Thai Inspired Basil Chicken

Thai food, how I love thee. I really only order a couple of things if I’m ever out for Thai food, but basil chicken is probably my favorite. Now, I’ll start off by saying this recipe was a total accident. Last week, I made this rice noodle stir fry that was a total disaster, mostly because I didn’t watch my noodles and they clumped up, but the flavors were killer! I knew I wanted to do a healthy meal prep this week, so decided to switch out noodles for rice and add in some chicken. Next thing I knew, I was making one of my favorite Thai dishes and I have to say, it’s been my favorite kitchen surprise to-date (not counting the time I tried to bake cookies and they turned out as basically warm cookie dough).

Oh, oh…did I mention this is high protein and low cal, too? Now, the recipe is below and I’ll include nutritional info, but ground chicken can always been traded in for any other protein or tofu, though it may change the caloric count. I love rice, so this recipe has a ton of rice to serve with, but feel free to switch up the serving size as you please! If you want it more spicy, Sambal Olek is basically zero calories, so add the whole jar for all I care. Want it more sweet? Add in extra brown sugar. The glory of this recipe is that is serves as a solid base for a great meal to make as sweet or as spicy as you’d like.

Thai Inspired Basil Chicken
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins Servings: 4
Calories per serving: 597
Fat: 11.3 g
Carbs: 85.4 g
Protein: 34.1 g

Ingredients

• 1 cup of yellow onion, half slices
• 1 bell pepper (I use red)
• 3.25 ounces of baby bella mushrooms
• 1 pound of lean ground chicken
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp sambal olek or other chili paste
• 1 handful of fresh basil, torn
• 8 cups of cooked white or brown rice for serving
• Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders)
• 3 green onions, sliced (optional)
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour with equal parts water

Directions

1. Chop onion, bell pepper, baby bellas and garlic cloves and set aside.
2. Add olive oil to a hot pan. Add ground chicken and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook chicken until almost done, and then add vegetables.
3. While chicken and vegetables are cooking, grab yourself a bowl and add broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, ginger and rice vinegar. Mix until completely dissolved. Feel welcome to add additional pepper, garlic and onion powders to taste.
4. Once chicken is completely cooked through and vegetables are tender, add sauce mixture and bring to quick boil.
5. Stir in flour and water to your pan and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce.
6. Add your handful of basil (and green onions, if you choose) into the chicken and vegetable mix. Serve immediately over rice.