Quick Thai Chicken, Green Bean, and Basil Stir-fry

I love basil. I grow a ton of it every summer to use fresh in season. Then I freeze it for the winter. Sure, it's not the same as fresh basil and there are dishes that you can't use frozen basil for (though it does quite well for stir frying), but I can't stand the thought of paying several dollars for a small handful of basil when I can grow heaping mounds of it, more than I can possibly use, for the same cost. So here I am, at the beginning of summer, stretching out the rest of my frozen basil while my new plants grow to a useable size.

What do you do when you have some chicken that has to be cooked and some left over string beans? Add basil, of course, for a quick Thai-style stir-fry.

1 lb chicken, sliced for stir frying
10 green beans, topped and cut into 2 -3" pieces
20 basil leaves or so, chopped if you like
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 to 4 Tbs. fish sauce
1 Tbs chili paste (or to taste) Lan Chi chili garlic paste works well.
1 - 2 Tbs. sugar (to taste)
Oil for stir frying

Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and stir for 10 seconds or so. Add chili paste and stir fry for another 20 - 30 seconds. If beans are a bit tough, I like to stir fry them first then add the chicken. Otherwise, stir fry chicken until mostly done, add beans and stir fry for another minute, add fish sauce and sugar to taste. Stir fry until chicken is done. Add basil. Stir and serve.

Comments

[Janine]

Thanks for this receipe! I used it for guests and the platter was clean. Making it again tonight, might turn into a family favorite.