With a flavorful coconut milk broth, fresh vegetables, tamari mushrooms, and tons of herby deliciousness
One day I saw that Whole Foods began carrying fresh Thai basil and IMMEDIATELY knew I had to create a dish with it. I’ve been loving Thai and Vietnamese flavors, so I decided to combine some of my favorite flavor elements from each cuisine to create this fabulous dinner recipe that’s packed with nutrients.
We’re starting with a bed of Thai jasmine rice, then building our bowl with a lemongrass ginger chicken, lots of coconut milk broth, tamari sautéed mushrooms, fresh vegetables and herbs, and some chopped peanuts for a satisfying crunch. The chicken is browned in a skillet then removed, and we add the broth to the same skillet to get all the caramelized crispy bits, which absolutely takes it to the next level. This recipe is also gluten, dairy, and refined-sugar free, and you could even replace the rice with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles to make it paleo-friendly. Full recipe is below!
Jasmine Rice:
one cup dry white jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
1 ¾ cup water
½ tsp salt
Combine dry rice, water, and salt in a pan. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let cook for 15 minutes over low heat, then remove from heat (do not remove the lid) and let steam for another 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables, chicken, and broth.
Lemongrass Ginger Chicken:
1.5lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 stalks lemongrass, finely minced (white parts only, discard green ends)
2-inch knob ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp honey or coconut sugar
2 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
1 tbsp coconut oil/butter
Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add coconut oil to a large pan over medium heat and let it melt. Add chicken to the pan and cook over medium heat until cooked through and caramelized. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. There should be lots of browned bits left on the pan, leave them! They’re crucial for the flavorful broth.
Coconut Milk Broth:
4 green onions, white parts only (save the green parts for topping)
One clove garlic, grated
1 cup bone broth
1 cup coconut milk from the can
1 tbsp honey
Juice of one lime
2 tbsp tamari
Sauté the onions and garlic in the same pan the chicken was in until they’re cooked down and fragrant. Add in the broth, coconut milk, honey, lime juice, and tamari, and stir well to combine. Add chicken back into the broth and let simmer over low heat while you finish preparing the vegetables.
Tamari Mushrooms:
5oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 ½ tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
Cook mushrooms with tamari over medium heat until sautéed and browned.
For the Bowls:
one red bell pepper, julienned
2 carrots, shredded or shaved into ribbons
Green parts of the green onions, finely chopped
Thai basil, mint, and cilantro, chopped
½ cup peanuts, chopped
Build your bowl by starting with a bed of jasmine rice, then adding a serving of the chicken. Ladle a good amount of broth over the dish to cover the rice. Top with your tamari mushrooms, vegetables, herbs, and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!! This recipe would also be delicious with fish or beef in place of chicken, or rice/udon noodles instead of rice. It’s also great with peanut sauce on top. Choose your own adventure! Enjoy!!! 🫶🏼