We were first introduced to making Chicken Fried Rice from the book Cook Once Eat All Week*. I got the book for my sister around Christmas. She is mom to a toddler and running her own Etsy shop, and I figured anything that can simplify her meal planning and prepping process would be helpful. I know a book like that would have helped me immensely when we had toddlers and were still in grad school, so I decided to get one for myself too.
Looking for other easy Recipes?
After making the recipe by the book one time, I learned that I needed to adjust the recipe for our family size. I also started throwing in more veggies than what she calls for in the book because we had them on hand, and I figured we might as well use them before they go bad!
One of the biggest changes I made from the original recipe to this one was I added more eggs, and just started throwing in different veggies without paying attention to the measurements of veggies, just that I needed to use them up before they went bad. It started when I didn’t have any broccoli on hand, so I used some cauliflower. Even though it didn’t have that nice pop of green, it was still tasty. I can imagine shredded zucchini being a nice addition to this in the summer months. It’ll be a nice way to use up all our garden extras! I’ve even used cabbage in this fried rice around St. Patrick’s Day, and it was delicious! The kids didn’t even know they were eating cabbage!
That’s another great thing about this recipe; the kids love it! They’ve been leery of fried rice in the past, and I’ll be honest, my attempts at fried rice were not this delicious. I like to think it’s because we’ve reduced the amount of soy sauce used by a considerable amount, and use coconut aminos* like she recommends. I decided to switch to it because it was a lower sodium option for O, who gets migraines with too much sodium, but we can hardly tell the difference.
One thing that also makes or breaks this fried rice is the use of toasted sesame oil*. Don’t be like me and mistakingly grab regular sesame oil. It is NOT the same. So make sure you get the toasted oil.
Also, if you’re throwing in vegetables like I was, you may want to use the largest skillet you have. I’ve had to switch to our electric skillet* because it can hold all the food at the end without me feeling like I’m about to make a ginormous mess all over my stove if I make one wrong move. But switching to our electric skillet makes all the difference when it comes to this dish. The kids love it, and we fly through it, so I make a large batch at once. Almost double what she calls for in the initial recipe.
Ingredients:
- 4 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter, vegetable oil, or avocado oil
- 6 large eggs, whisked
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 3 broccoli heads, cut into small florets
- 4 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 head cabbage, shredded
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups white rice, cooked according to directions
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos*
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil*
- 1/2 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
Directions:
- Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large skillet* over medium-high heat. Once hot, add whisked eggs and scramble until they are cooked through. Set aside.
- Heat remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in the skillet. Add garlic and onion, cooking for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add remaining veggies to the skillet. Cook for 4 – 5 minutes, or until slightly softened and brown.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the coconut aminos, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and Worchestershire sauce. Set aside.
- Add chicken, stirring to combine with the veggies. Cook for another 3 minutes, or until the chicken starts to brown slightly.
- Add remaining teaspoon oil to the pan. Add the rice and coconut aminos mixture set aside in step 3. Stir until combined, and then let it cook for 2-3 minutes undisturbed. Mix again, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.
Serves 6-8
^^^CTA
Leave a Reply