Chicken Fried Rice

Around our house, we love fried rice. We do all kinds of variations. The skys the limit here. We've done leftover pork tenderloin that was smoked, chicken, veggie, smoked sausage, and even Italian sausage fried rice.

So you see, it can be whatever you want it to have in it, not necessarily the exact ingredients as a cooking show or a recipe.

So the below is the ingredients I used. They include:

Two eggs

1/2 cup green and red pepper (combined)

1 cup bean sprouts

1/2 cup julienned carrots

2 green onions, tops reserved till the end

2 cups dried jasmine rice

2 cup cabbage (just standard green cabbage)

2 chicken breasts (marinated for at least an hour w/ 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, teaspoon cracked pepper)

Soy sauce (1/4 to 1/2 cup for fried rice)

Sesame oil, 2-3 teaspoons

Canola oil, 1/4 cup total

Fresh garlic, 1-2 teaspoons, for veggies

Fresh ginger, 1-2 teaspoons, for veggies

Optional: For heat, add some red pepper flake or some jalapeno.

Here's a little tip for garlic and ginger to get very fine. Use a micro plane to really get small and unnoticeable.

Here's the rundown of how I do fried rice. A wok is a great tool to have, but if you don't have one, a nice large heavy skillet will do. High heat is your friend here.

1 - Add a little butter and canola oil and fry your eggs first. Bust the yolk up and fry until done. Remove from wok/pan and set aside.

2 - Let the pan get hot again and add a little more canola oil and a few drops of sesame oil. The veggies are next to be cooked. I like to add a pat of butter too, just because, well, I like butter :) . Also add the ginger and garlic. This helps layer the Asian flavor. After they're tender, remove and set aside. Put the pan back on the heat for the chicken next.

3 - After the pan is nice and hot, add the chicken and leave alone for around 30 seconds. Let the pan recover from the heat loss before mixing. You don't want the pan to cool and start losing juices in the meat.

After the chicken is done, remove and set aside. Place the pan back on the heat.

4 - Little more canola oil and sesame oil (is this like a broken record here?). Let that heat up and add the rice. Let the rice sit for 30 seconds or so and then start mixing around. You want to get a little fry to the rice to firm it up some. A nicely seasoned pan shouldn't stick.

Tip: Cook the rice way ahead of time and allow to sit in the fridge. This drys the rice out making a better fried rice. I made this rice about 2 hours before. Poured on a sheet pan and placed in the refrigerator (uncovered) to dry out and worked out well.

5 - Add the veggies and chicken to the rice and mix well. After 1-2 minutes, pour in the soy sauce and incorporate well. If the rice still has a lot of white to it, add more soy sauce. I prefer low sodium soy sauce (green label).