If you’ve ever dined at a Benihana restaurant you’ve probably had their Chicken Fried Rice. And if you’ve ever had their Chicken Fried Rice you probably fell in love with it and went back for more. But if you’ve never been to a Benihana, keep reading anyways. 😉
Living in The Netherlands and thousands of miles away from the nearest Benihana restaurant it’s a little difficult for me now to go back. Luckily though, Benihana is a tappanyaki restaurant where all the meals are prepared right in front of you (kinda like a private cooking workshop). So, like any other foodblogger… I watched and learned!
It’s actually a very simple recipe with a standard list of ingredients. Leave out the chicken if you wish because at the end the taste is exactly the same (just less protein). I would definitely suggest using a very hot pan/wok because this helps fry the rice rather than steam it further. In addition, prepare all your ingredients before you start cooking (with this I mean do all your chopping and measuring in advance). You’re going to be cooking on a very hot pan/wok so it’s imperative to move efficiently.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as mush as i do.
Benihana Chicken Fried Rice
The best chicken fried firce that tastes just like the famous chicken fried rice served at Benihana restaurants.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 300g (10.5oz) chicken breast, cut into small chunks
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 eggs
- 3 stalks green onions, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, very finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, very finely chopped
- 3 cups cooked steamed white rice (1-day old rice is best)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
Directions
- Step 1 Before cooking make sure all the ingredients are prepared and ready.
- Step 2 In a large cooking pan /wok add in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil on high heat. Add the cubed chicken breasts, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, stir and cook. Once fully cooked push the chicken to the outer perimeter of the pan/wok, clearing out the center of the pan/wok for further cooking. This allows the chicken to rest while you continue cooking the rest of the ingredients using the same pan/wok. (You can skip this step #1 if you are not using chicken.)
- Step 3 In the same pan/wok on low/medium heat add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Once melted add in the very finely minced garlic. Let the garlic flavor the butter for about 1-2 minutes. Just be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Step 4 Now turn up the heat to med/high and add the chopped onions, carrots, 1/2 teaspooon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir well while cooking. Once the vegetables are just tender, push everything to the outer perimeter with the chicken so you have the center to cook the eggs.
- Step 5 Add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil to the center of the same pan/wok. Crack in 3 eggs. Let it cook and scramble until 80% done. Then add cooked rice on top of the eggs and then immediately mix everything together (the rice, chicken and veggie mixture.
- Step 6 Add soy sauce, green onions and 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir. Add more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir.
- Step 7 Garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.