Chicken Fried Rice - Homemade Chinese Dinner at Home

Chicken Stir Fried Rice 

Chicken fried rice has always been one of my favorite takeout meals, but after making it from scratch, I realized how easy—and delicious—it is to prepare at home. Using fresh vegetables, tender chicken, eggs, and leftover rice creates a flavorful meal that's perfect for busy weeknights. It's also a wonderful way to use up leftover rice and vegetables instead of letting them go to waste.

Dinner was a success! I have to share this recipe with you. The fried rice was better than good -- It was FABULOUS! No more buying premade from the stores. I plan to premake this in batches and freeze for instant meals.

Here's the steps I took:

Pan fry chicken first

Pan fry boneless chicken in a wok with peanut oil and garlic salt.

prepare the rice 

time to bake cookies in beween

Cook a pot of white rice. Make those cookies...

add the vegetables with eggs to cooked chicken

After chicken is cooked and diced, chop FRESH carrots and celery. Add frozen peas and two or three eggs. Allow veggies to heat and scramble eggs. I added green onions fresh from my garden. Salt and stir ingredients. It's important to cook this in the leftover peanut oil and chicken juice.

mix fried rice ingredients together

Mix in cooked rice, and add Soy Sauce.

enjoy delicious homemade chicken fried rice, and cookies

Serve with your favorite side dishes! WOW! I love Chinese food so much, I bought a set of dishes, just for the occasion.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

Boneless chicken

Peanut oil

Garlic salt

Soy Sauce

Rice

Frozen peas

Fresh Carrots

Fresh Celery

Fresh Green Onions

Eggs

Instructions

1. Pan-fry the chicken in peanut oil with garlic salt.
2. Cook the white rice separately.
3. Dice the cooked chicken.
4. Sauté the carrots, celery, peas, and green onions.
5. Push vegetables aside and scramble the eggs.
6. Stir everything together with the rice.
7. Add soy sauce to taste.
8. Serve hot.

Tips for Great Fried Rice

• Day-old rice works best because it's drier and fries more evenly.
• Fresh vegetables stay crisp and add better texture than canned vegetables.
• Don't be afraid to clean out the refrigerator—fried rice is a great way to use leftover vegetables and cooked meats.
• Add soy sauce gradually so you don't overpower the other flavors.

** I prefer using fresh vegetables rather than canned, as the texture stays firm. Frozen peas are preferable than canned as well.

This is so good, try it!

NO Chopsticks? I'll SUEY!

Did I ever tell you about the time when Alan took me out to the Tokyo Steakhouse?

We decided to drain our bank account to eat at this fancy restaurant -- you know, the one where you share a table with a bunch of strangers, watch your chef chop, cook, and swing his knife --- tossing chunks of food across the table into your mouths?

I'm one of those people who's BIG on atmosphere. I've been known to walk out of a restaurant because they sat me near the bathrooms. I hate facing walls, and I want my restaurant to be clean and comfy. I'm a real down-to-earth person and atmosphere is JUST as important to me (if not more) than the food itself.

Interpretation: I'd rather have a bologna sandwich on the beach, than a steak in a shack!

Well, I was already feeling guilty for spending so much money. The entertainment was fun, the strangers beside me were warming up and the food was looking really good.

So picture me, running off and buying a set of Asian plates, bowls, teapots, and chopsticks, just so I could capture that atmosphere at home...

And then finding out at this restaurant ---- they didn't have CHOPSTICKS! They ran out of chopsticks, so they handed me a fork. I felt cheated. And broke.

Nope, they'll never live it down.