Not Fried Rice

Let me first say that this is not fried rice and it's not quite a stir fry either. But we made this the other day, and to my surprise, I actually liked it. I figured that some weird in between thing wouldn't be good, but it's easier than making fried rice and you don't have to plan as far ahead.

Not Fried Rice

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (really any meat or tofu will do)
1 t minced garlic
1 T Oil (for cooking chicken)
1 1/4 C water
1/4 C Soy Sauce
1 T sugar
16 oz Frozen Veggies (we used corn and peas)
2 C instant rice

Slice the chicken into thin strips and cook with minced garlic and oil over medium-high heat. We just used vegetable oil, but sesame oil would probably give it some nice flavor.

Once the meat is cooked through, add the water, soy sauce, sugar, and frozen vegetables and bring to a boil.

Add the rice, cover, and remove from heat. Let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, and it's ready to eat.

Comments:

It seems like a lot of soy sauce, but it really adds flavor to the meat and the rice, since it all gets soaked up. You can add more soy once it's plated if you like, but I didn't think it needed any. That's why I liked this. I was expecting it to be bland, but it wasn't.

We just used frozen chicken breasts this time, but in the future, I think I might get some unfrozen and marinate it all day before we use it. Maybe in teriyaki, soy, onions, and garlic.

I usually like a little egg in my fried rice, so I think in the future I might scramble an egg or two in the pan with the chicken, oil, and garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients.