Chicken Fried Rice

(3-4 servings)

Here's another fried rice recipe. I can't seem to get enough of them lately. This one contains tasty strips of browned chicken breast and a slightly higher proportion of veggies to rice. Yum!

Although it appears this recipe contains a ton of steps, this meal only took me about 25-30 minutes to prepare from start to finish!

chicken

1 egg white, reserve the yolk

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp rice wine

1 small chicken breast, about 3/4 lb.

fried rice

about 2 tbsp oil (split) for frying, such as coconut oil

2 carrots

1 red bell pepper

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 small broccoli crown

2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 tsp hot chili sauce, give or take (to taste, optional)
1 egg plus the reserved egg yolk, beaten
1-2 tbsp soy sauce

2 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Whisk together the egg white, soy sauce and rice wine in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Set aside.

Slice the chicken breast (across the grain) into thin slices and add to the egg white mixture. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.

Wash, scrape, then slice the carrots into thin rounds. Set aside.

Wash, and remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper. Cut into small dice. Set Aside

Wash and cut the broccoli into small florets. Set aside.

Heat 2-3 teaspoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok. When the oil is nice and hot, drop in the chicken pieces. Fry them until they are golden brown. When they are done, place them onto a plate and cover loosely.

Lower the heat and add another teaspoon of oil to the skillet. Add the carrots and fry them for about a minute. Stir in the red bell pepper, garlic and ginger. Saute for another minute then add the broccoli. Saute the mixture until the broccoli heats up. Place them into a large bowl and wipe out the skillet or wok. At this point the vegetables will be under-cooked and crunchy.  They will continue to cook in the bowl as they steam, and later on you will return them to the skillet or wok with the rice mixture where they will continue to cook further. At this point you just want to heat them up and get them started.

Add about 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet or wok. Set the flame to medium and when the oil is hot add the rice. Fry the rice until it begins to dry out a bit. This will happen quickly if the rice is a day or two old. If you cooked the rice the same day it will be moister. You might have to lower the flame somewhat to keep it from burning. Cook and stir the rice until it stops steaming and most of the moisture has evaporated (the vegetables will moisten things up again).

If you are using a hot sauce, stir it into the rice now. When it's evenly combined, make a well in the center and pour the beaten eggs there. Using a wooden spoon scramble them and mix them evenly into the fried rice. Stir in the reserved vegetables. Sprinkle the soy sauce over the vegetables and rice. Increase the flame and continue to cook while stirring, until the mixture is hot and the vegetables are done to your liking. I like mine with a bit of crunch.

Stir in the chicken you have set aside and cook just long enough for it to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the green onions and cilantro. Serve.