Stir-Fried Chicken and Rice
Tender chicken, bell peppers, and onion, tossed with fluffy rice and a slick glaze of soy and sesame. Ready in minutes and totally satisfying.
This stir-fried chicken and rice is one of our favorite dishes. In this case, I should have called it “chicken and rice blend” because I used a store-bought rice blend, which was a combination of texmati, white, brown, wild, and red. It was a fun taste and textural change.
What kind of rice should you use for this stir-fried chicken and rice? You can use any rice you have handy. One variety (white, brown, basmati, jasmine, texmati) is fine, or you can use a blend. When shopping you can find all kinds of blends, including wild/brown, wild/brown/white/red, and brown/red.
What kind of chicken should you use for this stir-fried chicken and rice? The beauty of this dish is that you can use any cut of chicken you want, including breasts, thighs, tenders, and drumsticks. You can even use pre-cooked chicken from a previous meal – just skip the cooking-the-chicken step.
What kind of bell peppers should you use? I’m sort of obsessed with sweet mini bell peppers these days. They’re sweet like traditional bell peppers, and you can add a variety of colors to one dish. That said, you can use regular bell peppers too – any color you want.
Why is the hoisin sauce optional? I adore the salty/sweet quality of hoisin sauce and I think it takes this dish to the next level. It sort of catapults the essence of the soy sauce and sesame oil. But I realize it’s an extra ingredient to purchase, and we only need 1 tablespoon. Since we’re also using soy and sesame in the dish, you can leave the hoisin out. But, if you have a bottle, definitely add it. And, for a gluten-free option, you can use tamari sauce in place of soy sauce.
Stir-Fried Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice blend of choice, see note above, or white or brown rice, or rice of choice
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup sliced bell peppers, any color
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, or tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, optional (see note above)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh cilantro for serving
- Chopped green onions for serving
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through and the vegetables soften. Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce (if using), and sesame oil and bring to a simmer. Fold in the rice and cook for 1 minute to heat through.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Top with cilantro and green onions and serve.