Stir-Fried Chicken with Basil and Chilli
This quick and easy chicken dish is an excellent introduction to thai cuisine, thai basil, which is sometimes known as holy basil, has a unique, pungent flavour that is both spicy and sharp. Deep frying the leaves adds another dimension to this dish.
Ingredients
- 45ml / 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2-4 fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
- 450g / 1Ib skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 45ml / 3 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
- 10ml / 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 5mI / 1 tsp sugar
- 10-12 Thai basil leaves
- 2 fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped and about 20 deep-fried Thai basil leaves, to garnish
Preparation
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- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the garlic and chillies and stir-fry over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is golden.
- Add the pieces of chicken to the wok or pan and stir-fry until the chicken changes colour.
- Stir in the nam pla (fish sauce), soy sauce and sugar. Continue to stir-fry the mixture for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked with the sauce.
- Stir in the fresh Thai basil leaves. Spoon the entire mixture on to a warm serving platter, or individual serving dishes and garnish with the sliced chillies and deep-fried Thai basil.
COOK'S TIP
To deep fry Thai basil leaves, first make sure that the leaves are completely dry or they will splutter when added to the oil. Deep fry the leaves briefly in hot oil until they are crisp and transluscent — this will only take about 30-40 seconds. Lift out the leaves using a slotted spoon or wire basket and leave them to drain on kitchen paper.
Serves 4-6.