Thai Spicy Basil Chicken Fried Rice
This is a staple of Thai cooking. Adjust the spices to your own tastes for a really great use for leftover rice. I get the basil from a local Asian market. It has a different flavor than that of regular basil and makes all the difference in this recipe. It is fast and fairly easy to make, but requires constant stirring.
This is a staple of Thai cooking. Adjust the spices to your own tastes for a really great use for leftover rice. I get the basil from a local Asian market. It has a different flavor than that of regular basil and makes all the difference in this recipe. It is fast and fairly easy to make, but requires constant stirring.
- 1/2 cup peanut oil for frying
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice chilled
- 6 large cloves garlic clove crushed
- 2 serrano peppers crushed
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into thin strips
- 1 red pepper seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 cups sweet thai basil
- 1 cucumber, sliced (optional)
- 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs (optional)
- Carbohydrate 35.9547066661632 g
- Cholesterol 43.8472624333333 mg
- Fat 2.30452423133455 g
- Fiber 2.7149999298652 g
- Protein 21.7336463727826 g
- Saturated Fat 0.522325803500365 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (240g)
- Sodium 765.775841023092 mg
- Sugar 33.239706736298 g
- Trans Fat 0.360249136833577 g
- Calories 257 calories
Step-by-step
- Whisk together the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar in a bowl.
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Add the garlic and serrano peppers, stirring quickly. Stir in the chicken, bell pepper, onion and oyster sauce mixture; cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Raise heat to high and stir in the chilled rice; stir quickly until the sauce is blended with the rice. Use the back of a spoon to break up any rice sticking together.
- Remove from heat and mix in the basil leaves. Garnish with sliced cucumber and cilantro as desired.
Operating entirely within the high-heat constraints of a traditional carbon steel or cast-iron wok requires vigilance, as peanut oil reaches its smoke point quickly and leaves zero margin for error before burning minced garlic. Without a thermometer to guide the cooking process, visual cues dictate success.
- Crush the garlic and serrano peppers rather than mincing them finely to release essential oils without scorching the small pieces against the searing metal of the wok.
- Use jasmine rice that has been cooked and chilled for at least 12 hours so the starches retract, preventing the grains from turning into mush when exposed to liquid seasonings.
- Judge the chicken doneness by slicing the thin strips open to check that the interior has turned completely opaque while retaining slight moisture.
- Stir continuously over high heat for exactly 60 seconds after adding the chilled rice to ensure the oyster and fish sauce mixture coats every grain evenly without pooling at the base of the pan.
Using day-old starches transforms excess grains into a crisp base that absorbs potent savory sauces far better than freshly steamed batches. Fold the sweet Thai basil in strictly off the heat to preserve its distinct anise aroma rather than letting it turn black and bitter in the hot pan.
