I often talk about Hawaii on Instagram, well that is because I live here, and yes the water really is just that beautiful!  Truth be told, I am not a big fan of Asian food, just never really have been.  But I love poke and seared ahi and Thai food—fact, I make my husband drive me an hour to eat at this one Thai food truck on the North Shore.  Yes, I am obsessed.

After getting a few emails and comments from you all about Hawaiian foods and how I navigate, I though I would put together a few posts on my favorite Hawaiian foods.  So with spring and summer colors approaching, stay tuned!

Now, I will tell you—this dish will taste a bit different to your “typical Asian food.” Why? Because typical Asian food is filled with sugar, MSG, cornstarch and soy sauce—ingredients which really aren’t healthy for you, but more importantly mess with your brain and tastebuds to make the eating experience more enjoyable.  So if you are new to healthy eating, just note that the taste of this dish make be a bit different from what you are used to!

Can we talk about this crispy fried egg for a second?!  Whenever I order Thai basil chicken here, it always comes with the most crispy edged and runny yolk perfection of an egg.  Topping everything with an egg is just my favorite so I couldn’t resist! The yolks also provide a creamy contrast to the spice!

P.S.—Did you see my cookbook, All American Paleo Table is having a huge SALE?! Kindle version only is about 90% off through Wednesday. Go download yours and get to cooking!

Paleo and Gluten Free Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 red Thai chilis, seeds removed and finely chopped*
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 green onions
• 1 heaping full cup thai basil leaves
• 1 batch cauliflower rice
• fried eggs & sesame seeds for garnish

*Thai chilis can be very spicy, so adjust as desired.  If you cannot find red Thai chilis (small in size) you can substitute Thai Kitchen’s red curry paste (be sure it is Thai curry, not Indian curry), although your flavor in the end will be slightly different.

Directions

• Add the coconut aminos, tamari, lime juice and fish sauce to a small sauce pan.  Warm over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken and evaporate.
• Meanwhile warm a large skillet to medium heat and drizzle the sesame oil into the pan.  Sear the ground chicken in the skillet, using a spatula to break into small pieces.  Stir in the crushed garlic, minced chilis and ground ginger.  Add in the coconut amino sauce (which should now be reduced).  Stir to mix and continue cooking for several minutes.
• Finally stir in the onions and thai basil leaves just until they begin to wilt.
• Serve over cauliflower rice topped with a crispy fried egg and sesame seeds.