Thai It, You'll Like It Chicken

This recipe came from the first cookbook I ever owned (a gift from my mama my first Christmas after college) and was one of the very first meals I ever cooked for my husband...and later for my parents.  And guess what?  Hubs has been a guinea pig for many recipes since then!  So, in keeping with the Asian theme I've had going to bide my time before we start some meatless dishes for Lent next week, here we go with a spicy Thai dish!

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 serrano hot peppers, seeded and minced (or 1 large jalapeno...but it won't pack as much heat that way)

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce (near soy sauce)

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (again, in the Asian section, near soy)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup water

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn

Jasmin rice, cooked

In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over high heat until hot.  Stir fry chicken for 4 minutes.  Add red bell pepper, garlic, and serrano.  Cook 2-3 minutes.  Add hoisin, fish sauce, sugar, and water.  Throw in basil and toss until it wilts. Dump out onto a bed of jasmine rice.  Garnish with any extra basil leaves.

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from 30-Minute Meals, by Rachael Ray.

Please be careful when cooking with serranos, or other hot chiles.  The first time I made this dish I wiped my eyes with the same hands that scraped out the seeds of my peppers...long after I'd washed my hands.  It didn't make a difference.  My eyes were on fire and in order to flush them with cool water I had to remove my contacts, which of course required that I touch my eyes a second time.  Not a pleasant evening, to say the least!