That headline surely sets some expectations, right? Well, I'm up for it. Or really, this recipe is. We've made stir fries in our house almost weekly for years, and in general, it's always a Rau family favorite. I don't think I've ever made the same dish twice because I usually toss in a variety of things based on what's around the house, and make it up a little as I go.
But tonight was different. Many of our readers said they want more kid-friendly recipes so I've been hard at work trying new dishes, recording our experiments, and capturing feedback from my own kids along the way. After many attempts at a great fried rice dish, we've got it and I'm excited to share with you.
The recipe calls for day old rice and that's not a mistake. Day old rice cooks up better in fried rice but if you can't plan ahead like that, cook up your rice first, and place it in the freezer while you cook the rest of the dish. Freshly cooked rice can end up soggy after added to the sauce.
Chicken Fried Rice
Serves 4
5 cups of cooked rice
1 large handful of almonds, chopped or sliced
4 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1 red bell pepper, trimmed and chopped into bite-size pieces
3 tbsp oil (we like sesame or peanut oil, but vegetable oil is fine also)
2 eggs
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound chicken, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
Spread sliced or chopped almonds on a cookie sheet and place in your oven on broil for approimately 4 to 10 minutes. They should toast a little, but certainly not burn, so check them every 2 minutes and shake your cookie sheet.
If you're using fresh vegetables, saute them in 1 tbsp of oil until they're firm, about 10 minutes. Set aside in a bowl.
Scramble eggs in the same pan until they're just barely cooked. Set aside (I place them right on top my sauteed vegetables).
Keep a medium heat on your nonstick pan, add 1 tbsp oil, ginger and garlic, saute for 1 minute, stirring often. Add chicken and saute until chicken is cooked through.Add the chicken mixture to your side bowl.
Heat remaining oil in the pan. Add rice, turn up the heat to high and cook approximately 3 minutes, tossing rice frequently.
In a bowl, combine chicken broth, soy sauce and corn starch. Stir well until the corn starch is completely dissolved.
Pour sauce over rice. Add your vegetable, eggs and chicken to pan and stirl well. Cook for 2 minutes while thoroughly mixing all ingredients. Add green onions and almonds, and mix well. Serve and enjoy.
This dish tastes almost better the next day, making a great leftover meal for school lunch in a food jar. Enjoy!
Our kids need to eat, whether we're prepared to feed them or not. Some days it would be great if meals just created themselves, but let's get real. At Feed Our Families we'll share new ideas, recipes and inspiration to help make meals happen in your home. 
This sounds delicious! Maybe when I visit Portland this year, you can make it for me for dinner
Right – just what you needed – an uninvited dinner guest!
Michelle – I would love to share this meal with you in my home. Anytime, my friend.
But don’t wait…make it for your family too!
We are adding this to our “to try” list!! My 2 yo will love it, the 3 y.o is still stuck on white rice.
Such a great recipe! So tasty! I made it for a dinner I hosted and everyone absolutely loved it. Everyone commented throughout the meal of how the flavor was incredible. Definitely keeping this in my recipe box! Thank you Gina.
Angela – Your feedback just made my day! I’m tickled to hear that the recipe went over so well for you and your guests. Thank you so much for letting me know!