a substitute, but if you have the opportunity, definitely try some Thai basil ;-)