Chicken and Thai Basil Stir Fry

An easy chicken dish with great Asian flavours that may not be authentically Thai but is quick to cook and a tasty dinner winner!  I was gifted a big bag of peppery Rocket leaves, had some left over after making salads and wondered how they would work in this stirfry. The result was gobbled up and bowls left clean – an clear indication that the combination was spot on! There are lots of veggies incorporated into this recipe (typical of my dinners!) so feel free to mix it up a bit and add a few options of your own.  Zucchini chunks would work well, just add early to give sufficient cooking time.  Fresh crunchy green beans would be delicious too.  I just love adding the good green stuff!  Be sure to have everything ready to add to the pan as once you start cooking – it won’t be long until dinner is ready!  Enjoy!

Chicken and Thair Basil Stir Fry by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation      10 minutes

Cooking           10 – 15 minutes

Serves              4

Ingredients

500 gram Chicken Thigh fillets – remove fat chunks, slice into strips

1 tablespoon Cornflour

Splash Rice Bran Oil   or  Peanut oil

2 onions – finely sliced

2 cloves garlic – crushed

½ teaspoon dried red chilli  Or   use sliced red chilli

2 shallots – cut into 1 inch batons

½ red capsicum, sliced

2 large handfuls Rocket   OR   baby spinach

2 handfuls Thai Basil leaves

200 gram packet Asian noodles (cooked in boiling water for couple minutes, then drained)

1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce

1 teaspoon Fish Sauce

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Dry Sherry  (pop the sauces and sherry in a cup ready to add in one go)

½ teaspoon Sesame Oil (no more – very intense flavour)
Handful Fresh Bean Sprouts

Salt and pepper to taste

Handful Cashews

½ cucumber – sliced on diagonal into chunks

Few snow peas – shredded (optional)

Mint leaves – shredded (optional)

Method

Toss the chicken slices with the cornflour in a bowl and set aside.

Heat a wok or large frypan until quite hot.

It is important to have everything ready, cook quickly and don’t allow to stew – keep stirring.

Add the oil to coat the pan

Quickly add the chicken slices and toss/stir constantly until almost cooked. Remove from pan and set aside in a warm place.

Add the onion slices and stir until beginning to soften

Quickly toss in the garlic, chilli and capsicum

Stir in the rocket or baby spinach and the shallots

Add the sauces and sherry

Return the chicken pieces to the pan, toss to reheat

Add the drained noodles and toss through

Remove pan from heat

Taste. Season if needed, maybe just pepper.

Stir through the Thai Basil leaves, Bean Sprouts and cucumber chunks

Dot in a few drops of Sesame Oil

Finally toss in the cashews

Garnish with the snowpeas and mint leaves

                                   Enjoy!  Colleen