Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice
Chicken fried hard with chilli and a great handful of holy basil thrown in off the heat, over a full bowl of brown rice with green beans.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 110 g Brown rice
- 250 g Chicken breast
- 20 g Holy basil
- 3 Thai chilies
- 1 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 tbsp Peanut oil
- 100 g Green beans (optional)
- ½ Lime (optional)
Method
- Rinse the brown rice, then simmer it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
- While the rice cooks: chop the chicken coarsely by hand into rough pieces rather than neat cubes — the ragged edges catch the heat better.
- While the rice cooks: pound the chillies to a rough paste, top and tail the green beans, and pick the holy basil leaves off their stems.
- Get a wok or wide pan as hot as it will go with the peanut oil, then fry the chilli paste for 20 seconds until it stings the back of your throat.
- Add the chicken and spread it out, leaving it 2 minutes to catch before you move it. Stir-fry 4 minutes more with the green beans until the chicken is browned in patches and cooked through.
- Pour in the fish sauce, let it hiss and reduce for 30 seconds, then kill the heat and throw in all the holy basil, folding once so it wilts in the residual heat without cooking.
- Pile the brown rice into a bowl and spoon the basil chicken over it with all the pan juices, with the lime to squeeze over.
About Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice
Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice is a Thai lunch or dinner that comes together in about 38 minutes and serves 1. It fits anti-inflammatory eating.
Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice: frequently asked questions
Is Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice take to make?
About 38 minutes start to finish, but only around 25 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out green beans, lime — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Holy Basil Chicken with Brown Rice make?
This recipe makes 1 serving. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.