Hard to believe but summer is already winding down to a close, with lots of kids heading back to school next week. To ease you back into the daily grind, I’m sharing one of my easiest and fastest meals, Thai Chicken Fried Rice. It makes excellent use of leftovers; so excellent in fact that you’ll find yourself making extra batches of both rice and chicken so they will be on hand for this speedy family favorite. What makes this dish Thai? I use Jasmine rice, season it with a pop of funky fish sauce, and as a finishing touch I serve it with prik nam pla, the fiery hot sauce I shared last week. Some chopped cilantro, a couple slices of crunchy cooling cucumber, and a squeeze of fresh lime… it’s a feast of flavors in a simple little meal that you can make faster than you can say homework battles and soccer practice.

Leftovers Make Thai Chicken Fried Rice Magic!

One of the things I most love about this recipe is that it uses leftover, chilled rice (read about how chilled rice makes the best fried rice here) and also leftover chicken. You have some roast chicken from Sunday’s dinner in the fridge? Perfect! You can even use a store bought rotisserie chicken. Really any kind of leftover chicken will work. If your chicken was made with spices/herbs, you can give it a quick rinse and no one will be the wiser! Using up these leftovers isn’t just economical, it means your Thai Chicken Fried Rice is ready in less than 15 minutes. I start by prepping the garlic and scallions. Like all quick stir fried dishes, it is best to have all your ingredients measured and prepped before beginning.

I can’t say enough good things about cold rice in the fridge. It’s the Asian equivalent of sliced bread in the cabinet: a true staple and workhorse that’s always ready when hunger strikes. Not only can you count on it as a side for quick weeknight meals and fried rices, but it’s perfect for mid-day snacks with a little furikake or topped with a fried egg (insert link here). Since it stays fresh for several days, it’s handy to always have some.

One quick tip about using cold rice: it’s clumpy and in order to heat it evenly and thoroughly, you need to help it along. So use clean wet hands and use your fingers to gently crumble it until all of the lumps are broken up.

Have all of your ingredients right by the stove because you are adding oil and garlic in a smoking hot pan and garlic goes from golden brown to burnt in seconds. Keep a close eye because you will be be tossing in the chicken and in just a few seconds.

Once you add the chicken and rice, you want to use a pressing motion to sear the rice along the sides of the pan before scraping it off and mixing it back in. Searing the rice gives it that authentic flavor that is the hallmark of good restaurant fried rice. Cold rice tends to stick to the pan, but as it heats up, it will be easier to work with so just keep pressing, searing, and scraping.

Once the flavorings are added, give it another minute to fully absorb the fish sauce and then you’re done.

I like to serve my Thai Chicken Fried Rice garnished with some lime, cilantro and sliced cucumber and pass around the prik nam pla so everyone can make theirs as spicy as their heart desires.

Thai Chicken Fried Rice is the perfect meal for a busy school/work night, and I hope everyone at your table loves it! Leave a comment and let me know what you think, and of course tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

If you love Thai food as much we do try some of our other popular recipes like this Green Curry Tofu or Tamarind Shrimp.

Thai Chicken Fried Rice

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: serves 2

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Ingredients

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• 3 Tablespoons neutral oil
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 6 ounces cooked chicken (about 1 ½ cups roasted, grilled, or even poached is fine)
• 3 cups cold cooked rice (preferably Jasmine or a medium grain)
• 2 scallions 
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• Ground black pepper

Garnishes:

• 1 persian cucumber trimmed and sliced
• 1 handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 lime wedges
• *Thai Fish Sauce With Hot Chiles 

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Instructions

1. Trim and mince the scallions, then set aside. 
2. Separate the rice with wet hands or a fork so that you don’t have any large clumps and set aside.
3. Heat a wok or wok pan over high heat for several minutes until very hot and smoking. 
4. Add the oil and the garlic. Swirl the garlic in the oil for a couple of seconds until lightly golden. 
5. Add the chicken and stir fry for a minute, mixing it well.
6. Add the rice and keep stir frying for a couple of minutes, pressing the rice into the sides of the pan to sear it and then scraping it off and mixing it back in. It may stick to the sides of the pan at first but it will become less sticky as it cooks. 
7. Turn off the heat and add the scallions, fish sauce, and ground black pepper to taste. Turn the heat back on and continue cooking for another minute. 
8. Transfer Thai Chicken Fried Rice to a platter or individual plates. Garnish with the cucumbers, cilantro, and lime wedges.
9. Serve with the chile fish sauce on the side for additional seasoning.

