Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice with Fresh Pineapple is a perfect weeknight meal! The whole family will love this savory, salty, sweet and satisfying dish.
The Idea:
This Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice with Fresh Pineapple is a perfect example of cook once, eat twice. You can have delicious Grilled Teriyaki Chicken served with rice one night, then transform it by using the leftover chicken and rice for fried rice the next night. Leftovers feel like a brand new meal! Of course you can use any kind of leftover cooked chicken you have (or pork or shrimp). Fried rice is the perfect dish for using up the meats and veggies you already have in your fridge.
Fried rice is best with leftover rice that has been stored in the refrigerator overnight. You want the grains of rice to stay separate while you are stir frying, and if you used freshly made hot rice it might stick together or turn to mush. It would also be more likely to stick to your pan. It really doesn’t matter what kind of rice you use, white or brown, just make sure to either use leftovers, or make the rice the day before.
I have some handy recipes for the basics on how to make white rice and brown rice too, it’s really easy! Also, if you are going to use the frozen premade kind of rice, that is fine, but again, you’ll want to make it the day before and store it in the fridge to dry out.
The Ingredients:
The thing that takes this fried rice to the next level is the addition of fresh pineapple. The sweetness of the pineapple compliments the teriyaki chicken really well. I know pineapples can look intimidating in the grocery store, but I’ve got you covered. You can follow the instructions in my How to Slice and Dice a Pineapple post to get from here:
To here:
Besides the teriyaki chicken, rice and pineapple, you’ll also use two kinds of onion (red and green), sweet bell peppers and crunchy cashews. After that the sauce ingredients of toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, and the optional spiciness of Sriracha sauce or chili garlic paste (you can also use fresh ginger).
The Preparation:
A little chopping and dicing is all it takes to prep the rest of your ingredients, and now you are ready to stir-fry. You’ll start with a really hot pan or wok, not so hot that the ingredients immediately burn, but just below that level. Have all of the ingredients in bowls next to the stove so you can quickly grab them and add them to your pan. You’ll cook the ingredients in stages, then put it all together at the end.
Stage 1:
Start with the veggies that will take the longest time to cook, the red onion and red bell peppers. Once they are softened, which will take just a few minutes, add the garlic and chicken and heat through. Remove to a bowl next to the stove.
Stage 2:
Add a little more oil to the pan and then add your rice. You want the rice to heat through and get a little color. The rice will probably stick a little bit, which is fine. If it sticks too much a just a little more oil (you don’t want your fried rice to taste oily though!).
Stage 3:
Re-add the chicken and veggies to the rice and stir to combine. Now add your fresh pineapple, scallions and cashews and stir to combine again.
Stage 4:
Add your soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and a little Sriracha sauce, if you are using it. Stir to combine. That’s it! Pour the fried rice into a large serving bowl.
The Payoff:
The reward is a giant bowl of Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice with Fresh Pineapple! I like to serve it with Sriracha on the side, or all over the top! Leftovers never tasted so good.
Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice with Fresh Pineapple
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup diced red or orange bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups of diced teriyaki chicken (or any kind of diced cooked chicken)
- 6 cups of rice, white or brown
- 2 cups of fresh pineapple
- 1 cup of roasted cashews, rough chopped
- 6 green onions (scallions), sliced, white and light green parts
Sauce
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- Sriracha sauce for serving
Instructions
- Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium high to high heat, depending on your stove. You want it as hot as possible, without immediately burning the food! Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable.
- Add the red onion and red bell pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, do not let the garlic burn.
- Add the chicken and sauté another 1-2 minutes to heat through. Remove the chicken and veggies mix to a bowl.
- Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and add your rice. Stir fry for a few minutes to heat through and add some color. If the rice sticks to the pan a lot, you can add more oil.
- Re-add the chicken and veggies to the pan, in addition to the pineapple, green onions and cashews. Stir fry to combine and heat through.
- Add the sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Serve immediately with hot sauce!
Notes
– I didn’t use any eggs in this fried rice, but you certainly could! Just lightly beat two eggs and add them to the hot pan after you stir-fry the rice. Make a well in the middle of the rice and scramble the eggs, then fold into the rice.
-You can also add fresh minced ginger with the garlic if you like.
