I’m not sure if a weeknight meal can get much easier than this Easy Fried Rice using leftovers from your fridge and freezer. Plus, the leftovers make an excellent lunch the next day too!
A coworker and I were recently chatting about food. One of my favorite topics.
We were visiting about our continuous search for health recipes, picky-eater husbands and getting organized enough to effectively meal prep.
I was sharing how I made these phenomenal homemade chicken nuggets from Wholesome Yum. Seriously guys, you have to try these. They were way better than any chicken nugget you could find in the freezer aisle to make at home and they were so easy and used only a few simple ingredients.
I loved that the chicken was first dredged in mayo – it’s quirky and fun and helped give the protein-packed nuggets great flavor and texture. I made a slight adjustment to the baked nugget version by using regular all-purpose flour rather than almond flour because that’s what I had on hand and I added some garlic and onion powder to the flour to add a little more flavor.
I reheated some of the leftover chicken nuggets the next day for lunch (which were delicious) but I still had some left in the fridge (two large chicken breasts turned into chicken nuggets goes a long way) so I wanted to give a fresh perspective on the remaining nuggets.
The result…Chicken Fried Rice, using my Easy Fried Rice recipe.
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The coating on the nuggets was light enough that I was able to remove most of the breading so I could essentially just use the cooked chicken. I added a bunch of veggies from the crisper drawer and used cooked brown rice that I had stashed in the freezer. This is how I make my brown rice – you’ll never have to fuss with brown rice on the stove top again!
This Easy Fried Rice using leftovers is so versatile. Omit the meat and you’ve got veggie fried rice. Add whatever vegetables your heart desires. Add less egg. Add more egg. Add a drizzle of sweet and sour sauce when you serve it.
It’s healthy, it’s easy and the leftovers are delicious for lunch the next day – a complete solution for all the things my coworker and I were looking for. Except for one. It may not pass the picky-husband test. You know…all the veggies.
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Easy Fried Rice
This fried rice using leftovers is a perfect meal prep recipe - it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day too!
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. Simply Sunflower Oil
- 2-3 cups veggies (carrots, peas, broccoli, bell pepper, green beans, onion, water chestnuts, etc.)
- 1-2 cups cooked chicken, beef, pork or shrimp
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (or any rice you have on hand)
- 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- Low sodium soy sauce, to taste
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
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Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add Simply Sunflower Oil and then add the chopped assorted vegetables. Add a dash of salt. Saute until the veggies start to become tender, about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to add veggies that need to cook the longest to the pan first (carrots, broccoli, etc.) followed by veggies that do not need to cook as long.
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Add the cooked meat of your choice and stir to combine.
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Add the cooked rice, garlic and a drizzle of soy sauce. Stir to combine.
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Move the veggies, meat and rice to one side of the pan. On the empty side, add a drizzle of sunflower oil and the whisked eggs. Slowly stir the egg every few seconds until they are scrambled. Mix the egg in with the veggies, meat and rice.
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Add the sesame oil and stir fry until all ingredients are warmed through.
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Add additional soy sauce if desired and garnish with sesame seeds.
I used this recipe this evening….SO GOOD! Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world 😊💫
You’re so very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
This fried rice recipe looks so good! I can’t wait to try this someday. Thanks for sharing!