Recipe Wednesday - Chicken Fried Rice

I got busy this week, so my Recipe Wednesday has turned into Recipe Thursday.  But that's okay!

Any A Christmas Story fans out there?  Don't you love that they go eat Chinese food for Christmas dinner when the dogs eat the turkey?  Because, let's face it, turkey and all the fixings are good, but sometimes a good stir fry is even better.

This recipe for Chicken Fried Rice is amazing.  It really tastes as good as, or better than, restaurant versions.  The tricks are to use the right kind of rice, fresh veggies, and sriracha hot sauce to add a bit of a kick!  The recipe is from Southern Living, and will feed 6-8 people (depending on how hungry everyone is).  In our house, since my son won't eat it, we make 1/2 the recipe for two nights in a row.  It is not bad reheated, but tastes better if it is freshly made.

Chicken Fried Rice

3 TB vegetable oil, divided
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 c diced onion (1 small onion)
3/4 c diced red (or green) bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces (thin are best, but any fresh beans will do - the thicker ones just need to cook awhile longer)
2 c chopped cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken as a time saver)
4 c cooked basmati rice
1/3 c soy sauce
2-3 tsp chili sauce (sriracha hot sauce)
sliced green onions and/or sliced almonds (toasted if you want), optional

Chop up veggies.  As you can see from the picture, this time I added some sliced mushrooms because I had them in the fridge.  I love mushrooms, so they were a great addition.

Cook the rice per package instructions.

Heat 1 TB oil in skillet over medium-high heat for one minute; add eggs and cook, gently stirring, 1-2 mins or until softly scrambled.  Remove eggs and chop.  Put aside.

Heat 2 TB oil in skillet; add onion, bell pepper and green beans, and stir fry 3-4 minutes (longer if you don't have thin green beans), or until crisp-tender.  How do you know they're ready? The onions will be slightly translucent, the green peppers will be softening, and the green beans will still be crunchy, but will be hot all the way through and taste good.

Add chicken, and stir fry 2 mins. Add rice, soy sauce, and chili sauce; stir fry 3-4 mins or until thoroughly heated and mixed together. (At this point, if we're not quite ready to eat yet, I will turn the burner on its lowest setting, and just let the stir fry sit, stirring occasionally.)

If you want green onions, slice them (I use both the white and green parts).  If you want almonds, either open the package and pour them into a small serving bowl, or get out a little skillet and toast them.  I am certain they taste better toasted, but it tastes great even without the toasting.  Or you can add neither of these things, and it will still be great!

Right before you're ready to serve, stir in egg.  Put on plates, or in a large bowl if you're serving it family style.  Add toppings on plates, or put toppings out for everyone to choose from.  We also put the soy sauce and sriracha hot sauce on the table, and add a bit of both to make the dish more tangy!

Here's what it looks like on your plate - yummy!