Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
Did you know that the date of Chinese New Year depends on the moon, but will always fall between January 21st and February 20th! Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, and is an important celebration that lasts two weeks, and often more. This coming year, Chinese New Year falls on Friday February 12th 2021, and it’s the year of the Ox.
I’ve been to China twice so far. The first time was with a friend for three days in Beijing, the second with my husband for three weeks. We travelled into China from Hong Kong and explored Shanghai, Pingyao, Xi’an and Beijing. It’s an absolutely amazing country from its ancient history to its mystical landscape. And I look forward to one day experiencing it again and discovering even more of its culture and beauty. In the meantime do check back on our travel section where I’ll be sharing some of my China travel experiences.
8 Steps to a Delicious Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
Cooking up a ‘Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe’ is not difficult when you enjoy cooking, but it can be tricky to get the taste just right – especially when you’ve tasted the real thing and your taste buds know how to compare it. I took inspiration from a number of online sources (Taste Asian Food | Omnivore’s Cookbook | All Recipes), I read about different techniques, and experimented a little.
So ultimately I made this Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe my own. Could it be improved? No doubt it could. Will I keep experimenting? Of course. But in the meantime I hope this Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe gives you a great base to begin from if you are only beginning to experiment with Chinese flavours. I know it has for me.
Please read the full method before you begin. Instructions on how to dice or slice the ingredients is included in the ‘ingredients sections’. You will only need one wok or deep pan. Remember if using a pan it needs to be large enough to hold all the ingredients.
Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients:
For the Rice:
- 800g rice – cooked / made from 2 cups of dried rice
- 4 – 5 Scallions – sliced
- 150g – 180g mixed vegetables (peas, corn, carrots) – blanched
- 2 Garlic Cloves – diced
- 2-3 eggs – scrambled
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- Salt & Pepper for seasoning
For the Chicken & Marinade:
- 2 chicken breasts or 3-4 thighs – approx 230g – cubed
- Two tbsp Sesame Oil
- Two tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- Two tbsp Honey
- 2cm Fresh Ginger – grated
- Two Garlic Cloves – grated
For the Rice Sauce:
- Two tbsp Light Soy Sauce (or Dark Soy Sauce)
- Two tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1/2 tsp white sugar
- Salt & Pepper to season
Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe Method:
- Cook the Rice. For the best results cook the rice the night before, cool and refrigerate. I use two cups of rice and four cups of water, and cook using the absorption method. Two cups of dried rice produced 800g of cool cooked rice. Medium to long grain rice is the best type to use. Always rinse the rice in cold water before cooking it. Remember if you are using a day old rice, make sure there are no lumps before frying. To ensure this, break the rice up using your hands, breaking any balls of rice in the process.
- Marinate the Chicken. Cut the chicken breasts or thighs into small cubes and marinate. To make the marinade simply add all the marinade ingredients (sesame oil, light soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic) to a bowl or plastic container and mix. Add the chicken and thoroughly coat it. Leave to stand in the fridge for 2-3 hours or if you haven’t time, at least 20 minutes.
- Prepare the Vegetables. You can use whatever vegetables you like from purple cabbage to broccoli. However I usually keep with the most authentic, carrots, corn and peas. You can use frozen mixed vegetables. I use a mixture of fresh and frozen. I also prefer to steam these vegetables for a few minutes and set aside in a bowl because it means there is less cooking time needed in the wok or pan. And less water to come from them if frozen. Now is also the time to slice the scallions and dice the garlic
- Make the Rice Sauce and Prepare the Eggs. Like the marinade, this sauce is simply made. In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, white sugar and seasoning. Then mix. To prepare the eggs, simply crack the eggs into a bowl or cup and beat with a fork or chopsticks.
- Cook the Scrambled Eggs. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to your wok or deep frying pan. Fry the scrambled eggs on a medium heat, constantly mixing them so they don’t stick or burn. Remove when just cooked and place in a bowl or on a plate to be added back to the wok later. (Of course the eggs can be cooked at a later step – alongside the rice in the wok – by pushing the rice to the side and making room for them, but I prefer cooking them this way, for the moment!)
- Cook the Marinated Chicken. After you’ve set the scrambled eggs aside, and on a medium heat add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to the same wok and cook the marinated chicken. Cook the pieces through, and remove to a plate – try and keep the chicken warm if you can.
- Cook the Vegetables & Rice. Again in the same wok or pan, add two tablespoons of sesame oil and fry the scallions for about 30 seconds. Add the rice and turn up the heat to medium-hot. Mix through, allowing the rice to settle and toast but also keeping it stirred and mixed. Do this for about five minutes.
- Add the Sauce, Eggs & Chicken. Add the sauce and mix thoroughly. Toast the rice again. After a few minutes, push the rice to the side and add the cooked scrambled egg, briefly heat then mix through. Do the same with the cooked marinated chicken – push the rice to the side and heat, then mix through. Give your Chinese Chicken Fried Rice dish another five minutes or so, mixing as you go. Serve and enjoy!
PIN: A Delicious Chinese Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
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