Cold rice from yesterday is the only rule that matters
Three cups of cold rice, two beaten eggs, two cups of diced chicken, and a cup and a half of frozen peas and carrots. Warm rice steams into mush; chilled rice fries into separate grains.
Go easy on the soy sauce and send a full water bottle. Three tablespoons is enough for the pan, and salty food an hour before a hard practice means they are thirsty by the second drill.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 4. Plan on about 20 minutes.
- 3 cups cooked, cooled white rice (day-old works best)
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
How to Make It
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add the beaten eggs, and scramble for 1 minute, then move them to a plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan along with the garlic and frozen peas and carrots, and cook 3 minutes until hot.
- Add the cold rice and press it into the pan, letting it crisp for 2 minutes before stirring.
- Stir in the chicken, scrambled eggs, and soy sauce, and toss everything together for 2 minutes until heated through.
- Finish with the sesame oil and green onions and serve.
Timing Before Practice
Cold leftover rice fries up fast, so start about 25 minutes before you leave.
- T-minus 25: scramble the eggs and prep the vegetables
- T-minus 12: fry the rice and stir in the chicken
- T-minus 5: water bottles and shoes, no new cooking
Make It Ahead or Save Leftovers
This dish exists to use up leftovers, and it reheats well the next day.
- Cook the rice a day ahead so it is cold and dry for frying
- Use any leftover cooked chicken or pork in place of fresh
- Reheat leftovers in a hot skillet to bring back the crisp edges
- Serve with: steamed edamame, orange wedges
Parent Tip
Use cold, day-old rice; fresh warm rice turns mushy, while chilled rice fries up into separate, crisp grains.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Rice cooked the night before on purpose
Make a double batch Sunday and spread it on a sheet pan to cool fast in the fridge.
Leftover pork or shrimp in place of chicken
Anything already cooked works, since it only needs to warm through in the last two minutes.
The egg scrambled first and set aside
Cook the eggs, slide them onto a plate, and fold them back in at the end so they stay tender.
Sesame oil off the heat
A teaspoon stirred in after the pan comes off keeps the flavor instead of burning it away.
Leftovers back in a screaming hot skillet
Two minutes over high heat brings back the crisp edges the microwave will never give you.
Plan the next step
Master the leftover fried rice
Keep cold rice around on purpose so any odd bits of protein become a 20-minute dinner.