Thai-Style Chicken Fried Rice
We completely make up this thai-style dinner. We have leftover basmati rice, thai basil growing in our garden we have wanted to use, and some chicken and veggies in the fridge. The result, a tasty dish that takes some prep but is a quick cook. Originally served as part of: Thai-Style Chicken Fried Rice.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless cutlets chicken
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (divided, 2 peeled and crushed)
- black pepper
- fish sauce
- 1 medium shallot
- 1/2 large green bell pepper
- 1 medium thin red chile pepper
- 6 medium scallions (rinsed)
- 2 tablespoons grocery-store fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1/2 cup frozen, roasted and unsalted peanuts (Trader Joe's)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (minced)
- 2½ cups cooked, cold, basmati rice
- 2 cups fresh mung bean sprouts (picked over and rinsed)
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
- 2 tablespoons thai basil (washed and dried)
Instructions
We start by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees. Then we quickly marinate the chicken. In a resealable plastic bag, we combine the lime juice, olive oil, the crushed garlic cloves, freshly ground black pepper and a splash of fish sauce. We add the chicken cutlets and let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. We then wash our hands well and begin prepping the ingredients. We mince the rest of our garlic, our shallot and green pepper, yielding 1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons and 3/4 cup respectively. We also slice our chile pepper and scallions and put them in separate prep bowls. We mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl for the sauce. Then we put the frozen peanuts on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 3 minutes. When done, we remove to cool. We also have the bean sprouts and ginger in separate bowls.
We turn on our gas grill and when the chicken has marinated for 15-30 minutes, we pat them dry and place on a hot, oiled, grill. We wash our hands well again, and grill the chicken for a few minutes a side. We want the chicken to be just cooked through.
Meanwhile, we heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. We add the shallots, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for a minute. Then we add the green pepper and stir for another minute. We add the rice, breaking up the lumps, and stir for a minute. We add the sauce, scallions, and sprouts and stir for another couple of minutes. We turn off the heat, add a squeeze of lime and the thai basil and swerve sprinkled with the peanuts and chile pepper.
We slice the chicken and serve it on top of the stir-fried rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
- black pepper
- fish sauce (a splash)
- ¾ lb boneless skinless chicken cutlets
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 medium shallot
- ½ large green bell pepper
- 1 medium thin red chile
- 6 medium scallions
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1½ tbsp dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ½ cup frozen roasted unsalted peanuts (Trader Joe's)
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
- 2½ cups cold cooked basmati rice
- 2 cups fresh mung bean sprouts (picked over and rinsed)
- 1 lime (in wedges)
- 2 tbsp Thai basil
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Grown-up
Heat the oven to 350°F. Mix the lime juice, oil, crushed garlic, pepper and fish sauce in a resealable bag, add the chicken, and marinate 15 minutes. Wash your hands.
Grown-up
Mince the garlic (1 tablespoon), shallot (2 tablespoons) and pepper (¾ cup). Slice the chile and scallions into separate bowls.
Kid job
Mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar for the sauce.
Grown-up
Toast the peanuts on a foil-lined sheet 3 minutes and let cool.
Grown-up
Heat and oil the grill. Pat the chicken dry and grill a few minutes a side, until just cooked through. Wash your hands.
Grown-up
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir-fry the shallot, garlic and ginger 1 minute, the green pepper 1 minute, then the rice, breaking up lumps, 1 minute. Add the sauce, scallions and sprouts and stir a couple of minutes.
Turn off the heat and add a squeeze of lime and the Thai basil. Serve topped with the peanuts, chile and sliced chicken.