Thai Style Chicken With Basil Cooks Illustrated Recipes

THAI-STYLE CHICKEN WITH BASIL (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 1-second pulses, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed (turn off processor first!).
• Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.
• Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate 1/4-inch pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. [ NOTE: I used a blender and it started to make the chicken mushy, which was *not* what you want here. I stopped immediately and ended up hacking away at the remains with a cleaver. :o) ] Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1 1/2 minutes; if it doesn't, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
• Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute.
• Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar separately.

THAI CHICKEN WITH BASIL

Steps:

• In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cut each chicken breast into 4 pieces. Cook chicken, garlic and chiles in oil 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center.
• Stir in fish sauce and sugar. Sprinkle with basil, mint and peanuts.

AUTHENTIC THAI BASIL CHICKEN (VERY EASY AND FAST)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir in chile peppers. Pour in water. Cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in basil before serving.

THAI CHICKEN WITH BASIL

Steps:

• Combine rice and 1 1/2 cups water in heavy-bottom pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook the rice, covered, for 17 minutes.
• Trim and seed the jalapeño and the red pepper. Put from half the jalapeño to all of it, and as much of the red pepper as you like, into a food processor, and add the garlic, shallots and peppercorns. Process to make a coarse paste.
• Heat a nonstick pan (large enough to hold all the ingredients except the rice) until it is very hot. Reduce heat to medium high, and add the oil. Sauté the garlic mixture for 30 seconds. Set aside.
• Finely chop the chicken breast in the food processor. Return pan to heat, and sauté the chicken, breaking it into tiny pieces while cooking.
• Add the fish sauce and sugar, and stir well. Set aside.
• Wash and dry the basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Return pan to heat, and stir the basil into the chicken mixture. Serve over rice, garnished with the remaining basil.