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Sometimes you cook a dish for the first time and you know that you're going to do it again because the first time is just the trial run. This was one of those times. Not that it turned out bad. We both liked it. But there were some variables that made me think that I'd want to do it again.

This recipe is from the January/February issue of Cook's Illustrated. I  enjoy reading the magazine and watching the TV show. In the article accompanying the recipe, the author talks about his time in a Bangkok cooking school and his attempt to recreate the dish when he got back to the states. It's a good story.

He says his version is relatively mild but it's hard to tell looking at a recipe whether 6 Thai chiles is going to make it unbearably hot or agreeably spicy. I didn't have 6 Thai chiles in the kitchen anyway so I opted for one medium jalapeno, one serrano, and a couple Thai chiles. I seeded the jalapeno but not the other two. Turned out to be a good decision as the dish came out hot & spicy but not enough that we didn't enjoy eating the chicken. And we weren't constantly reaching for the water glass. 

The peppers were all a bit old and most were pretty wrinkly. They didn't cut up so well in the food processor. Next time, I will use only fresh peppers.  But this does seem to be the right amount for us. You may find this way too spicy or maybe not spicy enough. See what I mean about trying it out a couple of times?

The recipe calls for medium low heat to cook the basil and shallots, but also says they should cook until the shallots begin to brown. I cooked a few minutes more than the recipe calls for but they never browned up.  think that's from the low heat. I wonder about increasing it to medium. In his text, though, he talks about the value of slow cooking the basil and infusing the chicken with flavor. I gotta admit: it works. This was a very tasty dish. But I might experiment with the cooking temperature a bit next time.

Last, we had jasmine rice as a side dish. Tonight, instead of cooking the rice with water, we used coconut milk. About halfway through cooking the rice, I noticed the liquid was gone but the rice was still crunchy. So we added a bit of water, which allowed the rice to plump up. The coconut milk added a very nice sweetness to the meal and complimented the heat in the chicken.

All in all, a successful first time for this recipe. I'm sure it won't be the last.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves , tightly packed
3 medium garlic cloves , peeled
6 green or red Thai chiles , stemmed 
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast , cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium shallots , peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Red pepper flakes , for serving

Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic, and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once during processing. Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.

Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into -approximate 1/4-inch pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1 1/2 minutes; if it doesn’t, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar separately.