This chicken stir-fry makes a great weekday meal - fast and easy to make, yet deliciously Thai in flavor and texture. Strips of tender chicken breast are briefly marinated and then stir-fried along with an assortment of healthy vegetables in a fragrant basil sauce. Make this dish as spicy as you like - it is equally delicious mild or hot. Low-fat and low-calorie, but high in taste, you'll definitely want to make this healthy dish part of your weekday menu.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2-4 fresh boneless chicken breasts (roughly 1 per person), cut into strips (if using frozen chicken, thaw first)
- 2 thumb-size pieces galangal OR ginger, sliced finely into matchstick-like pieces
- VEGETABLES: (substitute your own assortment, based on what is fresh and available, or what you have in your kitchen)
- 1 each of green, red, and/or yellow bell peppers, chopped into bite-size pieces
- handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (if using dried, be sure to soak in hot water until tender)
- roughly 1 cup snow peas, left whole if small, or cut in half if large
- 1-2 fresh red or green chillies, sliced, OR substitute up to 1 Tbsp. chilli sauce (see sauce mixture below)
- approximately 1 cup fresh basil (or 1 package) - leaves should be left whole until ready to use
- STIR-FRY SAUCE:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. chilli sauce if not using fresh chillies, OR in addition to fresh chillies if you like it extra hot)
- OTHER:
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil for stir-frying, such as canola or grapeseed
- 1 tsp. arrowroot OR cornstarch powder dissolved in 4 Tbsp. soy sauce (or tamari)
Preparation:
- First, prepare the chicken by cutting it into bite-size strips.
- Create a marinade for the chicken by dissolving 1 tsp. arrowroot or cornstarch powder in 4 Tbsp. soy sauce. Pour this over the chicken and stir well to coat. Add the shiitake mushrooms to this mixture. Allow this mixture to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Make the sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients together in a cup. Set beside the stove.
- Chop up all the vegetables (except for the basil) and place together in a bowl. Set beside the stove.
- Heat a wok or deep frying pan over medium-high heat until hot (about 1 minute). Add 2 Tbsp. oil plus the galangal/ginger. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken and mushroom mixture to the wok/pan (including the marinade). Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer translucent inside (do not over-cook, or the meat will become tough). Stir-frying Tip: When wok or frying pan becomes too dry, add a little water (1 Tbsp. at a time) - just enough to keep ingredients frying nicely. Water adds moisture but not the fat of adding more oil.
- Now add all the vegetables (except the basil). Stir fry for 2-3 minutes in the same way, adding a little water to the pan when necessary. Vegetables should turn bright in color, but still retain much of their crispness. Do not over-cook.
- Add the sauce and stir well. Turn off the heat.
- Chop up the basil and add half to the wok/pan. Stir briefly to mix in.
- Place on a serving platter, or portion out directly onto plates together with plenty of Thai jasmine rice. Top with a final sprinkling of the remaining basil. Enjoy!
