Spicy Thai Chicken with Basil

Alex, in fact, made this dish for me. He is truly a better cook than I, so any tips I can get from him I welcome. This is such a fantastic dish, that I actually crave it. it satisfies that spicy Chinese food craving, without the oil that is left at the bottom of your plate after your meal, for which the fortune cookie serves to distract (I actually found a green tea fortune cookie recipe that I will try at a later date. I hope to put messages in it like "I'm held captive in a Chinese fortune cookie factory. Send help."). It is surprisingly difficult to find an Asian food recipe that doesn't taste overwhelmingly like hoi sin or peanut butter. Please try this recipe. It will make you stop going out for Chinese food.
Disclaimer: It is spicy. Remember to wash your hands after touching the red chilies. Even an hour after eating this, you will still feel the heat. If you do not like heat, do not eat this. If you want to turn down the heat, decrease the number of chilies, chop them finer, or move to green chilies.

SPICY THAI CHICKEN WITH BASIL   Easy
Adapted from recipe by  Quick From Scratch Herbs & Spices
Recipe found on Food and Wine at : http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thai-chicken-with-basil

1. 1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4), cut into 1-by-2-inch pieces
2. 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
4. 1 tablespoon water
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
6. 2 tablespoons cooking oil
7. 1 large onion, cut into thin slices
8. 2 fresh red chilies, seeds and ribs removed, cut into very thin slices, or 1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes  (DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES OR YOURSELF WITHOUT THOROUGHTLY WASHING YOUR HANDS after cutting these)
9. 3 cloves garlic, minced
10. 1 1/2 cups lightly packed basil leaves
11. 1/2 teaspoon of flour

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with the fish sauce, soy sauce, water, and sugar.In a large nonstick frying pan or a wok, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the chilies and garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds longer.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon and add it to the hot pan. Cook until almost done, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the marinade and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in about 1/2 teaspoon of flour and stir to make the sauce a bit thicker (you can also use cornstarch if you have it). Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the basil. Serve topped with the remaining 1/2 cup basil.

Notes
Asian fish sauce is available at Asian markets and many supermarkets