Another weeknight recipe that transports you out of the ordinary doldrums of your usual meal rotation. Nigerian fried rice, seasoned with curry powder, dried thyme and a handful of aromatics, inspired this meal-in-a-skillet. While beef liver and an assortment of vegetables are classic ingredients, here it is comprised of chicken thighs and green beans.
Instead of using just-cooked rice, which results in a softer, moisture texture in the finished dish, plain cooked rice thatās been chilled is used so the grains āfryā up light and fluffy. Fragrant basmati is especially good, but any type of long-grain white rice works.
Donāt be afraid to really scrape up the browned bits from the surface of the skillet after youāve added the broth. The caramelization lends the fried rice great depth of flavor.
Curried Chicken Fried Rice with Chiles
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. neutral oil or refined coconut oil, divided
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tsp. curry powder, divided
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
- 4 oz. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 Fresno or jalapeƱo chili, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
- 4 cups cooked and chilled long-grain white rice, preferably basmati
- 1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade
Directions
- In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until barely smoking. Add the chicken and sprinkle with Ā½ teaspoon of the curry powder, Ā½ teaspoon salt and Ā¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Push the chicken to the perimeter of the pan. To the center, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, scallion whites and ginger; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1Ā½ minutes. Into the scallion mixture, stir the beans, thyme, half of the chili, the remaining 1Ā½ teaspoons curry powder and Ā¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir the chicken into the bean mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are bright green, about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice, then add the broth and scrape up any browned bits. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens and remaining chili.
Recipe by Courtney Hill for Milk Street
Accounting for Taste 