THAI BASIL CHICKEN

SPICY THAI BASIL CHICKEN
Olivia and I have always loved basil.  It is good just cut up in a salad, it is excellent to use to flavor sauces, or as an ingredient in meat recipes like this one.  We have grown different basil plants to experiment over the years with the unique flavor of each one.  We have both kept pots just outside our back doors for ease in use.  I sometimes just pick off a piece and pinch it to smell it.  I love the smell of basil!

This chicken recipe is one Olivia adapted from a recipe she found on www.allrecipes.com. The recipe called for chopped chicken but Olivia used ground.  The recipe is rich with flavor from the oyster sauce and soy sauce, not to mention the garlic, shallots, and chilies.  If you are fond of Thai food or have never tried it, this recipe is worth a try.  If your "go to" chicken recipes are getting a little boring, it is time to make this dish.  Enjoy!
-Nanette

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or as needed
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced shallots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced Thai chilies, Serrano, or other hot pepper
• 1 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups hot cooked rice

Directions

1. Whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl until well blended.
2. Heat large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in oil. Add chicken and stir fry until it loses its raw color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in shallots, garlic, and sliced chilies. Continue cooking on high heat until some of the juices start to caramelize in the bottom of the pan, about 2 or 3 more minutes. Add about a tablespoon of the sauce mixture to the skillet; cook and stir until sauce begins to caramelize, about 1 minute.
3. Pour in the rest of the sauce. Cook and stir until sauce has deglazed the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until sauce glazes onto the meat, 1 or 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in basil. Cook and stir until basil is wilted, about 20 seconds. Serve with rice.