Last week I cooked too much rice for the Supper Club. Not just a little extra, but about 20 cups extra! That is a lot of rice. I wish I had a really funny story as to why I did this, but basically I was on brain overload and it just happened. Not one to waste extra food, and not wanting my family eating white rice like they are contestants on Survivor, I needed to come up with some ideas for this rice. Is rice still what they eat on that show? I haven’t watched Survivor in years.
My kids love the Chinese Food from the local grocery store. They mainly eat the Chicken Fried Rice, the Lo Mein, and Sticky Sesame Chicken. I remembered reading in a cookbook that it is best to make fried rice with cold rice, so immediately I knew that is what I would do with part of the rice. I think that fresh-cooked rice has a lot of moisture in it and by cooling it and refrigerating it overnight, the rice dries out. I may never get fried rice from the store again! Homemade is so much fresher, and I like that I can control what I put in it. I’d love to add some mushrooms, broccoli, and red pepper but didn’t because I was trying to recreate the rice from the store for my kids.
We’ve done Chicken Fried Rice twice, I’ve made 2 chicken and rice casseroles that I put in the freezer, and I still have a little left! We’ll see what I can come up with. I’ll keep you posted!
- 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil, divided
- 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
- 4 cups cooked white or brown rice, cooled and chilled, overnight is best
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet (the largest you have) over medium high heat. Season the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through, be sure and turn over so both sides will brown. When finished cooking, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the eggs, stir constantly and cook until scrambled. Remove the egg and set aside with the chicken.
- Add the other tablespoon of oil to the skillet, add the onion, peas and carrots. Stir fry about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir fry for another minute. Add the cold rice and the soy sauce and stir fry for about 5 more minutes. Return the cooked chicken, along with any accumulated juices, and the egg to the skillet. Continue cooking until heated through.
Enjoy!
Kim
Linked to the following great parties:
Walking on Sunshine Foodie Friends Friday
The Mandatory Mooch Tasty Thursdays
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