Fried Rice

Whether it is the main part of my meal or on the side, I always order chicken fried rice when I get Chinese food. How could I not? It is so delicious! My husband and I have been trying to find a good chicken fried rice recipe for about a year now and we have finally found a good one! By combining a ideas from a few different recipes we have manages to create a recipe that tastes just like take out!

To make 3 to 4 servings of chicken fried rice you will need:

• 1 cup RICE, uncooked
• Optional: 12-16 oz. of CHICKEN BREAST or THIGHS, cubed (If you are vegetarian you could leave the chicken out altogether!)
• 2 Tbs CORNSTARCH
• 1/4 cup + 2 tsp SOY SAUCE
• 2 cups PEAS & CARROTS, frozen
• 1 medium ONION
• 1 EGG
• 1 Tbs SESAME OIL
• 1 tsp OYSTER SAUCE

The first thing to do is cook the rice. It is important to do this ahead of time so the rice is cold when you get ready to prepare the dish. Boil the rice in a large pot of water for 10 minutes. When the rice is tender, use a strainer to drain the water out of the rice and then refrigerate it for a few hours or until the rice is cold (you could do this the night before if that is more convenient). 

When you are ready to make the fried rice, mix the cubed chicken with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, and a splash of water. Let this mixture sit and marinate for 10 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, chop the onion and measure out the peas and carrots. (I like to have plenty of veggies in my fried rice!) Set aside.

Once the chicken is done marinating, cook the chicken in a large skillet. Then, transfer the chicken to a bowl or plate and set aside.

Add a tablespoon of sesame oil into the now empty skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil gets hot, add the cold rice, the onion, the carrots, and the peas. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the rice from burning.

After the 10 minutes,  push the rice and vegetables to one side of the skillet. Then scramble the egg in the open side of the pan. When the egg is cooked, mix it into the rice.

Add the chicken back into the skillet and stir it into the rice mixture.

Lastly, stir in 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 tsp of oyster sauce. Then eat up! 

Doesn't it look good?!

Yum!

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Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup RICE, uncooked
• 12-16 oz. of CHICKEN BREAST, cubed
• 2 Tbs CORNSTARCH
• 1/4 cup + 2 tsp SOY SAUCE
• 2 cups PEAS & CARROTS, frozen
• 1 medium ONION
• 1 EGG
• 1 Tbs SESAME OIL
• 1 tsp OYSTER SAUCE

Directions:

1. The first thing to do is cook the rice. It is important to do this ahead of time so the rice is cold when you get ready to prepare the dish. Boil the rice in a large pot of water for 10 minutes. When the rice is tender, use a strainer to drain the water out of the rice and then refrigerate it for a few hours or until the rice is cold (you could do this the night before if that is more convenient). 
2. When you are ready to make the fried rice, mix the cubed chicken with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, and a splash of water. Let this mixture sit and marinate for 10 minutes. 
3. While the chicken is marinating, chop the onion and measure out the peas and carrots. Set aside.
4. Once the chicken is done marinating, cook the chicken in a large skillet. Then, transfer the chicken to a bowl or plate and set aside.
5. Add a tablespoon of sesame oil into the now empty skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil gets hot, add the cold rice, the onion, the carrots, and the peas. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the rice from burning. 
6. After the 10 minutes,  push the rice and vegetables to one side of the skillet. Then scramble the egg in the open side of the pan. When the egg is cooked, mix it into the rice. 
7. Add the chicken back into the skillet and stir it into the rice mixture.
8. Lastly, stir in 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 tsp of oyster sauce. Then eat up! 

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I combined a few different recipes to make this one. The recipes that I took ideas from are the following:          http://rachelschultz.com/2012/07/14/better-than-takeout-chicken-fried-rice/

·         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFwFoqglKc

Chicken Puff Pie

I like chicken pot pie and I like puff pastry, so I decided to combine them into one dish, a chicken pie! This isn't going to be a super precise recipe, but more like a list of things that I put into my chicken pie. 

Here is a rough estimate of how much of the ingredients I used:

• 1 sheet PUFF PASTRY
• 1 large CHICKEN BREAST, shredded
• 1/2 medium ONION, diced
• 8 oz. WHOLE KERNAL CORN
• 8 oz. frozen PEAS & CARROTS mixture
• 1 small POTATO, diced
• 1/2 cup GRAVY

For 2 chicken pies, thaw one sheet of puff pastry and cut it into 4 equal sized squares. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl mix together the chicken, onion, corn, peas, carrots, and potatoes. Feel free to leave out ingredients, add ingredients, or use different proportions based on what you like. I then added some gravy to bind all of the ingredients together.

Then lay 2 of the puff pastry squares on a greased cookie sheet. Scoop somewhere between 1/3 & 1/2 cup of the filling onto each pastry and then lay the other 2 pastry squares on top. Roll and pinch the top and bottom layers together to keep all of the filling in and then bake them for 15-20 minutes! (You will probably have some filling left over to cook up for lunch or dinner tomorrow)

They should look something like this when they come out!

I have also made mini chicken pies in a muffin pan as seen in the picture below!

Yum!

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Chicken Puff Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet PUFF PASTRY
• 1 large CHICKEN BREAST, shredded
• 1/2 medium ONION, diced
• 8 oz. WHOLE KERNAL CORN
• 8 oz. frozen PEAS & CARROTS mixture
• 1 small POTATO, diced
• 1/2 cup GRAVY

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. For 2 chicken pies, thaw one sheet of puff pastry and cut it into 4 equal sized squares. 
3. In a bowl mix together the chicken, onion, corn, peas, carrots, and potatoes. Feel free to leave out ingredients, add ingredients, or use different proportions based on what you like. I then added some gravy to bind all of the ingredients together.
4. Lay 2 of the puff pastry squares on a greased cookie sheet. Scoop somewhere between 1/3 & 1/2 cup of the filling onto each pastry and then lay the other pastry squares on top. 
5. Roll and pinch the top and bottom layers together to keep all of the filling in and then bake them for 15-20 minutes! (You will probably have some filling left over to cook up for lunch or dinner tomorrow)

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