30-Minute Healthy Dinner Recipe—Thai Basil Bowl

Making healthy meals doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. This recipe in particular is one you'll want to bookmark. For 5 reasons:

1. It’s both light and totally satisfying.

2. It’s a great post-workout meal because it has lots of protein and plenty of carbs.

3. It’s simple enough to throw together quickly so you don’t have to resort to eating out (again).

4. It isn’t full of processed ingredients, which keeps it lower in calories.

5. It’s packed with flavor!

If that doesn’t make you want to try it, I don’t know what will!

Ingredients

• 1 cup jasmine rice

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken breast (or lean ground turkey)

• 1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves*

Instructions

1. Cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and vinegar; set aside.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots and chili pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.

5. Stir in stock mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in basil until just wilted, about 30 seconds.

6. Divide rice into bowls. Top with chicken mixture.

7. Serve immediately.

*Time-Saving Healthy Tips

1. Use Basil Stir-in paste instead of fresh basil. Fresh is best but sometimes taking the extra time to wash and chop an herb can slow you down on a busy night.

2. I usually add steamed or roasted broccoli with this meal, but you could also toss in some salad greens to get more veggies.

3. Double up! Leftovers save time.

I don’t make recipes, I find them and make them healthier. Adapted from: https://damndelicious.net/2019/01/22/thai-basil-chicken-bowls/