Thai Chicken Fried Rice with Basil and Lime Leaf

This Thai take on Chicken Fried Rice is SO good and so easy. Very aromatic, this fried rice recipe features fresh basil and lime leaf for an exquisite Thai taste that is a big step above ordinary. I have learned two secrets to great fried rice: first, use old, slightly dried-up rice whenever possible, and second, it's important to keep the wok hot and well-oiled, but otherwise DRY for the frying of the rice. If you do these two things, you'll have wonderful Thai Chicken Fried Rice that is delicious enough to serve the King of Siam himself. ENJOY!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• SERVES 2-3
• 6 cups cooked rice, preferably several days' old
• 1 to 1+1/2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into very small pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 5 kaffir ime leaves, snipped into thin strips with scissors, stems discarded (available fresh or frozen at Asian stores)
• 3-4 Tbsp. extra chicken stock for stir-frying
• 1 egg
• 3-4 spring (green) onions, sliced
• generous handful of fresh basil
• 3-4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
• STIR-FRY SAUCE:
• 4 Tbsp. good-quality chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. (or more) Thai chili sauce

Preparation:

Rice Tip: If working with freshly-cooked rice, lay it out in a large (uncovered) bowl and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight - this will dry it out enough to give you good-quality fried rice.

1. Place cold rice in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle over 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. oil and work it through with your fingers, breaking apart any clumps and turning the rice back into individual grains. Set aside.
2. Mix all Stir-fry Sauce ingredients together in a cup. Set aside.
3. Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot and stir-fry 30 seconds to release the fragrance.
4. Add the chicken and lime leaf strips and stir-fry 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. When the wok or pan becomes dry, add a little of the extra chicken stock, 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, to keep ingredients frying nicely.
5. Push ingredients to the sides of the wok/pan, and drizzle a little oil into the center. Crack the egg into this space and quickly stir-fry to scramble it (this only takes a few seconds). When the egg is cooked, combine it with the other ingredients.
6. Now add the rice and pour over the stir-fry sauce. Using a scooping motion (scooping up from the bottom of the wok), stir-fry the rice together with the other ingredients.Tip: The wok should be hot and dry at this stage - medium-high heat. You will hear the rice making "popping" sounds (like rice cereal in milk).
7. Continue stir-frying in this way until the rice is hot and of a consistent color (5-7 minutes). Remove from heat.
8. Add the spring onion and toss. Now do a taste-test for salt and flavor, adding more fish sauce (instead of salt) until desired flavor is reached.
9. Take the basil leaves and place them in a pile on top of one another. Roll them up together and slice into thin strips (it's best to do this right before serving, otherwise the basil will wilt). Sprinkle some over each portion of fried rice. If desired, sprinkle over a little fresh-cut red chili, or serve with Thai chili sauce on the side. (For a homemade version,  ENJOY!

Thai Chicken Fried Rice with Basil and Lime Leaf