Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Fried rice full of vegetables and chock full of flavor! Super easy to prepare and almost like Chinese takeout! Perfect recipe for leftover rice...Try it tonight!

Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 – pound chicken breast, 1/2 inch cubed
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch chunk fresh ginger, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots, ~ 2 carrots
1 – 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (4 - 5 large)
1 cup peas, frozen
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups cooked white or brown rice, cold
2 – 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 green onions, 1/4-inch sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Garnish with extra chopped green onion, peanuts and hot sauce as desired.

Equipment needed:

Cutting board
Chef knife
Dry measuring cups
Measuring spoons
2 small bowls
Chinese wok or 12-inch skillet with lid
Rubber or bamboo spatula

Take out fried rice has always been one of my favorite meals. When I was in college, every Tuesday night I would find myself at the local Chinese restaurant ordering take out before my night class. Often it was only vegetable fried rice... but I love it with chicken or shrimp too. Later when I was teaching foods class, I decided to introduce the students to the world of fried rice. This super easy recipe was part of our Asian unit... with a bit of pork or chicken. Use leftover rice or make a pot earlier in the day... Bet you will love this recipe and make it often! Grab your stuff and let’s stir fry!

Of course, this dish is fried rice… so you need to start with rice! Before starting the actual stir fry process, make sure you have about 4 cups of cooked rice that has cooled to at least room temperature. Cold rice works much better than freshly cooked, hot rice. White rice or brown rice work great in this recipe... whichever you prefer.

Prep all the ingredients before starting to cook. This will make the stir fry process much more efficient and ensure your veggies are added together in the proper order and prevent over cooking. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil into your wok or skillet over medium high heat, until it starts to shimmer, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn it! Add chicken and continue to stir fry until no longer pink... 5 – 8 minutes. I have used small frozen salad shrimp or cubed leftover pork instead of chicken too! Vegetable rice is also awesome! Remove cooked chicken from wok and set aside.

Now for cooking the veggies! Pour another 2 tablespoons olive oil into hot wok. Add onions, carrots, ginger and garlic and allow to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli and continue to stir and cook until broccoli turns bright green in color. Pour frozen peas over vegetable mixture and mix to combine. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a small bowl until whites are no longer visible. Pour eggs over hot vegetables and stir until eggs are just cooked and no longer runny, ~ 1 minute. Remove vegetable mixture from wok to a plate for later use.

While vegetables are cooking, combine the liquid sauces into a small bowl and stir well. Chop green onions into 1/4 inch segments. Set aside.

Almost finished! Now to combine it all together. Place the cold rice into the wok with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat for a few minutes while stirring. Add chicken on top and continue stirring. Allow mixture to heat thoroughly, ~ 2 minutes. Rice may begin to brown. Pour sauces on top and stir to coat rice well. Pour vegetable mixture back into the wok and add bean sprouts and green onions. Stir well to combine and allow mixture to sit covered in wok for 3 minutes to heat thoroughly...Giving the fried rice a stir about every minute.

Oh my... doesn’t the wok smell soooo good? You didn’t even have to go pick it up either! Taste it and adjust the seasoning by sprinkling a few red pepper flakes or an extra dash of fish or soy sauce, if you want. Serve fried rice in bowls. Use a pair of chop sticks... if you dare to try... Enjoy!