The sticky chicken is the star of this quick mid week meal which can be largely made ahead. Add whatever vegetables you want to the fried rice. The vegetables I used were the ones I happened to have. Note: The recipe says to cook 1 cup of rice which yields 3 cups of cooked rice. But you will only need 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice. The reason I have done it this way is because I find it is quite difficult to cook less than 1 cup of uncooked rice. The rice tends to be undercooked if you cook a small amount because too much steam escapes, and by the time the rice at the top is cooked the bottom is burnt.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Meals, Stir Fry
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 2
Calories: 421cal
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade (Make Ahead)
250g (8oz)chicken thigh fillets, sliced into 1cm/1/3" slices
2tbspsoy sauce
2tbsptomato sauce
1tbsprice vinegar
1 1/2tbsphoney(or substitute with 1 tbsp brown sugar)
1/2tspfresh ginger, minced or finely chopped
1clovegarlic, minced
1tbspsriracha(or other hot sauce) (optional)
Rice (Make Ahead) (see notes)
1cuplong grain rice, uncooked (see notes)
1 1/2cupswater
Fried Rice
1 1/2cupscooked rice(see notes)
1/2brown or white onion, diced
1garlic clove, peeled and smashed (see notes)
1carrot, diced
1/2cupfrozen peas, thawed
1/2cupbaby corn, cut into 1cm/1/3" slices (or canned or frozen corn) (see notes)
1tspchicken stock powder or crumbled bouillon cube, or 1/2 tsp salt
Garnish
1shallot/scallion, finely sliced
1tspsesame seeds(optional)
Instructions
Make Ahead Preparation
Combine Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix to coat. Either set aside for 20 minutes or put it in a ziplock bag and place in the freezer until required.
Place rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, then turn down heat to low and simmer until all the water is absorbed (8 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove lid and allow to cool. Divide into two freezer bags - about 1 1/2 cups per bag. You will only use one bag for the meal. Then place in ziplock bag or container and put it in the freezer.
If you want to go the extra step, you could also cut and measure out the carrots, peas and corn and put them in a freezer bag too. I tend not to bother because this does not take long to do and also, you need to cut the onion fresh anyway.
To Cook
Remove chicken and rice from the freezer and allow to defrost.
Cut the stems off the leaves of the bok choy. Cut the stems vertically into 1cm/1/3" thick sticks.
Heat wok or fry pan over high heat. Add sesame seeds and toast for 15 seconds, then remove.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok, add garlic and stir fry for 20 seconds to flavour the oil. Remove garlic and discard.
Add onion and stir fry for 30 seconds.
Add carrot, peas and corn and stir fry for another 30 seconds.
Add the bok choy stems, cook for 30 seconds.
Add the rice, cooking wine, soy sauce and stock powder and stir fry for another 30 seconds.
Remove wok from heat, then add the bok choy leaves and stir quickly to mix them into the rice. Remove fried rice from wok into large bowl.
Add 1/2 tbsp oil to wok and return to stove, still on high heat.
Chicken
Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade) and place in the wok and stir fry for 1 1/2 minutes until nicely browned but not quite cooked through. Then add the remaining marinade into the wok with 2 tbsp water and allow to cook for 30 seconds until it becomes thick and syrupy. Remove from heat.
Place fried rice into bowls and top with the sticky chicken. Scatter with shallots/scallions and sesame seeds.
Notes
1. The best rice to use for fried rice is long grain rice because it is less sticky than short grain rice. If you don't have long grain rice, suitable substitutes (in order of preference) are: brown rice, medium grain rice, jasmine and basmati. Short grain rice is a last resort - it is too sticky to make good fried rice. Risotto rice is not suitable for this recipe.2. You only need 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice for this recipe. 1 cup of uncooked rice grains makes about 3 cups of cooked rice. It is difficult to cook less than 1 cup of uncooked rice. So the recipe directions are to cook 1 cup of uncooked rice, but then to divide it into 2 bags and only use half for this recipe. Save the other half for the next time you make this!3. Peel and smash the garlic clove using the side of the knife. You want the garlic to remain in one piece but to burst open to allow the flavours to infuse into the oil.4. If you need to microwave the rice to defrost it, make sure you remove the cover otherwise it will steam and become mushy which is not suitable for making fried rice.5. Baby corn spears can be found in the canned vegetables and Asian aisles in supermarkets and are no more expensive than other canned vegetables. You can substitute with canned or frozen corn kernels if you wish.6. Nutrition per serving.