Monday, May 12, 2008

Double Up Recipe Challenge - Chicken Fried Rice

So I'm pretty sure in March I didn't make a thing that would count for the recipe challenge. So I'm counting this recipe for the month I missed (hey, I was preggers on bedrest so cut me some slack!) This Chicken Fried Rice was a HUGE hit with the kids and hubby. Hubby thought it was great for leftovers for work!

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked rice (preferably several days old)
1 cup cooked chicken or turkey, cut into bite-size pieces, OR 1 cup raw chicken
4 Tbsp. chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced or pressed
1/2 minced green or red chili for medium-spiced rice, OR 1-2 whole minced chilies for "hot" (omit chilli for mild) (I used chili sauce that I had instead)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 Tbsp. peanut oil, or other good quality nut/vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen peas (I had 2 cups frozen together so thats what went in!)
1 egg (I used 2 eggs)
3 spring onions, finely sliced



1. Prepare the cold rice by mixing in 1 Tbsp. of the oil. Stir well, separating the rice grains with your fingers to remove clumps.
2. Place remaining oil in a deep frying pan or wok. Add garlic and chili.
Stir-fry over medium-high heat until fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute).
3. Add chicken (or turkey) and 2 Tbsp. stock. Stir-fry enough to thoroughly warm the meat, if cooked. If the chicken is raw, stir fry until cooked (2-5 minutes). Add more stock, as necessary, to prevent the pan from becoming overly dry.
5. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, push ingredients aside and crack egg into the wok/pan. Stir quickly to cook and break up the egg (like making scrambled eggs).
7. When egg is cooked and most of the broth/liquid has been absorbed, add the rice plus fish sauce. Stir fry, keeping the heat medium-high. Do not add any more broth/liquid at this point, or your rice will become soggy.
8. Add frozen peas and continue to stir-fry another 1-2 minutes, or until you can hear the rice "popping". Cooking Tip: It's important to keep the wok and rice dry, but if you find the rice is sticking, you can add a little more oil - this will make the rice "shine", like restaurant quality fried rice.
9. Do a taste-test for saltiness. If not salty enough, add a sprinkling of salt. (If it happens to be too salty for your taste, add up to 1 Tbsp. lime juice.)
10. Sprinkle with spring onion, and serve hot from the wok/pan. Enjoy!

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