A super flavourful and quick fried rice with chicken and veggies, flavoured with the very fragrant Chinese five spice powder
Hello! For those of you, who have followed my previous recipe posts, you know by now that, I am always looking out of quick and easy meals. And so, here is another of my easy one pot recipes – the five spice chicken fried rice. Fried rice, is always an amazing meal option since it is quick, easy and tasty all at once. And this one here, is flavoured with the aromatic five spice powder. Moreover, this Chinese rice has the goodness of chicken and a host of other vegetables. All of which, come together to make this five spice chicken fried rice fresh, fragrant and colourful. So, this meal is not just good to taste, but also a pretty one.
The veggies used in the rice along with the chicken, also contribute to the heartening taste. Since Chinese food is made on high heat, the veggies retain their colours and crunch. Thus, adding to the flavour and texture of the rice. The technique of cooking on a high flame, is also the reason that the fried rice recipe is a quick one. You could also add shrimps to the fried rice. And, if you are vegetarian, you may substitute chicken with paneer and if vegan, then with tofu. The cooking process, including the marination method, will remain unchanged. Also, if you like, you could scramble some eggs with salt and pepper and add it to the fried rice too. I, however, have not done so. But, it does taste really good.
Also check
Chinese style chorizo fried rice
Five spice
The five spice powder, is an extremely fragrant spice mix. It is essentially, a dry mix of ground star anise, fennel, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns. This mix is predominantly used in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisines. Finding a ready made bottle of this spice powder should not be a challenge. It is easily available in the Asian foods section in most stores. But, in case you don’t find it, you could grind the spice components, individually, and mix them. I am sure, most Indian homes would have all the five spices. Simply, grind them in a mixer-grinder or a mortar pestle and use. In fact, you could use your coffee grinder too 🙂 Personally, among the five, star anise is my favourite spice. It is highly fragrant and therefore, is also an important ingredient in biryanis.
And don’t worry if you plan to buy the spice mix or have made some extra. This is such an amazing one, that apart from using it in meals you could also use it to flavour cocktails and mocktails too. And believe me, this is such a lovely and aromatic spice, that you are going to fall in love with it.
Weekday meal
Since this five spice chicken fried rice is a quick one pot meal, it is your ideal weekday meal. The frying of the chicken, to be added, also doesn’t take time. The use of chicken breasts, and that too diced, ensures a lower cooking time. You could easily, add or eliminate, any veggies or protein of your choice. Besides, this is perfect for a lazy weekend lunch too. And since, the five spice powder, packs so much flavour, you won’t need a side with this.
The only bit that consumes some time is the chopping of the vegetables. However, you could use the frozen ones instead of the fresh, to save time. Although, I would suggest, you use freshly chopped ginger and garlic. This is important, because these two are main flavouring agents in any Chinese food. Apart from this, there are no pre-preparations to making this fried rice.
So, I really hope you are going to try this recipe out. Also, here are some of my other quick and easy Chinese recipes, if you wish to take a look at:
If you do try any of my recipes, I’d love to know how they turned out for you. YOu can also share you food picturs with me on Instagram.
Eat hearty!
Five spice chicken fried rice
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot
Ingredients
- 300 g Boneless chicken cut into thin strips
- 2 cups Jasmine or any long grain rice cooked
- 3 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
- 1 cup mixed vegetables finely chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup spring onion greens sliced
- ½ cup shallots or regular onions chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic chopped
- 2-3 tbsp fresh chillies slit (optional)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white pepper powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper powder
- 1 tbsp chili oil optional
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 3 tbsp sesame oil or any regular cooking oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- If using freshly cooked rice, cool it completely before using it for the fried rice
- Marinate the chicken with, two tablespoons of the five spice powder, white pepper powder, a tablespoon of soy sauce and salt for 10 minutes
- Heat your cooking pot over, high heat, with the cooking oil and add the shallots, chilis and garlic. Saute until the garlic becomes fragrant
- Then add your marinated chicken, stir and cook for 5-7 minutes until cooked completely. Next add the vegetables (if using)
- Mix and cook for another 5-6 minutes (you want the vegetables to remain crunchy). Next add the rice, remaining five spice powder, chili oil, remaining soya sauce and black pepper
- Toss the rice well with the spices, vegetables and chicken so that every grain is coated with flavours. Turn the flame off and sprinkle the spring greens and the vinegar* and gently mix in and remove from heat
- Serve your delicious Chinese five spice chicken fried rice fresh and hot with some lime wedges on the side and even a fried egg, if you wish. Enjoy!
Notes
- You may replace chicken with shrimps, paneer or tofu. Keep the marination process unchanged
- You may also add scrambled eggs to the fried rice. Add it when you are adding the rice in step 5
- Adding the vegetables in this fried rice is optional
- I have used boneless chicken thighs for this recipe
- *Do a taste check to see if you need to add salt. I didn't add any since the marinated chicken and the soya sauce had salt enough for my taste
- g - grams
- tsp - teaspoon
- tbsp - tablespoon
- 1 cup = 250 millilitres
Beautiful Madhu! Easy to make with a few ingredients and lots of veggies 🙂
You said it Sathis! thank you so much 🙂 Do try it sometime
2 tablespoons of Chinese five spice!?!
You can adjust it as per taste but the said quantity adds more flavour to the fried rice