Some weeknight dinner inspiration coming your way in the form of this Gochujang Chicken Fried Rice! Packed with veggies and protein from the chicken and eggs, this dish has everything you need in one delicious bowl. The beauty of fried rice is that it’s just so easy to throw together, and you can truly use whatever you have on hand!

The inspiration…

Fried rice was a staple dinner in our household growing up. Prior to making the switch to the paleo lifestyle, my dad would whip up a wok full of fried rice all the time. And I loooved it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a good cauliflower rice swap, but sometimes you just need the real deal. So, I thought I would recreate this staple dish of my childhood with a little bit of a twist.

Gochujang is a red chili paste that’s often used in Korean cooking, and I’m obsessed with it. It has a combination of sweet and spicy to it that is absolutely delicious. I thought it would be the perfect addition to a fried rice dish. It adds a little kick to the dish, but it’s not an unbearable or overwhelming amount of spice (trust me, I’m a total wimp when it comes to spicy food). The Gochujang really just adds an incredible amount of flavor that you’ll love, spicy food fan or not.

What I really love about this recipe is that you can make use of whatever vegetables you have available to you. I list the ones I used in the recipe, but if you have others on hand, they would work just as well! Broccoli, tofu, leafy greens, cauliflower, you name it. Whatever your heart desires, toss it in that wok. Live your best life.

For the rice…

Cooked and cooled rice is a must for fried rice, because otherwise you run the risk of it just turning to mush while mixing and stir frying it. And rice mush is just not what we’re going for here. I would highly recommend day old rice, just to give it enough time to completely chill and firm up. This recipe is excellent if you have leftover white rice from ordering take out that you need to put to use. Toss it together with the chicken, eggs, veggies and sauce, and you have a super easy and tasty meal.

If you do give this Gochujang Chicken Fried Rice a try, be sure to comment below and/or tag me on Instagram and let me know how you like it! I really love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for stopping by!
Take Care xx
Slim

Gochujang Chicken Fried Rice

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped
2 tbsp avocado oil + more to add as you go
3 tsp chopped garlic
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 eggs
3 - 4 cups cooked and cooled rice (day old is best)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen, chopped green beans
½ cup frozen yellow corn
3 green onions, julienned
Salt & Pepper
Red chili flakes to preference

For the Stir Fry Sauce:

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp Gochujang
1 - 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

In a large wok or skillet, heat up 2 tbsp avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once hot (should sizzle to a drop of water), add the chicken and cook completely, stirring pretty frequently. Takes around 7-10 minutes. Once cooked through, remove the chicken from the wok onto a plate or bowl and set aside.
While the chicken is cooking, prep your stir fry sauce. In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, Gochujang, and sesame oil. Whisk together until combined and smooth.
After you remove the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, add a little more oil to the wok and then add the garlic, yellow onion, and ginger. Stir fry until onion is translucent. Once done, add it to the plate with the chicken.
Drizzle a little more oil on the bottom of the wok and crack your eggs into it. Cook them over-easy to over-medium (about 2 minutes on the first side, and then flip and another 30 seconds to a minute on the second side).
Add the rice on top of the eggs and mix everything together, scrambling the eggs into the rice. Once evenly distributed and mixed, add the rest of the vegetables, the chicken and onion mixture, and the stir fry sauce. Stir fry everything together until evenly distributed and any frozen veggies are heated up. Around 4-5 minutes.
Serve it on its own or with some chili oil and enjoy!