BBQ Chicken fried rice is the love child of my BBQ chicken and egg fried rice recipes. It is simple to make and it is not like any other traditional pork, egg or chicken fried rice that you have ever had before. This brings in some of the traditional aspects of fried rice and mixes them with hickory smoked BBQ flavors.
If you are looking for a traditional fried rice recipe that will try to mimic the flavors of your favorite recipe, then this recipe is not for you. But if you want to bring in a different flavor that will impress your friends and family, then i would highly recommend this BBQ chicken fried rice. The number of friends and family members who loved this recipe blew me away.
If you are anything like me, then rice has been a big part of your diet. In our family, we always reminisce about getting Knoll rice pouches, which can be heated up in ten minutes and mixed with any protein for a complete meal. And since those days, I have come a long way into making simple and flavorful meals that blow away those quick meals. It is true that rice pouches have their place, but they haven't made a return to my household since I bought a rice cooker.
What is the difference between a traditional egg fried rice and this BBQ chicken fried rice?
The primary difference between my BBQ chicken fried rice and a traditional egg fried rice is the sauce. In a traditional recipe, you will use soy sauce, sesame oil and other Asian sauces. In my recipe, this is substituted out for a thinned out Hickory BBQ sauce.
What are the keys to making BBQ Chicken Fried Rice?
There are only a few keys to making a really good BBQ Chicken Fried Rice:
Use cold rice: This is actually true for all fried rice. Cold rice will help make it crispy and will decrease the chances your rice will turn soggy.
Use butter or Ghee: Personally, I find using butter will provide additional flavor, and since it has a very high smoke point, it allows you to cook on extremely high heat, which is key for fried rice recipes.
Cook on high heat: The goal for fried rice is to make your rice crispy.
Don't pour the sauce directly on the rice: When you pour sauces directly on the rice, it will become soggy. If you pour the sauce on the side of the work and work the rice into the sauce, it will help keep it crispy.
What ingredients do you need for this BBQ Chicken Fried Rice recipe?
It's nice that there are only a few ingredients required for this recipe:
Cold rice: As noted above, one of the keys is to have cold rice to allow it to firm up.
Shallots: A key to any good fried rice is a shallot, but if you don't have them laying around, you can substitute with an onion. I prefer a sweet onion.
Garlic: Fresh garlic always adds wonderful flavor
Egg: I always say, fat is flavor. And this recipe is no different!
Ghee: This is the best way to cook with high heat.
Chicken thighs: In almost all my recipes, I tend to add thighs instead of breast because they are more moist. You can easily substitute this recipe with chicken breast or even pork.
Chicken dry rub: Choose your favorite rub to spice up the flavors. My personal favorites are my BBQ chicken dry rub or McCormick Rotisserie.
Hickory BBQ sauce: My go-to sauce is from a brand called G.Hughes. It isn't loaded with sugar, which makes it great for keeping calories under control.
Apple cider vinegar: This is used to help thin out the hickory BBQ sauce, but water could also be used.
What equipment do you need for the BBQ Chicken Fried Rice?
I recommend having a wok and a grill. I prefer grilling the chicken, letting it rest for a few minutes, then adding it to the BBQ fried rice. In my experience, the grill just adds a bit more flavor. But if you don't have a grill, you can get away with cooking the chicken on a pan or the oven. If you do not have a wok, a large pan will suffice.
How long does it take to make the BBQ Chicken Fried Rice?
This whole recipe takes 20-30 minutes. This will depend on if your ability to multi-task and whether or not you are using store bought spices.
How to cook chicken to the right temperature?
This is the most simple thing. I would recommend finding and using a quality meat thermometer. This will allow to know the temperature of your chicken. The two keys to keeping the chicken juicy is to remove the chicken from the grill when it reaches 165° F and letting the chicken rest. The latter goes for all meat. You want to place the meat on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes to allow the meat to relax and allow the juices to redistribute. If you skip this step, there is a good chance your meat will be dry.
Do you have any other cooking tips?
Yes. There are two other methods that can help improve the flavor of chicken. You can marinade your chicken to allow your chicken to absorb the flavor. Generally, this will be done in a liquid marinade. This is good for tougher meats to help draw in juices. The other method of improving your chicken flavor is dry-brining. Seriouseats.com sums up dry-brining pretty well. "Dry-brining is a catchy term for a very simple process of salting and resting food before cooking it. Some people call this process "pre-salting," which is kind of like "preheating" an oven—doesn't make a ton of semantic sense, seeing as salting and heating are the steps, and nothing precedes them, but that's a debate for another day. Dry-brining achieves the goals of traditional brining—deeply seasoned, juicy food—without the flavor dilution problem that affects proteins brined in salt solutions."
For both large and small pieces of meat, poultry, and sometimes even seafood, dry brining is our preferred method. In addition to producing juicy, flavorful results, dry-brining also makes the skin crisper. I use the dry-brine method in my infamous Hickory Sticky Chicken recipe. In that recipe, I will dry-brine for no less than 4 hours.
So instead of belaboring this, let's wok this joint!
1 cup Basmati or white rice
2 eggs
1 small shallot (Chopped)
3 garlic cloves (Diced)
1/2 tbsp Ghee
1 lb chicken thighs (seasoned with LemonKitchen BBQ seasoning)
4 tablespoons hickory BBQ sauce
1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp avocado oil
1-2 stalks of green onion (separated)
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Directions: Mix all the dry ingredients or grab your seasoning bottle for the chicken dry rub. Lightly coat the chicken in avocado oil and then liberally apply dry rub. Let it marinade for a few minutes (optional). Grill chicken over medium to high heat (~400°) until cooked. Place chicken aside to rest for 10 minutes. Add ghee to a hot wok. Once the ghee is heated, add in shallots, bottom part of green onion and garlic. Make sure to mix frequently to not allow either to burn. After 1-2 minutes, add in scrambled eggs until almost cooked. Set aside until later. Add in cold rice to the hot pan and thoroughly spread out. While rice is cooking, thin out the BBQ with some ACV. You want it thin enough to easily flow off your spoon. Once mixed, make a well or tilt the wok to a side. Add mixture to the well or side and cook for another few minutes. While that is cooking, dice the chicken. Turn off the stove. Add in diced chicken, and thoroughly mix. Add mixture to the bowl and top with green onion and sesame seeds.
Comments