Curried chicken fried rice - the meal prep manual

Step 1

Day old rice is best for making fried rice because it has had the chance to dry out in the fridge. You can also buy pre cooked, frozen rice at the store that works well.

Step 2

Prepare the rice the night before and store it in the fridge overnight. You will need 3 cups (450g) of cooked rice. I used roughly 200g of dried rice. You can use freshly cooked rice if needed, it is just better to use the day old stuff.

Step 3

Start by preparing your chicken marinade and marinate the chicken while you cut your vegetables.

Step 4

Into a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the chicken marinade. Oil, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, curry powder, coriander, cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir to combine.

Step 5

Cut your chicken thighs into thin strips of about ¼" in thickness. This will help it cook faster and the marinade to cover more surface area.

Step 6

Add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat completely. Set aside to marinate while you prep the veggies.

Step 7

Wash and cut the red pepper into thin strips. Cut your zucchini into a medium dice.

Step 8

Cut the onion into thin slices and mince the garlic.

Step 9

If you want to top with cilantro, roughly chop it.

Step 10

Heat your skillet over medium high heat and add in a splash of oil. The chicken already has oil in the marinade so you shouldn't need to add much. I have accounted for an additional 1 tbsp of oil for you to use to cook the chicken in the nutritional estimates.

Step 11

Add ⅓-½ of the chicken and cook it until it has browned and come up to temperature. Unless you have a giant pan, it will be best to cook the chicken in batches to achieve proper coloring.

Step 12

As the chicken finishes cooking, transfer it to a plate to rest until you are ready for it later. Leave any oil and fond in the bottom of the skillet for the vegetables.

Step 13

Once the chicken has finished, add in another 1 tbsp of oil for the vegetables. There should be some oil leftover in the skillet from the chicken.

Step 14

Add in the onions and peppers to cook. Season with salt to encourage them to cook faster. Cook them for 2-3 minutes to soften a bit and pick up color. Then add in the zucchini and cook for a couple more minutes.

Step 15

Add in the garlic and toss. Allow it to become fragrant and then squeeze in 1 Tbsp of tomato paste and stir. Stir frequently and allow the tomato paste to cook out a bit over the heat.

Step 16

Dump in 3 cups (450g) of cooked rice. Stir to combine.

Step 17

Dump in the chicken and any juices on the plate. Mix to combine and taste test. Adjust any flavor as needed.

Step 18

This recipe makes 5 servings. Divide the ingredients evenly between 5 containers. You can garnish with cilantro if you wish.