Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice



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I love suppers that I can just throw together during the week, that are fairly inexpensive, quick to make, use store cupboard ingredients and that are just as tasty as can be.  Recipes like this deliciously quick Chicken Fried Rice I am showing you here today.

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Not only does it go together lickety split, but it uses things I normally have in my cupboards and freezer.   For instance it uses one of the steam pouches from those packages of frozen steam vegetables you can get.  Just the perfect size for this.

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I also always have individual frozen chicken breasts in my freezer as well.  I just buy packages of them and freeze them separated on a baking tray.  Then I wrap them well and keep them frozen in a zip lock baggie. That way I can take out just what I want, when I want . . . and they thaw out quickly as well, as they aren't stuck together in a huge mass.  Handy hint there people!

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I always have pineapple chunks in the cupboard.  They are often on special and when they are I usually buy several tins to have on hand.  We like to eat them just as they are and I like to use them in stir fries, etc.

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They also often have those pouches of cooked rice on for £1 and when they do I buy lots.  It comes in ever so handy for all sorts . . . soups, casseroles, etc.  It's false economy to have to heat up the stove to just cook a little bit of rice.

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 I added some liquid honey and soy, other things I always have, and some Chinese Five Spice powder, another store cupboard ingredient.  A few minutes work and presto chango, we have dinner on the table and it's delicious!

I love it when that happens, don't you?

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*Quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice*
Serves 2 adults

Nothing could be quicker or easier.  This is really tasty too.  The perfect "drop of the hat" store cupboard mid-week supper!  If you have leftover cooked roast chicken, you can use it instead of the chicken breasts called for.
1 single serving pouch of frozen microwaveable steamed vegetable mix, partially cooked and then well drained
(I use the one with carrots, peas and green beans)
1 small red onion, peeled and slivered
1 (2-serving size) pouch of cooked Basamati Rice
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin slices, crosswise
2 TBS dark soy sauce
2 TBS runny honey
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 TBS sunflower oil
1 small tin of pineapple chunks, drained well (about 1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg, beaten  

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Place the sliced chicken into a bowl.  Add the honey, soy sauce, five spice powder and some salt and pepper.  Give it all a good stir and set aside. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the onion.   Cook and stir for several minutes.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for several minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Toss in the drained veggies.  Cook for a few minutes, stirring until they are done.  Stir in the rice and heat through.  Add the beaten egg, and cook, stirring to distribute the egg throughout until the egg is cooked.   Stir in the pineapple and heat through.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary and then serve immediately.

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NOTE:  This is also very easily multiplied to serve more people than just two.  I do hope you'll give it a try!  You can also add some garlic if you wish.

9 comments

  1. I do the same Marie,I get a large packet of chicken breasts and freeze individual portions, ( a lot easier) I find it saves wasting anything as well!

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  2. What a perfect meal for a busy school night:)
    Mary x

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  3. This sounds both
    healthy and comforting,
    Marie! I must make
    sure I have all these
    goodies on hand so I
    can whip this up. My
    son loves Chinese and
    this would be a treat.
    Thank you!

    xo Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  4. We love fried rice! My husband makes it on his griddle and bangs the utensils around and pretends to be a hibachi chef!

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  5. I can picture that Ramona! Sounds positively charming!

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  6. Looks really tasty, I love egg fried rice from the take away. Will definitely have to give this a try!

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  7. I have to disagree here with your method, with respect of course! If you add egg to rice you will get a horrible gelatinous mess on the rice. The best way to do this is to loosely beat some eggs, add them to around 4 tbsp of hot oil, and fry them. Once they're fried, add your rice, which if you cooked it yourself needs to have drained for at least 1 hour, longer the better. Stir this all around and add some soy sauce, peas and separately fried marinaded chicken. Stir this all through and you get takeaway standard fried rice.

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    Replies
    1. I make a little hollow in the rice Peter, and scramble it in that and then as it cooks, stir it throughout the rice. I have never experienced the horrible gelatinous mess you are talking about Peter? I never add more than one egg either, as I think more than one egg is too much egg. But I guess to each their own! I also use either leftover cooked rice, which is cold from the refrigertor or the packets of already cooked rice you can buy nowadays. Aren't we spoiled!

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