Basil Coconut Chicken

I found this recipe in a cookbook that I bought from a garage sale. It was in a prize winning recipe book, and the title grabbed my attention. At first I was skeptical of the ingredients, but after making it, I was so pleasantly surprised. If you don't have some of the spices, you can still make the dish and it will turn out. But the ones you WANT to have are cinnamon, turmeric, clove, and coriander. This is one of those dishes that is so easy, but people will look at you and say, "how in the world did you make this?" The leftovers are awesome, and reheat very well. Try this one, it is a winner!

Basil Coconut Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 red onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 tbs ginger root, finely chopped
hot cooked rice

Combine spices together in a small bowl. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, pat dry. Place chicken in a bowl and sprinkle all of the spice mixture onto the chicken, stir to coat all the chicken. Cover chicken with saran wrap and let sit for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Heat wok or large sauce pan to medium high heat. using 1/2 tbs olive oil, saute garlic, onion, and jalapeno pepper until tender. Remove this mixture from wok, set aside. Heat 1/2 tbs olive oil over high heat, and add chicken, cook until brown, and cooked all the way through. Combine coconut milk and cornstarch, add to chicken, add onion mixture, and ginger. Bring to a boil until slightly thickened. Add fresh basil, add salt to taste and serve over rice. (Serves 4)