Thai Fried Rice with Basil

Another Takeout Favorite to Try at Home!

As much as we love to order takeout and save ourselves some work, we also like to take a stab at cooking our favorite Thai restaurant dishes at home. We’ve been enjoying Homemade Fried Rice for a while now but this vegetable-loaded Thai fried rice is our most recent success. Although we still use a fair amount of oil in this Thai-inspired chicken fried rice recipe, it’s likely quite a bit less than your favorite Thai restaurant does, so making it at home also means a healthier dinner than takeout! Cheaper, healthier, and (arguably) faster—that’s a triple threat that’s probably worth a little extra washing up, right?

A Much Less Intimidating Fried Rice Ingredients List Than You’d Expect! Yahoo!

We’ve pared down the ingredients list for this savory, chicken-studded veggie-and-egg fried rice recipe as much as possible to make sure that it’s approachable and simple for home cooks of all skill levels. No wild goose chase or special outings to far-flung specialty stores required. You can find all of these basil fried rice ingredients at any grocery store—promise! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Jasmine rice
• Broccoli
• Onion
• Garlic
• Chicken breast
• Cornstarch
• Eggs
• Coconut aminos
• Sesame oil
• Vegetable oil
• Fresh basil
• Lime
• Cilantro

How To Make Fried Rice With Chicken and Basil

Are you someone that reads a recipe all the way through to the end before you start cooking? Well, if you are, yay! If not, that’s our first tip for you for making sure that this fried rice recipe works out perfectly for you—read the recipe all the way through first! This is a simple recipe, but there are a few trip points.

Here are a few quick tips for making our Thai basil-and-chicken fried rice:

1. Cook the rice ahead of time. Like, way ahead of time! At least six hours, if you can manage it. The rice needs to cool and dry a bit after cooking. You could even use leftover rice—making fried rice is an ideal way to use up leftover rice.
2. Have at least 3 mixing bowls on-hand when you begin. You’re going to cook a lot of the ingredients separately, and then they’ll all come together right at the end to make your gorgeous, sesame oil-slicked, fried rice. You’ll need 3 bowls total—one for the broccoli and onions, one for mixing the chicken, one for whisking the eggs.
3. When you first add the rice to the pan to fry it, spread it out evenly in the hot pan and then let it fry undisturbed for a full minute. Give it a stir, then let it sit again. This process is a little nerve-wracking if you’ve never done it before but watch your heat and trust your instincts. If you’re really worried it’s burning, give the rice a little stir, but otherwise resist the urge! You want some of those crispy rice bits to develop and letting it fry undisturbed is the key.
4. You’ve got this!

Tools You’ll Need

• Mixing bowls
• Wok or large skillet
• Fine mesh sieve
• Sharp knife
• Stock pot
• Small pot or saucepan

More Takeout Copycat Recipes to Try!

Making your favorites at home isn’t that hard! And it’s often a lot faster than dealing with picking up a to-go order, and healthier, too. Here are four of our go-to to-go copycats:

• Easy Orange Chicken
• Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice
• Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
• Chinese Dry-Fried Green Beans

You’re On A Roll!

We hope you love this Thai basil fried rice recipe as much as we do! If you whip it up, let us know! Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see and celebrate your efforts! Happy eating!