This quick chicken stir-fry recipe is flavored with classic Thai ingredients: savory fish sauce balanced with tangy lime juice and plenty of fresh basil. Have all the ingredients prepared and ready to add to the wok before you turn on the heat. Serve with brown rice.

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry with Basil and Cashews

Serves 4

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil, divided

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 small fresh red chiles, thinly sliced (optional)

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 teaspoons molasses

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup toasted cashews

1/4 cup slivered fresh basil, preferably Thai

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, flat-bottom, carbon-steel wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, scallions and chiles (if using); cook, stirring, until the scallions start to soften, about 30 seconds. Add garlic and zucchini and cook, stirring, until the zucchini is just tender, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk fish sauce, lime juice, molasses and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir the sauce and the chicken (along with any accumulated juice) into the pan; cook, gently stirring, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in cashews and basil.

Recipe nutrition: Per serving: 329 calories; 18 g fat (4 g sat, 9 g mono); 63 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 2 g added sugars; 6 g total sugars; 28 g protein; 2 g fiber; 664 mg sodium; 649 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (37 percent daily value), Magnesium (24 percent dv), Potassium (19 percent dv), Iron (15 percent dv)

1 Carbohydrate serving(s)

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 1/2 lean meat, 3 fat

(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)