Chicken fried rice is one of those things that can be rustled up with some pantry staples to make a quick dinner. It is a very popular Chinese stir fried dish and its characteristic brown color comes from soy sauce and cooking the ingredients in a hot wok. Cooking a perfect dish of chicken fried rice is not very tough, all you need to know is the right cooking techniques. The beauty of preparing a fried rice recipe is that you can use any ingredient that you like. Of course as it is a chicken fried rice dish, you cannot substitute the chicken for some other meat. The choice of vegetables in cooking a chicken fried rice ranges from scallions, shallots, red and yellow bell pepper and julienned carrots. Rustling up a chicken fried rice for dinner is a great way to use up any left over rice or vegetables. Chicken fried rice calories will depend on what ingredients are used for preparing it and the serving size. If you are preparing chicken fried rice at home, then a word of caution... Use soy sauce sparingly while preparing fried rice as soy sauce contains a high amount of sodium. Better yet, switch to lower sodium soy sauce. If you are on a diet and are looking to cut down on calories and make the dish more nutritious, then substitute white rice with brown rice and add more vegetables like snow peas, bok choy, bean sprouts and green beans. Given below are two versions of chicken fried rice along with the calorie content of each dish. Chicken Fried Rice Calories As mentioned earlier the calories in fried rice will vary according to the ingredients that are used in preparing the dish. Using less oil for stir frying the ingredients and by using skinless chicken breasts you can cut down on the calories consumed. Classic Chicken Fried Rice Yield: 4 servings Serving size: 1 ½ cup Things required

• 2 cups cooked long grain white rice
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 7 teaspoons lower sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili paste
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated

Method In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces with cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. In a smaller bowl, mix the hoisin sauce with the remaining soy sauce, chili paste, rice wine vinegar and lime juice. Keep this aside. In a wok or skillet, heat a tablespoon of canola oil and fry the chicken pieces that you had marinated earlier. When the chicken pieces are light brown in color, push the chicken pieces to the edge of the wok and add the 2 eggs. Fry the eggs until they are cooked through and mix them with the chicken pieces. Transfer this egg and chicken mixture to a bowl and add a tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the chopped white onion, grated ginger and minced garlic to the wok. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes. Add the white rice and cook for a minute. Next add the frozen green peas, the chicken and egg mixture and the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar mixture. Cook for a minute or two until all the rice is coated with soy sauce mixture. Transfer chicken fried rice to a platter and stir in the sliced green onions. Calories per serving size: 477 Total fat: 11.7 g Saturated fat: 1.7 g Protein: 30.2 g Carbohydrate: 58.3 g Cholesterol: 139 mg Bok Choy Chicken Fried Rice Yield: 6 servings Serving size: 1 ½ cup Things required

• 3 cups cooked sushi rice
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Method In a small bowl mix the chicken pieces with a tablespoon of soy sauce and keep it aside. In a large skillet heat the canola oil and add the chopped shallots and minced ginger and garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the shallots are a light brown in color. Now add marinated chicken into the skillet and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Next add the cooked sushi rice into the skillet and then add the rest of the soy sauce along with crushed red pepper and sesame oil. Cook the rice for a minute, taking care to use a light hand. Add the bok choy and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Push the fried rice to the sides and break an egg over the skillet. Cook eggs for 2-3 minutes until it is set and stir egg mixture with the fried rice. Transfer the cooked fried rice to a large bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Calories per serving size: 293 Total fat: 7.7 g Saturated fat: 1.7 g Protein: 20.9 g Carbohydrate: 33.7 g Cholesterol: 98 mg As you can see, by using different ingredients for making fried rice, the calorie content also differs. Chicken fried rice is no doubt a tasty dish which requires very less effort to cook. But the calorie content is quite high, so indulge in it occasionally and try to make it with as many vegetables as possible. This will make it more nutritious and healthy.