The other night I had made some absolutely fantastic teriyaki chicken and sauteed vegetables. I purposefully made extra and tonight made some fried rice. It was the best fried rice yet. I’ve made fried rice before with a variety of meats and vegetables, using everything from pork to chicken to beef. I suspect this batch’s excellence had to do with the leftover sauteed vegetables and the abundance of red pepper, which we all love. The girls said they could have done without the celery, but they still ate it up.
I used to cook the vegetables, then add the rice to them but I really think the taste and texture is better if you remove the vegetables, fry the rice, and then add the vegetables and meat back in.
Fried Rice with Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 Tbs oil, divided
- 1 onion, sliced in big pieces or chopped
- 1-2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1-2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- leftover cooked vegetables, whatever you have around
- 1/4 pound cooked or raw meat I used 3 leftover chicken thighs
- 3 cups or so cooked rice
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
- soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tbs of the oil and cook the onion over medium heat until softened and starting to brown, stirring frequently. Add the other raw vegetables and cook a few minutes, stirring. Add the raw meat and cook a few minutes and then add the cooked vegetables OR add the cooked meat and vegetables together and heat through.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan. Add the rest of the oil, then add the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. After it’s browned just a bit, add the beaten eggs and stir until cooked. Put the vegetables and meat back in the pan, add some soy sauce to taste and stir until everything’s hot through and through.
Notes
This is a fantastic way to use up leftovers that does not taste like leftovers!
[…] love. The frozen diced ham comes out later for quiche, casseroles, scrambled eggs, soups, lo mein, fried rice…the list is nearly […]