Today’s recipe is stewed spicy basil chicken. It’s a combination of Thai and Chinese flavors. It’s a wonderful dish and really difficult to walk away from. If you’re going to cook this dish, invite only one person to share it with you, as you might find that you will both want another serving.
As I mentioned, this stewed spicy basil chicken has Asian influence. However, when eating, instead of traditional chopsticks, I suggest you use a knife and fork. The chicken is cooked on the bone, so let’s make it easy for your guests.
No need to stand on ceremony for this chicken dish. If you like, you can dispense with a complex wine and instead serve beer. The spicy notes from the Thai chillies need a cool crisp beverage to temper the heat.
Stewed spicy basil chicken is the type of dish I like to serve on a Saturday night. A night with friends, sat at my kitchen table, mulling over life’s trials and tribulations. A spicy chicken dish on a bed of rice is exactly what’s in order and always goes down well. My friends usually want another serving later, after a few more beers, or what is more usual, after they’ve graduated to a more potent drink.
This dish, it’s so nicely spicy and should be served with a generous amount of sauce. The ideal accompaniment is a bed of rice, but if rice is not your thing, quinoa or couscous are great alternatives. Just cook as directed with a little butter or olive oil.
I used a 2 1/2 lb whole chicken and cut it into pieces to serve four. But if like me you wish you made more, go ahead and add another lb of chicken and up the accompanying quantities by 50%, except the Thai chilies.
If you are a weeny when it comes to eating chilies, I don’t know what to tell you. It would be a crime to remove the chilies from this stewed spicy basil chicken dish, so if spicy is not your thing, try another recipe.
This dish is too tasty to ignore, plan on trying this stewed spicy basil chicken recipe soon. Your friends and family will thank you.
Stewed Spicy Basil Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb skinless chicken pieces
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 6 Thai green chili peppers whole
- 4 scallions cut into 1/2" pieces - separate green from white parts
- 1/2 cup fresh Thai basil
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp hot water
Equipment & Utensils
- Skillet or fry pan
- Sauté pan with cover
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt.
- Heat oil in skillet on a high heat then carefully place chicken pieces in skillet.
- Brown both sides and then transfer to a sauté pan and set aside.
- Return skillet to a medium heat then add garlic and sauté.
- Once garlic is a little golden, add chicken stock and five spice powder and stir making sure to lift the bits stuck to the skillet.
- Stir until ingredients are heated through then pour on top of chicken and place sauté pan on a low heat.
- Add chilies and and white parts of the scallions and combine ingredients before placing cover on pan.
- Allow to cook slowly for 45 mins, checking regularly to ensure the sauce doesn't dry out.
- If needed add 1/4 cup of stock or water to replace liquids that may have dried out.
- Dissolve cornstarch in hot water, then slowly pour over chicken.
- Move the chicken around to allow the cornstarch to mix with the rest of the ingredients, and then thicken the sauce.
- Cover and allow to simmer for a further 15 mins to finish off.
- When ready to serve, rip Thai basil up and then mix with green parts of scallions and sprinkle over each serving of chicken.
