This dish is full of flavor. The balance of sweet peas and spicy coconut milk is a roller coaster for your taste buds. This is my Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry Over Basmati Rice.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 20 minutes (marinate the chicken)
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Equipment: 1 (6-quart) saucepot with a tight-fitting lid, 1 (3-quart) saucepot, aluminum foil, 1 (12-inch) cast-iron skillet, 2 large mixing bowls

Ingredients For Basmati Rice:
1 cup of Basmati rice, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth, unsalted
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 cup of dried sweet cherries
1/4 cup of pistachios, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Ingredients For Stir-Fry:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup of grapeseed oil
3 cloves of garlic, freshly grated
1 teaspoon of ginger, freshly grated
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned
!/2 an onion, sliced very thin into half-moons
1 Fresno chili, seeded, cut into thin rings
1 1/2 cups of frozen sweet peas, thawed
1 (15-ounce) can of unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons of Siracha
1/2 a cup of fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions For Basmati Rice:
I’m going to start with the Basmati rice. Now what I like to do is, to remove as much of the natural starch from the rice. Repeat the process until the water runs clear.

I place 1 cup of Basmati rice into a large bowl and cover it with 2 cups of water. Let the rice stand in the water for a couple, three minutes. I repeat this process, four times until the water, with the rice in the bowl is clear.

In the larger saucepot, add pour in the rinsed Basmati rice. In a smaller saucepot over medium heat, add the chicken broth, dried sweet cherries, Kosher salt, and olive oil. Once the chicken broth has come up to a low boil, pour the hot broth into the pot containing the Basmati rice.

Transfer that pot over to the burner already set on medium heat. Bring all this up to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Tightly cover the pot with a piece of foil (refer to the pictures above) and secure the saucepot’s lid on tight. Do not peek at the rice during the cooking process. Allow the rice to cook for 15 minutes.

At the end of 15 minutes, cut the heat. Let the rice sit for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. You should see that every grain of rice has grown a little longer and is separate from all the other longs grains of rice.

To finish, add chopped pistachios gently stir to combine. Place the lid back on and set aside. Right before serving, add the fresh chopped cilantro, again gently toss to combine.

Directions For Marinating Chicken:
In a large mixing bowl add the chicken breast strips, grapeseed oil, freshly grated garlic, and ginger, 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Toss until all the chicken is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Prepping The Vegetables:
While the rice is simmering and the chicken is marinating start prepping the vegetables. Julienne the orange and yellow bell pepper, thinly slice the red onion into half-moons, seed, and sliced the Fresno chili. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl pour in the unsweetened coconut milk, Siracha, fresh lime juice, and sugar. Stir to combine.

Preheat the cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until smoking hot add the marinated chicken. Stirring frequently, cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is brown and caramelized. Remove the chicken from the skillet and onto a plate.

Place the skillet back over medium-high heat, add the julienned peppers, sliced red onion, and Fresno chili season with 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Stirring frequently, cook for another 3 to 5 minutes before adding the chicken back into the skillet, toss to combine.

It’s time to add the spicy coconut milk to the skillet, stir, and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, occasionally stirring until the sauce naturally thickens, another 3 to 5 minutes. Finally, turn the heat off and add the peas and stir to combine. The heat from the sauce will warm the peas through.

In a porcelain serving bowl, spoon a helping of the prepared rice into the bottom of a bowl. Ladle the Spicy Stir-Fry Chicken over the top. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

There you have it, my Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry Over Basmati Rice.

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