Spicy Basil Chicken

I love Asian food. All types: Chinese, Thai, sushi, and so on and so on. I love it so much I've been known to eat it for multiple meals in the same day. Unfortunately, there are no good Asian restaurants near my house. Oh no! What is a girl to do?! Now, I could get off the couch, drive to my old neighborhood - which had tons of fantastic Asian restaurants - and eat out. But that's just too much effort. I'm already cozy in my yoga pants. 

So I'll have to settle for making something at home. But I've never been overly impressed with the Asian recipes I've tried, until I discovered Spicy Basil Chicken from MyRecipes.com. First, it was one of the simplest recipes I've ever made. There was a bit of prep work, but the actual cooking took about 10 minutes. And the prep work was not difficult - chopping, slicing, and measuring. And second, it tasted like take out! Better than take out! It was delicious right out of the pan and even better heated up for leftovers. 

I modified the recipe slightly from the original by adding mushrooms, using chicken breast instead of thighs, and doubling the sauce ingredients. And then I served it with steamed white rice and steamed snow peas. Delish!

Spicy Basil Chicken

Adapted from: MyRecipes.com Spicy Basil Chicken

Serves: 4 

Ingredients:

• Pam cooking spray
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 oz baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 packets Splenda
• 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons chile paste with garlic
• 2 teaspoon water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sliced basil leaves

Directions:

1. Combine fish sauce and the next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. 
2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with Pam and heat over medium-high heat. 
3. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
4. Add mushrooms to pan; cook for 2 minutes
5. Add chicken to pan; cook until chicken is no longer pink. 
6. Add fish sauce mixture to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring to coat chicken. 
7. Remove from heat. Stir in basil.