Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice
Written by Megan
5.0 out of 5 with 1 reviews
Prep Time: 10 Mins
Cook Time: 18 Mins
Total Time: 28 Mins
Serves 6
My thought in making this dish was to combine two of my favorite Chinese-style dishes... fried rice and orange chicken... and make it into a healthy, one skillet meal. Who doesn't want to cut down on dirty dishes? And who doesn't want to simplify at dinner time once in a while?
The key to speed with this meal is to make the rice ahead of time.
I've marked this as a 20 minute meal because I keep fully-cooked brown rice in plastic bags in my freezer. This enables me to pull out brown rice anytime I need it and have it steaming within 5 minutes (rather than the 40 minutes it usually takes to cook). I HIGHLY recommend taking this approach to brown rice because it makes not only this meal a 20 minute meal, but also many others.
For more information about brown rice meal prep and reheating frozen rice, I HIGHLY recommend checking out the blog post Brown Rice Meal Prep: How to Make This Long Grain Fit into a Short Time Frame!.
To prep this meal, you'll want to start by chopping the onion, bell pepper, and broccoli. You do have the option of using frozen veggies instead (which will speed up the process), BUT the flavors and textures tend to be better with fresh veggies.
You'll also need to grate the carrots... a dangerous task in my experience haha. I don't really have any good tips on how to get this done best. Just be careful not to grate your fingers too! In my opinion, grated carrots do work better in this dish (rather than chopped carrots) because the grated carrots cook so much faster.
I recommend cooking the chicken first. Once you've seasoned both sides of the chicken breast with a little bit of salt and pepper, you're good to just plop that chicken right onto a skillet with hot olive oil. In this picture, I've sliced the chicken breast in thirds so it will cook faster.
Cook the chicken, flipping it occasionally, so that both sides get a good sear. Take the chicken off the heat when it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You can let it rest on a plate or cutting board while you make the rest of the meal.
I like to quickly rinse off my pan, just to make sure I've gotten off the chicken residue before starting on the rest of the dish. Crack three eggs into a small bowl and whisk with milk, salt, and pepper until the mixture is well combined. Whisking it allows you to incorporate some air into the eggs.
Cook the eggs in your skillet on medium heat. Stir frequently to ensure the eggs get cooked evenly. Make sure the eggs whites are solid before removing from the heat. Put the eggs onto a small plate or bowl and once more rinse out the skillet.
Add a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil into the skillet (depending on the desired fat content and / or flavor you're wanting). I like to make this with olive oil, and Wade likes to make it with butter :) If you want a little extra flavor, add in a few teaspoons of sesame oil as well! Once the fat is heated up, add in the onions, broccoli, peppers, and carrots.
Sauté the vegetables over medium heat, stirring occasionally. I like to add in a little bit of water and the seasonings, and then cover the pan so the vegetables can steam.
Once the vegetables are cooked to the desired softness, add in the cooked brown rice and the soy sauce.
Lastly, chop the chicken into small strips and add it back into the pan with the fried rice. Add in the eggs and mix well. This is really yummy eaten with some orange chicken sauce on the side to dip your chicken in!
Whether you're looking for a chicken fried rice recipe, a high-veggie-content recipe for fried rice, healthy dinner ideas, or simply how to make fried rice, this recipe is sure to be one you'll find yourself coming back to time and time again!
Ingredients:
Chicken
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 Dash Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil
Scrambled Eggs
- 3 Egg
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Cup Milk 1%
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil
Fried Rice
- 1 Cup Broccoli
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
- 3/4 Cup Grated Carrots
- 3/4 Cup Frozen Peas
- 11/2 Cup COOKED Brown Rice
- 1 Tbs Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Onion, Diced
Directions:
Chicken
- SLICE & SEASON CHICKEN
Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise and season both sides with salt and pepper. - HEAT OIL & COOK CHICKEN
Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in chicken breast and let cook. Cook until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. - REMOVE FROM HEAT & LET REST
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chicken to rest. Put the chicken breast on a plate and wash out the pan you cooked it in. - CHOP CHICKEN
Once the chicken has rested for 3-5 minutes, chop it into bite sized pieces.
Scrambled Eggs
- WHISK EGGS
Crack each egg into a small bowl and discard the shells. Whisk the eggs with milk and salt for 30 seconds. - SCRAMBLE EGGS
Pour the whisked egg mixture into a heated skillet with 1 tsp of oil. Allow the eggs to cook, stirring occasionally. Once the eggs are done cooking, remove them from the pan and put them on a small plate. Set aside for later and wash the skillet once more.
Fried Rice
- CHOP BROCCOLI
Chop 1 cup of broccoli into bite sized pieces (this is usually about one head of broccoli). - GRATE CARROTS
Grate ~2 small carrots, or until you get 3/4 cup of grated carrots. - DICE PEPPER
Chop half of a bell pepper. - CHOP ONION
Chop 1/2 of a medium onion, UNLESS you're using my recipe for "Oniony Instant Pot Brown Rice." That recipe has plenty of onion flavor in it, so you can just skip this step! - SAUTE VEGGIES
Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and 2 tsp of toasted sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, bell pepper, broccoli, and carrots. You may also want to add a tablespoon or two of water if the vegetables are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Sauté the veggies for 5-10 minutes, or until they have reached your desired level of softness. Add the peas and cook for another 1-2 minutes. - ADD RICE & SEASON
Add in 1 1/2 cups of COOKED brown rice. You may also use white rice, but I prefer the health benefits and taste of brown rice. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of soy sauce over the top of the rice and stir well. - ADD CHICKEN & EGGS
Stir the chopped chicken and scrambled eggs into the rice mixture. Your chicken & veggie fried rice is now ready to serve! You may want to add more soy sauce depending on desired level of saltiness. - SERVE
Enjoy this delicious dinner either on its own or with some orange chicken sauce to dip your chicken in! I LOVE that this dish includes vegetables, whole grains, AND protein! It's everything I want in a dinner! Just add a little fruit as a side dish and you're all set!
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Cup
Serving Per Container 6
| Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 208 | ||
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 8g | 10% | |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 10% | |
| Trans Fat 0g | ||
| Cholesterol 114mg | 38% | |
| Sodium 369mg | 16% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 20g | 7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 10% | |
| Sugars 4g | 8% | |
| Protein 14g | 28% | |
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