Chicken Fried Rice - A Quick Weeknight Dinner

I am really excited to share this recipe with you all! It is one of our favorites and I know for a fact that Dan gets really excited about this when I’m putting it together. The smell of the spice mixture I use perfumes the kitchen and the family knows what is for dinner before even looking! Chicken Fried Rice is a total comfort food for us. It also reminds me of growing up, my mom would make this during the week for us. It was more towards the end of the week and she would toss in any veggies or protein we had left over. That is the beauty of fried rice, you can add pretty much anything you have on hand and it will be delicious.

The key here is to use left over rice. Typically I’ll plan ahead and make an batch of rice the day before I make fried rice. You can use fresh rice for this but, it may turn out a bit mushy. If you use fresh rice try letting it fully cool in the refrigerator before you fry it up. Follow the steps below and you’ll be on your way to the easiest (and hopefully tastiest) homemade fried rice!

Chicken Fried Rice

What You Need; 2 cups cooked rice, 2 chopped green onions, 3 tablespoons canola oil, 1 cup frozen peas, 2 cooked chicken breasts diced into bite sized pieces, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 4 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos which is a soy sauce alternative), 1 egg. For the spice mix; 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger, 1/3 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder, salt + pepper to taste. *The red pepper flake adds a nice heat and the soy sauce adds a good amount of salt. Try tasting the fried rice at the end and then add salt and pepper until you reach a desirable taste. I typically like two pinches pepper and one pinch of salt.

What You Do

-Start by mixing your spice mix together in a small bowl and then set aside.

-Then prep the rest of your ingredients. Cook + dice two chicken breasts (or use whatever left over protein you have on hand), dice the green onions, ready your peas (or whatever leftover veggies you have on hand. broccoli, green beans, carrots all work great here), crack + whisk an egg in a small bowl and set aside.

-In a large and deep frying pan or wok over medium high heat, warm your canola oil. If you don’t have canola oil you can use whatever neutral oil you have on hand like; vegetable, safflower, avocado.

-Once your oil is warm add in your rice. It should sizzle once it hits the pan! That initial sizzle is what will give you a nice fried texture to your rice. Use a wooden spoon and evenly spread the rice into a layer on the pan, so as much rice can get that fried texture. Let the rice fry for about 2-3 minutes. Then scrap and stir the rice.

-Add your spice mix and stir.

-Add your soy sauce or coconut aminos and stir. Let cook and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Then scrap and stir the rice.

-Add your green onions, chicken, and peas. Stir. *Note you can add your peas frozen as they will cook within the rice.

-Drizzle in your sesame oil and stir. Careful to add exactly 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, it is very strong and if you add too much it can over power the whole dish.

- Now, make a well in the center of your rice and then pour in the whisked egg. Let it sit and cook for a minute and then use the wooden spoon to scramble the egg. Then stir in the scrambled egg into the rice.