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Keywords: thai, fried rice, chicken, khao phat gai, fast, spicy,

As a restaurant family, we frequently eat quite late at night. And there’s nothing more comforting after a looong day than a big bowl of Kimchi Rice. Carbs, delicious carbs! It’s also super quick to pull together, especially if you have leftover rice in the fridge. Just a few ingredients create unbelievable layers of flavor, and topped with a perfectly fried egg, it is heaven. My husband and I usually make this together-one of us making the rice while the other fries the eggs. That way we have our yummy comforting meal even faster.

Kimchi

Korean staple. Condiment. Spicy, funky side dish. Probiotic superstar, kimchi is all that and more. And it is easy to make, even for beginning fermenters. If you’ve made my Real Deal Kimchi, it will be amazing in this dish. But there are plenty of commercially produced kimchis that are good. Even my neighborhood grocery store now carries several brands. Of course, a Korean grocer would have even more, and likely make their own. While kimchi can be made from everything from radishes to carrots, I use a more traditional Napa cabbage for Kimchi Rice. The tender leaves soak up so much flavor and also add a nice contrasting texture.

If you are familiar with kimchi, you may know that it has several different “stages”. You can eat kimchi fresh, right after you mix in the seasonings, and it’s like a spicy salad where the vegetables are crunchy and the flavors bright. After a couple of days, it begins to ferment and the vegetables start to soften a little. Over time, the kimchi continues to ferment, getting more pungent and sour.

Kimchi almost never goes bad if stored properly, and there are so many uses for ripe kimchee: soups, stews, pancakes, etc. But this is one of the easiest! All of that flavor goes right into the dish giving it zing and oomph. So when you feel like that kimchi sitting in your fridge may be too pungent as a condiment, save it for this rice to make a quick meal or snack.

Leftover Rice

Cold, leftover rice makes the best fried rice. That’s because chilled rice will separate when it is cooked, making those distinct chewy grains. Warm, just cooked rice, on the other hand, will tend to be a bit mushy. Whenever I make a pot of rice, I make double so that I can whip up a fried rice dish quickly. Cook once, eat twice! Kimchi Rice is eaten in households all over Korea to use up both leftover rice and kimchi.

Let’s Go!

You won’t believe how quickly this comes together. A handful of ingredients stir fried for a few minutes, another couple minutes to fry eggs, and you’re done!

Now it’s time for the eggs. I go into more detail about how to make perfectly fried eggs here. You definitely want to have your yolk game levelled up here, because it makes a luscious sauce when you mix it in to the kimchi rice.

When your eggs are done, slide them on top of a bowl of the Kimchi Rice, and dig in! This super fast and soul satisfying meal is on constant repeat in my house; I hope it becomes a favorite in yours too. If you try it, let us know. Rate the recipe, leave a comment, and tag us in your your glorious yolk porn photos @funkyasiankitchen.

Kimchi Rice

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: rice
• Cuisine: Korean

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Description

Kimchi Rice is life!

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Ingredients

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• 1 ½ tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 cup napa cabbage kimchi roughly chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon gochujang 
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 3 cups cooked rice, preferably cold leftovers 
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste

To Serve:

• 1 Tablespoon neutral oil
• 2 eggs 

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Instructions

1. Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add the oil, garlic, and kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute. 
2. Add the rice, gochujang paste, oyster sauce, and half of the scallions. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the rice, tossing and stirring the mixture. 
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the rice is hot. Add the remaining scallions, sesame seeds, and the sesame oil. Then stir the rice to incorporate. Taste the rice and season with salt and pepper if needed. Set aside while you fry the eggs.
4. Heat a small pan over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Pour 1 tablespoon neutral oil into the pan and swirl to coat.
5. Gently pour the eggs into the pan and cook for 1 and 30 seconds. Cover with a lid and continue to cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the whites are just set but the yolks are still soft and liquid.
6. Top rice with fried eggs and serve immediately. 

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