I have a very small container garden in the one sunny spot of my yard. I have little pots of basil, flat leaf parsley, oregano and a large cherry tomato plant. The basil is thriving. The others are having a harder time. So, I'm trying to make recipes that can use some of that basil, other than pesto. I've lost 8 pounds in the past three weeks, so I'm trying to be very conscientious about what I put in my body. I want to stay on the weight loss train, not start adding the pounds back on.And there is absolutely NOTHING figure friendly about pesto.
This recipe was adapted from one I saw in an old issue of Cooking Light. It looked & sounded fantastic, and did not disappoint! I added a few veggies, and changed up a few things in the sauce, but this was really, really good. I didn't want to wait 45 minutes for brown rice to cook, so I served this over a bed of jasmine rice, although brown rice would have definitely been better.
Spicy Basil Chicken
(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light/April 2012)
Ingredients:
Chicken
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. of chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces.
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp water
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 20 basil leaves; chopped
- 1 tsp of vegetable oil
- 2 cups fresh snow peas, trimmed
- 2 thinly sliced red bell peppers
- 1/2 of an onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp of toasted sesame seed
Directions:
- Cook one cup of rice according to package directions (I leave out the butter & salt, and always cook my rice in reduced sodium chicken stock).
- For the chicken, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Once oil is hot, Add chicken to pan. Cook for a few minutes and then add garlic. Cook until chicken is completely done, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat another large skillet over medium-high heat for the vegetables. Add oil to pan. Add snow peas, bell pepper and onion to pan; sauté for about 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and sesame seeds.Toss well to combine. Set aside.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients (fish sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, corn starch, water and salt) in a small bowl and whisk together. Add the sauce to pan with the chicken, and cook for 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Stir to coat the chicken. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil.
- Serve alongside the rice and vegetables.
Sounds and looks amazing...just exactly how spicy are we talking (i have small kids). should i downplay some of the spices? if so, by how much? i still want flavor...
ReplyDeleteTo me it's not that spicy. I actually will make it with more sriracha next time, but I have a high heat tolerance. I think it would be okay for kids, but if you're worried, maybe use 1.5 Tbsp if the sriracha.
DeleteHope you enjoy it!