I have a confession to make: for many years I made chicken fried rice using a boxed dinner because I was intimidated by this dish. It seemed like it would be so simple, but when I tried one recipe I found online it was a soggy mess that tasted like licorice because of the Chinese five-spice. Just recently, I finally found another recipe to try (this one a simple side-dish), and I expanded it into this chicken fried rice. The secret to avoiding sogginess is to use rice that has been sitting in the refrigerator for a day or so, which gives it a chance to cool and dry-out a little. I still don’t feel I’ve quite mastered the art of keeping the egg on only one side of the skillet while scrambling it, but at least when we want fried rice we’re not eating dinner out of a box any more.
Chicken Fried Rice
1 pound chicken, cut into chunks
1 teaspoons sesame oil and 1 teaspoon canola oil
3 Tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup peas
1 cup diced carrots
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten.
4 cups cooked white or brown rice (day old or leftover rice works best)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine
3/4 teaspoons ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon canola oil in wok or large skillet. Fry chicken in hot oil until cooked through. Remove when done.
Add 3 Tablespoons sesame oil to the wok and heat over medium heat. Add the peas, carrots, onion, and garlic. Stir-fry until tender. Push the mixture off to one side, then pour eggs on the other side of the skillet and stir-fry until scrambled.
Add rice and stir. Add soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, and pepper. Stir to blend. Continue stir-frying until thoroughly heated, then serve.
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