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Home » Cuisine » Thai » Thai-Inspired Fried Rice with Chicken

Thai-Inspired Fried Rice with Chicken

February 15, 2013 by Faith 19 Comments

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A while ago Mike had an intern at work whose family owned a Thai restaurant; we’ll call him “Jay”. To this Jay, I would like to say thank you for expanding my husband’s culinary horizons in a way that only hunger and an opportune moment can do (aka, if you’re hungry enough, you’ll try anything).

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I’ve been a fan of Thai food for a very long time; Mike, on the other hand, not so much. He suffered through a few meals with me at my favorite Thai places…not suffering because the food was bad, but because he had it in his head that he “didn’t like Thai food”. Enter Jay, and a day when Mike forgot to grab his lunch out of the fridge in the morning before heading off to work.

Four hours and a hungry belly later, Jay offered to share his lunch (yup, some people still do that), which just happened to be Thai fried rice. Thank you, Jay. Now instead of Mike saying he “doesn’t like Thai food,” he says “I only like the fried rice”. But at least he and I can eat at a Thai place without me worrying he won’t enjoy a single bite of his meal.

I’m not claiming that this is fried rice is authentic, but for my Thai-inspired fried rice I like to use well-balanced sauce full of classic Thai flavors. I’ve been working on the perfect sauce for Thai fried rice for a while now, and I think the sauce I came up with is a fantastic balance of sweet, salty, sour, spicy-hot, and umami flavors. I use a teensy shortcut – a store-bought Thai red curry paste – but of course feel free to use homemade if you prefer. And speaking of preferences, feel free to swap out the veggies I used for any you have on hand.

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Print
Thai-Inspired Fried Rice with Chicken
Prep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  10 mins
Total time:  30 mins
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients
Fried Rice Sauce:
  • 4 tablespoons boiling water
  • 4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari sauce
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons homemade or store-bought Thai red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 4 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
  • 6 large cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
  • 1-2 small red bird’s eye chilies, halved and de-seeded (more or less to taste, or use your favorite hot sauce instead)
  • ½ teaspoon tamarind pulp (or 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar)
Fried Rice:
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 medium-large onion, diced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups (750 g) cooked Jasmine rice (see note below)
  • 3 cups (450 g) cooked chicken, cubed
Other:
  • Fresh minced scallion or chives, for serving (optional)
  • Fresh lime or lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients for the fried rice sauce in a blender or food processor and process until smooth; set aside for now.
  2. For the fried rice, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until the onion is softened but not yet starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice, chicken, and fried rice sauce; cook until warm throughout, about 2 minutes, gently tossing the rice constantly to coat it with sauce.
  3. Serve the rice with fresh minced scallion or chives sprinkled on top, along with fresh lime or lemon wedges to squeeze on top if desired.
Notes
Cooked Rice: It’s best if the rice is at least 1 day old; up to 5 days old should be fine.
3.5.3251

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I’m crazy about the sweet and tangy cucumber salad they serve at Thai restaurants, and I always make it at home when I serve my Thai-Inspired Fried Rice…here is my recipe for it!

Filed Under: Chicken, Gluten Free, Thai Tagged: Chicken, Perfect sauce for Thai fried rice, Quick Dinners, Recipes, Thai Fried Rice, Thai Red Curry Paste, Weeknight Meals

Comments

  1. Lori Lynn says

    February 23, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    Great sounding recipe. Fish sauce makes it Thai for me. When we were in Thailand, had fried rice for breakfast everyday.
    LL

    Reply
  2. Kim - Liv Life says

    February 20, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    Oh I had to laugh at your post!! My husband is the same way. He told me for about a year that he didn’t like quinoa. I ate it often and he would always politely say, “no thanks”. A few months ago he was on a layover and the restaurant had quinoa as a side to his salmon. It was on his plate and he ate it. He called me later to tell me that now he liked quiona, but hopefully I would be able to make it like the restaurant…!
    Loving your fried rice here. My daughter has recently discovered that she likes fried rice… So this will work nicely!

    Reply
  3. Jean says

    February 18, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    I can eat something like this everyday and not tire of it. Looks great, Faith, and the cucumber salad, too. :)

    Reply
  4. [email protected] says

    February 18, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    Oh these food fussy people ;-) Glad Mike found a dish he liked. I love Thai food and will have to give this tasty recipe a try.

    Reply
  5. Andrea says

    February 17, 2013 at 6:29 pm

    Can you post the recipe for the cucumber salad, please?

    Reply
    • Faith says

      February 18, 2013 at 11:05 am

      Andrea, I will be posting the cucumber salad recipe on Thursday this week. Please let me know if you’d like to make it before that and I will email you the recipe. Hope you like it! :)

      Reply
  6. Victoria says

    February 17, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    Baby steps! It starts with him loving the fried rice and then perhaps later it will grow into more :) I also love Thai fried rice, my favorite being pineapple fried rice. This looks tasty and easy!

    Reply
  7. Betty says

    February 16, 2013 at 7:59 pm

    I love the Thai flavors, authentic or not- This looks delicious and I’m sure my hubby would eat it! :)

    Reply
  8. Diane says

    February 16, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Mmmmm I bet that tastes fantastic. Have a good day. Diane

    Reply
  9. Joanne says

    February 16, 2013 at 6:58 am

    I’m all about thai flavors! This fried rice sounds so good to me, authentic or not! It’s funny what boys will eat when they’re hungry…

    Reply
  10. dixya @ food, pleasure, and health says

    February 15, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    i love thai food. its some too flavorful and hard to resist. since i have all the ingredients at home, i will be making this soon. and looking forward for that cucumber salad recipe :) I bet you are so glad Jay introduced Mike this!!

    Reply
  11. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

    February 15, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    I love Thai flavors, your sauce sounds perfect!

    Reply
  12. Alyssa (Everyday Maven) says

    February 15, 2013 at 11:52 am

    That is funny Faith but at least he is slowly but surely coming around ;)

    Reply
  13. Jeanette says

    February 15, 2013 at 8:26 am

    I love Thai food and red curry paste – this looks so good Faith!

    Reply
  14. Amy (Savory Moments) says

    February 15, 2013 at 7:22 am

    I love all things Thai, so I know I’d enjoy this dish!

    Reply
  15. Erica says

    February 15, 2013 at 6:30 am

    My husbands food interests have also expanded a LOT recently. SO nice to have more choices at home and out! The rice looks so darn good.

    Reply
  16. Rosa says

    February 15, 2013 at 5:39 am

    A wonderful stir-fry and tasty dish! Thai flavors are to-die-for.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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