Thai-Style Chicken With Basil (Cook's Illustrated)

"I have yet to try a recipe from the Food Gods that are Cook's Illustrated that I didn't care for and this one fails to disappoint as well. The method here requires slower cooking than the usual stir-fry in order to allow the aromatics to permeate the oil. It should be noted that my version had some ingredients substituted with what I could find: jalapenos for the Thai chilies (I know...what was I thinking?) and Italian basil for what C.I. recommends; "hot basil". I'm not even sure what that is, but apparently it has a "robust texture that can stand up to prolonged cooking". Anyway, it was still delicious with my substitutions! Times are estimated."
 
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photo by Sandi From CA photo by Sandi From CA
photo by Sandi From CA
Ready In:
40mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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directions

  • 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.

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Reviews

  1. agree this was fantastic, but am still more than a little annoyed that cooks illustrated doesn't let you in to review recipes unless you pay.
     
  2. This was incredibly delicious and easy. I used Italian basil (which the recipe is actually written for), substituted apple cider vinegar for the white, and used two serranos (deseeded and tasted them for heat) instead of the thai chilis. If I can find a cheap source of basil, this will become a staple.<br/><br/>I served it with some plain salted brown rice.
     
  3. So delicious! I added fresh chopped baby bell peppers and green beans a few minutes before the chicken, and used 2 jalepenos and 2 red chiles. Thai basil is now our favorite thing in the garden! Thank you for posting the recipe.
     
  4. Fantastic - will absolutely be making this again. I used 2 Serrano peppers (my store didn't have Thai peppers) - I also cut the chicken in small pieces rather than using the food processor.
     
  5. I've made this recipe from Cooks Illustrated many times and it is WONDERFUL!! My husband asks for it repeatedly and my picky 2 1/2 year old even enjoys it. We like that you can spice it up more or less to your own taste. The only change that we make is that I can't find Thai Chiles so we use a Serrano chili instead.
     
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Tweaks

  1. This was incredibly delicious and easy. I used Italian basil (which the recipe is actually written for), substituted apple cider vinegar for the white, and used two serranos (deseeded and tasted them for heat) instead of the thai chilis. If I can find a cheap source of basil, this will become a staple.<br/><br/>I served it with some plain salted brown rice.
     
  2. I've made this recipe from Cooks Illustrated many times and it is WONDERFUL!! My husband asks for it repeatedly and my picky 2 1/2 year old even enjoys it. We like that you can spice it up more or less to your own taste. The only change that we make is that I can't find Thai Chiles so we use a Serrano chili instead.
     

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