Thai Basil Chicken

Me and my husband are travel freaks and out of all the holidays we have been to so far, we love Thailand the best. It is best in every aspect, be it food, hospitality, beaches, safety, shopping, and anything and everything about it. While we are true fans of Thai cuisine, we particularly love the Thai Basil Chicken and the Thai Green Curry and can continue eating them day in and day out. However with the political unrest going on in Thailand, we do not know when we can visit it next and so decided to recreate some old memories with this extremely easy and quick Thai Basil Chicken. It is so simple to make that by the time your Jasmine rice gets cooked (in about 20 mins), your chicken is also ready to be served hot from the pan, which is ideal way to do it. Thai Basil Chicken is best served straight from the pan and with a bowl of fragrant steamed Jasmine rice and a fried egg. A typical Thai Street Food getting served right from your kitchen!

                                      

Ingredients

300 gms boneless chicken (I used thigh boneless)

5 fat cloves of garlic

3-4 thai red chilli (regular fresh red chilli will do)

A generous handful of fresh Basil leaves stem removed

2 tsp oyster sauce (if not available, can be substituted with fish sauce)

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Direction

Wash and cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. Mince or finely cut the garlic and chillies. Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic and chillies. Fry till slightly browned and fragrant. Now add the chicken and fry till tender, about 7-10 minutes. Do not overcook, else your chicken will turn dry. You can cover the pan to speed up the process. Now add the sauces and the sugar. Stir and cook till the chicken is coated well. Now add the basil leaves and check for seasoning as the sauces already contain salt. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the basil leaves are just wilted. The leaves will continue to cook even after removing from heat. So do not overcook. Serve inmediately with hot Jasmine Rice and a fried egg.