Thai Lime Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, or 5-6 thighs, cut into strips or bite-size pieces

2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), chopped into bite-size pieces

1 small cooking onion, chopped or cut into thin wedges

handful of fresh basil

2 Tbsp. canola or other vegetable oil for stir-frying

a little white wine (or white cooking wine) for stir-frying

SAUCE:

3 spring onions, sliced

1 fresh red chili, or 1 tsp. chili sauce (add more or less according to your preference)

6-8 lime leaves, cut into strips with scissors (available frozen in Asian/Chinese food stores)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. fish sauce (available in Asian/Chinese food stores)

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 Tbsp. coconut, canola, olive, or other good-tasting and healthy oil

2 Tbsp. regular soy sauce

1 tsp. dark soy sauce (or 1/2 Tbsp. regular soy sauce)

1 tsp. brown sugar

Method to make Thai Lime Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe

1. First, make the sauce by placing all sauce ingredients in a food processor or mini-chopper. When cutting the lime leaves, be sure to discard any inedible stems.
2. Process well to form a thick sauce or paste (be sure to take a whiff of the wondrous smell of this concoction!). Set aside.
3. Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large frying pan and set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chicken.
4. Stir-fry 6-8 minutes, or until chicken is well cooked. When stir-frying, add a little white wine (1 tbsp. at a time) whenever the wok/pan becomes too dry. This will keep the ingredients cooking nicely without having to add more oil (and fat/calories).
5. Add the bell peppers, and stir-fry another 2-3 minutes, or until the bell pepper pieces have softened slightly and are bright in color.
6. Turn heat down to minimum. Now add the sauce, stirring well to incorporate.

Tip: Try not to fry or over-heat this sauce, or you'll lose all the great flavor and health benefits.

Do a taste-test for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, or more fresh chili (or chili sauce) if not spicy enough. If you prefer a "saucier" stir-fry, you can add a few Tbsp. of chicken stock, coconut milk, or cream.

Tilt onto a serving dish, or portion out onto individual plates. Add a generous topping of fresh basil, and serve with either white or brown rice.