Spicy Basil Chicken

When I was in high school I was a candy striper in a local hospital. (BTW- does that even exist anymore??) My responsibilities were to wheel new moms out as they were discharged and to bring samples from one department to another. Seeing as how I had no interest in ever working in the medical field my favorite part of the volunteering experience was lunch. I remember they used to have a great chicken dish that I always ate with rice. That was the beginning of my love for chicken and rice, ultimately leading to my love for Asian food. Seeing as I now have my trusty recipe for soy free soy sauce I am able to get back in the Asian food groove, starting with this chicken.

I always have fresh basil on hand so when I stumbled upon this on Pinterest I knew I needed to make it. It was excellent. I wasn't sure how the basil would work in this but it was great. I love finding new recipes that use kitchen staples. I will be making this again!

Source: For The Love of Cooking

Ingredients:
2 tsp oil
2 shallots, minced
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sriracha sauce,
1 tsp water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup of sliced basil leaves


Directions:

1- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots to the pan; cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. 

2- Add the chicken to the pan; cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring often, until cooked through. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

3- Combine the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, sriracha, water, and cornstarch together, stirring with a whisk. 

4- Add the mixture to the chicken, and cook for 1 minute or until the mixture thickens, stirring to coat chicken. 

5- Remove from heat then add the fresh basil.