Thai Basil Chicken Bowl

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The inspiration for this meal came when I was shopping for camping. All it took was a bunch of Thai basil and a ripe mango and I knew just what I wanted to do. Of course, it's taken a couple goes to get it to where I want it to be, but we had it last night again and it was SO GOOD.

You start by sautéing your shallots, garlic and chilis, then brown your ground chicken and add some bell pepper. While it's cooking, mix together your sauce ingredients, add to the chicken and let it reduce completely and even caramelize slightly on the chicken. Toss in your BIG handful of Thai basil and there you have it.

I've given you some suggestions on how to plate it but you can put any veggies in your bowl that you like! I serve it on a bed of jasmine rice but you could use quinoa instead if you prefer. I would say that the cucumber and mango are non-negotiable though... the cucumber cools your mouth down from the chilis and the mango is the perfect sweet and tangy to the salty and spicy chicken mixture. Of course, you can make this recipe as hot or as mild as you like. Adjust to your taste! Oh, but don't skip the egg. That's how they serve it in Thailand and the yolk does magic things to this dish.

That being said, this is probably far from authentic. It's just my spin on Thai Basil Chicken, served up bowl style with all the fixings.

We paired it with an off-dry Riesling that had undertones of tropical fruit which complemented the mango. The slight sweetness was so pleasant against the heat of the dish, the pairing was fantastic. Look for a BC Riesling with some residual sugar, or head to Germany or Australia!

Be sure to tag @crushfoodandwine if you give it a try!

Enjoy!

xo

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Thai Basil Chicken Bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500 grams ground chicken (turkey or pork will work too)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil + 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 large shallot, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1, 1 inch piece of ginger, minced

• 1 Thai chili, seeds removed, finely chopped (leave seeds for more heat or just use half a chili for really mild)

• 1 small bell pepper, diced

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 cup Thai basil leaves,

• Squeeze of lime juice

• White rice, for serving

• 2 Persian cucumbers, diced

• 1 large mango, diced

• 1 large carrot, grated

• 4 large eggs, sunny side up

• 2 green onions, finely sliced

• Cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Add shallots and cook one minute to soften. Add garlic, ginger and chili and cook until fragrant, stirring often, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and bell pepper and cook until pepper has softened and chicken is browned.

2. While the chicken is cooking, in a large measuring cup, stir together chicken stock, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. Stir until dissolved.

3. When chicken is brown, add the sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat and allow sauce to reduce all the way until it starts to caramelize onto the chicken.

4. Toss in the Thai basil and a good squeeze of lime juice, stir on the heat until the basil is wilted.

5. Serve on top a bowl of rice, with cucumber, grated carrot, chopped mango and top with a sunny side up egg. Gently break the yolk so it runs over the dish. Garnish with green onion and cilantro. Enjoy!

Be sure to tag @crushfoodandwine if you try this recipe!