Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry
I ABSOLUTELY remember the day I had my first blessed taste of Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry.
Mr. Wonderful had introduced me to Thai food and it was love at first glorious bite. The salty, sweet, spicy and sour notes zinged off all my tasted buds and I remember thinking, “this is like…the most perfect of all cuisines”. To this day, Thai food is the answer I give when anyone asks what my favorite foods are.
While I started out like most Thai virgins with eating Pad Thai, a savory sweet and spicy noodle dish that satisfies on so many levels (see my recipe here), I quickly tried others like the rich curries spiced with chiles, garlic, lemongrass, galanga, and kaffir lime peel and softened with sweet coconut milk (see my Yellow Massaman Curry recipe here).
However, when I’m trying to be a tad more healthy, I order the Basil Chicken Stir-Fry. It’s sweet/hot/salty sauce packed with vegetables and chicken make me feel a little better about what I’m eating without missing out on flavor.
The kids got me a carbon steel wok for Christmas, and I am sad to say I’ve neglected the poor thing. We’ve been busy living life – helping lead a marriage group at our church, planting, babying seedlings in the greenhouse then later planting the entire garden full of wonderful things.
One of the things I planted this year was Thai Holy Basil JUST for making this dish! It’s got a distinctive clove-peppery flavor unlike regular Thai basil which has that almost licorice flavor.
We finally broke the wok out recently and experimented with this recipe and Mr. W. decided it was a keeper for the blog.
Remember to add the chilies according to what your tastebuds can handle and don’t be scared off by the harder to find Thai ingredients as I’ve provided substitutes that will work just fine!
- 2-8 Thai chilies, depending on taste
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2-3 T. chopped mild red sweet pepper
- 2 c. fresh broccoli florets
- 1 c. sliced yellow onion
- 2 c chicken, coarsely ground or chopped chicken
- 2 T hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 T tsp dark soy sauce or 2 T soy sauce and 1 T. molasses
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 ½ c holy basil leaves, loosely packed or use Genovese basil
- 2-3 T neutral oil like Canola or Avocado
- Jasmine rice for serving
- Pound Thai chilies, garlic and red pepper into a fine paste in mortar and pestle or pulse in food processer
- Combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, and brown sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar.
- In a wok or a large saute pan over very high heat, saute the garlic-chili paste in the oil over until the garlic starts to turn golden.
- Add chicken and quickly keep stirring. Add the sauce and continue tossing until the chicken is almost done, but not browning too much.
- Add onions, mushrooms and broccoli tossing about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the red peppers. keep stirring until the chicken is done.
- Remove from heat and stir in the holy basil.
- Serve over warm rice
