A tasty recipe for Thai Style Chicken and Asparagus is perfect for family dinner.
Thai food ain’t about simplicity. It’s about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it’s got to have a smooth surface but it doesn’t matter what’s happening underneath. Simplicity isn’t the dictum here, at all. Some westerners think it’s a jumble of flavors but to a Thai that’s important, it’s the complexity they delight in.
David Thompson, expert of Thai cuisine.
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I would not call Thai cuisine too complicated. It is really all about the love that you put in any dish, however, I do agree that the complexity of flavors is like music to the ear.
Thailand’s culinary traditions and mixed cuisines from close neighbors have influenced their dishes for many centuries.
If you cannot visit Thailand then you have to allow yourself to experience it through the food of their extraordinary cuisine.
I said it before, and I will acknowledge that fact again that I love Thai’s fresh and balanced combination of flavors that can pull one dish together, as Mr. Thompson said: “to create a harmonious finish.”
As a result, since many of you liked my Thai Chicken with Lettuce, I decided to prepare one more chicken recipe that inspired me by Thai cuisine.
CHECK OUT MORE RECIPES WITH CHICKEN
I would say that this could be easily made with beef or pork too. The recipe is very simple and flavors are well balanced- it’s not overly spicy and has just a hint of sweet and sour. I hope you will enjoy it!
If you make my amazing recipe for Thai Chicken and Asparagus please tag me on Instagram @SandrasEasyCooking using the hashtag #sandraseasycooking or you can send me an email or DM.
Thai Chicken and Asparagus
A tasty recipe for Thai Style Chicken and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 tsp. Coconut Oil (suggestions: Palm, Sunflower, Peanut Oil est.)
- 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
- ¼ Red Hot Chili Pepper, minced, more if you like spicy
- 2 Scallions, chopped
- 1 pound (1 cup to 1 ½ cups) Chicken Breast, or any other lean meat, cut into strips
- 8-10 Asparagus, blanched and sliced
- Juice of 1/2 Lime or Lemon
- ½ Cup Cilantro or Thai Basil
Condiments for the sauce:
- 1 tsp. Soy sauce (lite) +2 Tbs. Water
- ½ tsp. Oyster Sauce
- ½ tsp. Fish sauce
- 1/3 Tbs. Sugar (brown sugar or palm sugar)
Instructions
- Boil few cups of water and drop in asparagus for less than a minute. Put the Asparagus under cold water and Set aside.
- In a meanwhile put the coconut oil in the wok or frying pan and let it get just a bit warm, not smoky hot, put in the wok crushed-minced garlic, chopped scallions and sliced or minced red hot chili peppers.
- Stir for a minute or so and do not let it burn, turn down the heat on low.
- Put in the chicken strips or cubes and turn them few times until it's cooked through; Chicken cooks fast, so you would need probably about 3-4 minutes on low temp on each side depending on how big your strips are.
- While chicken is cooking mix the sauce in separate bowl, because that is the seasoning that pulls the whole dish together; Soy sauce, Oyster sauce and Fish sauce-all three are very high in Sodium so taste and see how the whole mixture taste to you after you added sugar and water by adding 1/2 tsp over the dish, dip your spoon and taste. You can add more water that will evaporate if you think it's perhaps too strong for you.
- The last step is to cut blanched Asparagus and add it in the dish.
- At this point turn the heat on medium high, add sauce mixture- 1/2 tsp at the time and taste each time {It's like adding the salt to your meal, you always have to taste and see if you need little bit more} and add lemon or lime juice by squeezing it directly into the dish.
- Add the fresh Cilantro or Thai Basil the last seconds of cooking.
- Stir the whole dish together and serve over the rice OR you can stir cooked rice with the chicken mixture and serve it like that.
- Garnish with bit of fresh chilies, scallions (green part) and lemon zest if desired!
Notes
- You can add raw peanuts.
- It works well with pork, beef or shrimps.
- In case of allergies omit the Oyster sauce and instead of the fish sauce, you can use soy sauce + splash of vinegar, to replicate both saltiness and acidity of the fish sauce OR you can add 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.
- For vegetarians, you can try using Tofu instead of the meat.