Spicy Thai Basil, Chicken & Noodle Stir-Fry

This is a recipe I got off the Thai Kitchen red rice noodles box. It's fantastic and very authentic tasting. It's also good with regular rice noodles and Asian wheat noodles. I've made it with Italian sweet basil, and also by substituting cilantro for the basil. Both are very good. I haven't tried it yet, but I think this would be great served with crushed peanuts sprinkled on top. I'm posting the recipe here for safekeeping.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1  tablespoon lime juice
• 1  tablespoon fish sauce
• 4  ounces  red  rice noodles (2 single-serve packages)
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1  small  Thai chile, minced
• 1⁄2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
• 1⁄4 cup carrot, julienne-cut
• 2  tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 cup Thai basil (or cilantro)

Directions

1. 1. Mix sugar, lime juice and fish sauce in small bowl. Set aside. Bring large pot of water to boil. Remove from heat. Add red rice noodles, stirring to separate noodles in water. Let stand 5 to 7 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. (If you are using Asian wheat noodles, you will need to actually cook them for 5-7 minutes rather than merely letting them soak in hot water.) Drain well. Place in serving bowl. Set aside.
2. 2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add garlic and chile; stir fry 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken, carrots and green onions; stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. 3. Stir in fish sauce mixture; stir fry 1 minute. Add basil (or cilantro); stir fry 30 seconds or until basil (or cilantro) is wilted. Add to noodles in bowl; toss to coat. Serve immediately.
4. Tip: Thai basil has dark green leaves with purple stems and has a licorice flavor. It can be found in most Asian markets. If unavailable, substitute Italian basil.