Chicken Fried Rice
Fried rice is one of my favorite comfort foods, and it's a great way to use up leftovers, including rice left from last night's dinner. The rice should be on the dry side. Moist rice will turn mushy and sticky. When making white rice, recipes typically call for one cup of rice to two cups of water. I use 1 3/4 cup of water. You can use any protein you like. One of my favorite's is the Guangxi-style Kou Rou (steamed pork). Shrimp, ham, browned pork belly, or beef also make great fried rice. You can use any vegetables you like. Shiitake mushrooms, green peas, or diced carrots work well. I prefer bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, red onion, and water chestnuts. Sometimes I add in a little diced jalapeno or serrano pepper. This version uses leftover roasted chicken. The protein is cooked in advance, and added late just to heat evenly with the rice. The amounts listed below are approximate. It depends on how much rice you have left over. I try to limit the rice to no more than 2 cups, due to the size of my pan. I adjust the other ingredients accordingly, to get a good balance of textures in the rice. Use more or less depending on your tastes.
Equipment
- 1 wok or large skillet with deep sides
- 2 bowls for egg white and egg yolk
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked white rice (cooled overnight in the refrigerator)
- ¾ cup chicken (cooked and diced)
Accessory ingredients:
- ½ red onion, medium
- 3 scallions
- ½ cup fresh bean sprouts optional
- ¼ cup water chestnuts optional
- ¼ cup sliced bamboo shoots optional
- 3 eggs separated
- 1 tbsp peanut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or lard
- 1 tsp corn starch
Seasoning:
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Preparation:
- Add the cold rice to a bowl, sprinkle with a little corn starch and salt, about 1/2 to 1 tsp of each. Mix with your hand to break up any clumps in the rice. The corn starch helps soak up any moisture in the rice. Do not use very much.2 cups cooked white rice, 1 tsp corn starch, ½ tsp salt
- Dice the chicken.¾ cup chicken
- Rinse the bean sprouts, scallions, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.
- Chop the scallions. Slice the water chestnuts to the thickness of two coins. Dice the red onion and bamboo shoots.½ red onion, medium, 3 scallions, ½ cup fresh bean sprouts, ¼ cup water chestnuts, ¼ cup sliced bamboo shoots
- Separate the eggs.3 eggs
Cooking:
- Heat a small amount of oil, just enough to lubricate the surface, in your work or pan. Fry the egg white, remove from the pan, and set aside.3 eggs, 1 tbsp peanut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or lard
- Fry the egg yolk.3 eggs
- Add the vegetables and sauté until you smell the aroma. Remove from the pan and set aside.½ red onion, medium, ½ cup fresh bean sprouts, ¼ cup water chestnuts, ¼ cup sliced bamboo shoots
- Heat the pan on high heat and add a small amount of oil.1 tbsp peanut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or lard
- Add the rice, and stir quickly to heat evenly.2 cups cooked white rice
- When the rice begins to pop, add the light soy sauce and continue to stir-fry.1 tsp light soy sauce
- Add the egg yolk and sauteed vegetables and continue to stir fry to heat evenly and mix with the rice.
- Add the egg white and diced, cooked chicken.
- Add the scallions and stir-fry to finish.3 scallions
Video
Notes
- The amounts for red onion, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots are approximate. Add more or less to your taste. Try for a balance of ingredients.
- Use a small amount of soy sauce. If the rice needs a little more, you can add a little more.
- If the rice is sticking to the pan add a little bit of oil. Do not make the rice oily and greasy. Use just enough to keep it from sticking.
- Cook the rice the night before and refrigerate. Make the rice dry. Most white rice is made with 1 cup dry rice and 2 cups water. I use 1 3/4 cups water when making the rice. Damp, moist rice will turn out mushy and sticky.
- Use just a bit of corn starch to soak up any moisture in the rice. Use the corn starch sparingly. Less is better in this case. If the rice feels moist when you mix in the corn starch, you can add a little more starch.
- You can substitute cooked pork belly, Kou Rou, ham chunks, shrimp, or any other protein you want. If you use shrimp, peel and devein them, sprinkle with a little corn starch to seal in the moisture, and dry-braise them in a little oil until they change color, and set aside. Add them to the rice when you add the egg white.
Nutrition
Calories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 9gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 434mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 286IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!