Monday, March 18, 2013

Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice

Homemade quality, take out taste. Chicken fried rice is a great meal in itself, or, as a side to any Asian meal. It makes a great, filling, gluten free lunch too! Make ahead and reheat, add in any veggie you'd like. Below is a pretty traditional take on fried rice, but, you can jazz it up with whatever  you'd like!
This recipe is kid friendly, gluten free, and a healthy alternative to take out!
(makes 6 servings, depending on your portions :)

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2tbsp. olive oil, separated
2tbsp. sesame oil, separated (if you don't have any, or, if you are allergic to sesame, use olive oil.)
1 lb. chicken breast (you can use any protein here- chicken, pork, beef, or tofu.)
2 cups short grain organic brown rice
1/2 large onion
2 carrots
1 cup frozen peas
3 eggs (omit for egg free) (could use scrambled tofu instead)
3 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos (or more to taste) (you can also use a gluten free soy sauce here if you don't have Bragg, but start out with just one tbsp. and increase to taste. There are lots of different varieties, each with a different level of saltiness.)


Process:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil over high heat in a medium stock pot.
While the water is coming to a boil, pour 1 tbsp. sesame oil into a wok over high heat.

If you don't have a wok, get one. They are awesome for cooking everything from fried rice to jalepeno popcorn- recipe coming soon:) (If you are going to buy one, I may I suggest LeCreuset? I cooked with one of these at a friend's house last weekend and it was ah-mazing. Saving my pretty pennies to upgrade to one in the near future...) In the mean time, use a heavy bottom stock pot.

Add 2 cups brown rice to the sesame oil (or olive oil) and fry stirring constantly, 3 minutes, until the rice is lightly toasted. This is a very important step- it will give the rice great flavor.
Dump the toasted rice into the stock pot. Lower the heat to simmer and cover, cooking for 45 minutes until tender.

As the rice cooks, quarter and dice the carrot.
Thinly slice and dice the onion.
Measure out the peas and let them begin to thaw.
Reserve the veggies.

Thinly slice the chicken. (If the chicken is slightly frozen, it will be easier to slice super thin.)
Heat the olive and sesame oil in a wok over high heat.
Add the chicken, reduce heat to medium high, cook through, stirring every few minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, add the veggies. Add more oil if needed and stir-fry until the onions are translucent and the mix becomes fragrant. 3-5 minutes.


Empty the veggies into a bowl and reserve. Add a drizzle of oil to the wok over medium high heat. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and beat them until the yolks and whites are incorporated. Add the egg to the wok and scramble the egg.
Once the egg is cooked through and scrambled, add the veggies and chicken back into the wok and toss to incorporate. As the rice finishes, add the rice as well. Turn up to high heat and add the Bragg's Liquid Aminos. (If you are in Missoula, you can get this in bulk at the Good Food Store.) Stir the mixture quickly for a few minutes, making sure that the Braggs gets mixed in. If it needs more salt, add more Braggs. As you stir and cook the mixture, it should begin to get sticky. Remove from heat and serve. 


I like to package the leftovers up after they cool, so that we have lunch already packed and ready to grab in the morning. My man loves Sriracha, so I topped my lunch portions with a Sriracha heart. <3 Enjoy!





No comments:

Post a Comment