Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 pound red bell pepper
- 1 pound chili "bird" chili
- 1 pound shallot
- 2 tablespoon thai fish sauce or soy sauce
- 2 cup asian basil or Italian basil leaves
- 33/100 cup salted peanuts
- 33/100 cup hot cooked rice
Preparation
Baking Directions:
Preparation: Cut chicken breast into strips about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.
Cut out and discard membrane and seeds of red pepper; cut pepper into 1/2-inch dice.
Thinly slice shallot crosswise; you should have about 1/3 cup.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet over high heat.
Add chicken and cook, stirring almost constantly, until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a plate.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet and heat over high heat.
Add red pepper and jalapeño and cook, stirring almost constantly, until red pepper begins to soften, about 1 minute.
Add shallot and stir until it softens, about 30 seconds.
Return chicken to skillet.
Add basil and soy sauce.
Cook, stirring almost constantly, until basil wilts, about 1 minute.
Stir in peanuts.
Serve hot, spooned over the rice.
Variations: Add 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, to the skillet with the shallots.
Simple tip: Many markets now carry bags of washed basil leaves.
If you are using basil from a bunch, pluck the basil leaves from the stems.
Place them in a large bowl of cold water to loosen any grit.
Lift the leaves from the water, leaving any grit behind in the bottom of the bowl, and place them in a salad spinner.
Give the leaves a few whirls in the spinner to dry them.
Dress it up: If you live near an Asian market, or if your supermarket carries Asian groceries (as many do), make the following changes:Substitute Thai fish sauce for the soy sauce.
Substitute Thai basil (also known as holy basil) for the regular basil.
Substitute a small Thai chili for the jalapeño.
