Chicken Fried Rice

Fried rice is a filling and super affordable way to use up leftovers or to save for a week of lunches (which is what I did). It's so versatile that you can pretty much change any aspect of this recipe (though I recommend keeping the rice) and it will still be delicious. I used brown rice because I always have it on hand and it bumps up the nutritional value. The texture is a little bit different from white rice, but with everything else going on, you won't even notice! My favorite part of fried rice is the soft, sweet onion with the little caramelized bits so I used a HUGE onion in this recipe. I also opted to add chicken, carrots, and peas.

Ingredients:

3-4 Cups cooked rice (day old rice works best because it's drier and less fluffy)

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 medium to large onion, diced

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup frozen carrots, thawed

2 eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp sesame oil

1/4-1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions:

Assemble Ingredients

 I made this rice the day before so it would be ready to use!

 Pre-heat a large pan over medium-high heat; add olive oil. Once olive oil starts to "ripple" add chicken.

 Once chicken is cooked and lightly browned, add 2 tbsp of sesame oil, onions and garlic. The sesame oil is what makes this rice taste authentic and your whole kitchen will smell wonderful instantly!

 Once onions are caramelized, add the last tablespoon of sesame oil and mix in peas and carrots

 Once peas and carrots are soft (it should only take a minute) add two whole eggs (unscrambled!) in the center of your pan. Let the eggs set up for a couple of seconds then quickly scramble and distribute throughout the meat and veggies.

It moves pretty quickly from this point, so I couldn't take anymore pictures: Once the egg is mixed in, add rice and soy sauce and mix well!

 

I had the perfect amount for my container plus my mug to take to work the next day!

This is a super basic recipe and the variations are practically endless.

If you are using a vegetable with the tendency to get mushy (I'm looking at you, peas and carrots) I recommend using frozen instead of fresh, especially if you plan on reheating.

 I'd love to know some of your favorite variations...I'm always looking to change things up!

Tracy