Chicken Fried Rice with Egg, Peas and Carrot
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Soy-and-ginger chicken thighs, soft-set egg, carrot and peas are tossed with crackling day-old rice in a hot wok. It is a 20-minute dinner and a good use for leftover rice.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Prepare the rice. If you have no day-old rice, cook the rice, spread it on a tray, let it cool, then chill it uncovered for at least 1 hour so the grains dry out. Break up any clumps with your fingers. Dry, cold grains fry and separate; warm, fresh rice turns sticky.
- 2
Season the chicken. Toss the chicken with 1 tbsp soy sauce and half the garlic and ginger in the large bowl. Beat the eggs with the salt in the small bowl. A short soak in soy seasons the chicken right through.
- 3
Scramble the eggs. Heat 1 tsp oil in the wok over medium-high heat, add the eggs and stir for 30-60 seconds until fully set with no liquid left. Tip them onto the plate. Cooking them first keeps them in tender pieces instead of coating the rice.
- 4
Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tbsp oil until shimmering, spread the chicken in one layer and leave it for 2 minutes to brown. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until cooked through (74 °C), then add it to the plate. Leaving it undisturbed at first gives it colour and flavour.
- 5
Soften the carrot. Add 1 tsp oil and the carrot to the pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes until just tender, then add it to the plate. Small dice cooks quickly and keeps a little bite.
- 6
Fry the aromatics. Add the remaining oil, the spring onion whites and the rest of the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Hot oil carries their flavour into every grain of rice.
- 7
Fry the rice. Add the rice, press it flat against the pan to break it up and leave it for 1-2 minutes until it crackles. Toss and repeat 3-4 times, about 6 minutes in all, until hot and lightly toasted, then add the peas and the remaining soy sauce and toss for 1 minute. Contact with the hot pan gives fried rice its toasty flavour.
- 8
Bring it together. Return the eggs, chicken and carrot and toss for 1-2 minutes until everything is steaming hot. Off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, white pepper and spring onion greens. Serve straight away while the rice is at its crispest.
Storage
Cool quickly, refrigerate within 1 hour and eat within 24 hours. Reheat only once, covered, until piping hot (74 °C). Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- large bowl
- small bowl
- 35 cm wok or 30 cm non-stick or cast-iron frying pan
- heatproof spatula
- large plate
- instant-read probe thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 567 kcal |
| Protein | 34.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 59.9 g |
| of which sugars | 3.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 20.2 g |
| of which saturates | 3.5 g |
| Fibre | 3.5 g |
| Salt | 2.13 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
