Stir Fried Chicken with Basil and Chiles

This is a quick and easy stir fry loaded with garlic, shallot, and chiles, with bright notes from lots of Thai basil.

Ingredients:

Marinade
1 lb boneless chicken breast, trimmed and chopped
1.5 t black soy sauce (kecap manis) or substitue dark soy sauce or regular if necessary
2 t sugar
2 t fish sauce

Stir fry
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2-3 Thai chiles, or to taste, finely chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves, de-stemmed and thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2T oil

Sauce
2-3 Thai chiles, or to taste, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 T palm or brown sugar
pinch kosher salt
1 T fish sauce
2 t soy sauce

2 handfuls Thai basil leaves (Italian varieties probably wouldn't work) 

Mix together the marinade ingredients and let sit for at least 15 minutes up to overnight in the fridge.

Combine the first four sauce ingredients and grind in to a paste in a mortar and pestle, or use a food processor.  Add in the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix to combine.

Divide the chicken in to two batches; heat 1 T oil until smoking in a wok and add the first half of the chicken.  Let it sit without moving for a minute or two to develop color, then stir fry it briefly before removing to a bowl.  Reheat the wok with another 1 T of oil, and repeat with the rest of the chicken.  Return the chicken to the wok along with the chiles, garlic, lime leaves, and shallots.  Toss this mixture until aromatic and the shallots have cooked.

Add the sauce and cook until somewhat reduced, then add in the basil, toss briefly to wilt, and serve with rice.  You could also add another handful of deep fried basil leaves for added aroma and texture, but I generally don't bother unless I already have some oil hot.