I’ve got this extreme craving for Chinese food right now.
I’m normally always craving Chinese, but even more so now. It probably doesn’t help watching Chinese food TikToks in my spare time.
We’re saving almost every last penny to pay for closing costs on our house, so we can’t eat out or order takeout right now. That means I have to get to work making my own Chinese food! It’s easy if you have the right ingredients. Here’s what I typically keep in my fridge/pantry:
- Soy sauce, duh.
- Sesame oil
- Oyster & fish sauce
- Sambal oelek or Sriracha
- Rice Vinegar
- Hoisin sauce
If you keep those ingredients on hand you can make just about any delicious Chinese dish. I use a combination of soy, sambal and oyster sauce when I make lo mein and it turns out exactly like what you get from a restaurant. I use rice vinegar for most of my Asian salads and in stir-fries. Hoisin sauce goes great out thinly sliced pork.
A good combination of soy, sesame oil, and rice vinegar makes for an extra-special fried rice dish. I usually do homemade fried rice (with uncooked rice) but I used a pouch of the Uncle Ben’s brown rice in a pinch. This fried rice turned out much better than expected—much easier to make, too—and it hit the spot.
My Chinese food craving subsided even if just for a fleeting moment.
This is a great recipe if you’re cooking for two. One pouch of rice, one pound of chicken and a bag of frozen edamame plus your pantry staples–that’s all you really need. The only thing I wish I had done to this is stir in a scrambled egg. That would’ve made the fried rice even better!
Enjoy!
Chicken & Edamame Fried Rice
A quick and easy fried rice dish with chicken and edamame.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- 1 TBS. Chinese five-spice
- 2 TBS. olive oil
- 1 TBS. sesame oil
- 1 bag frozen edamame (10-12 ounces), thawed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, plus more for topping
- 2 tsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 (8 oz) pouch microwavable brown rice
- Fresh mint, soy sauce and Sriracha, for serving
Directions
- Season chicken with Chinese five-spice and salt. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate. Once cooled, shred chicken.
- Heat sesame oil in same skillet. Stir in thawed edamame and rice. Add shredded chicken back to skillet. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in soy sauce, ginger, and rice vinegar. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Serve fried rice with fresh mint, soy sauce and Sriracha.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Season chicken with Chinese five-spice and salt. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate. Once cooled, shred chicken.
Heat sesame oil in same skillet. Stir in thawed edamame and rice. Add shredded chicken back to skillet. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in soy sauce, ginger, and rice vinegar. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Serve fried rice with fresh mint, soy sauce and Sriracha.
