Cilantro lime marinated chicken is the secret behind what makes this cilantro lime chicken fried rice SO incredibly flavorful.–You’ll love this fried rice more than your favorite Chinese place!
You know, I really wish I could take credit for being the brains behind this fried rice…But that goes solely to Jason who dreamed up this twist and convinced me cilantro lime chicken belonged in his beloved fried rice.
I, of course, was skeptical that this was an amazing idea….until we actually made it.
Those doubts quickly disappeared after about the 4th bowl of fried rice. ?
It’s not even an exaggeration to say that this is hands-down, the best fried rice to ever come out of my kitchen.
It’s amazing what a little cilantro lime chicken magic can do to a pan of rice, veggies, and eggs, guys. Just a big ‘ol pan of beauty right here. ♥
And yes, this fried rice is PERFECTO if you have leftover rice and a couple of random veggies in the bottom of the crisper drawer. Leftover makeovers rule, change my mind.
Here’s how cilantro lime chicken fried rice goes down!
- Marinate that chicken first off! The longer you can marinate the chicken in the cilantro lime marinade = the stronger flavors you’re gonna have. An hour is a good benchmark, or overnight if you’re looking for MAX flavors.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pan fry ’em til they’re golden.
- Make your eggs, saute your veggies, throw some cold leftover rice in the pan, a little soy sauce + additional cilantro and lime juice. It’s FRIED RICE time, baby!!
And holy heck, if that isn’t a bowl I wanna go live in asap.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can basically make it from your pantry! Don’t have any of the veggies the recipe calls for? No sweat, you can easily leave ’em out or substitute them for ones that you have on hand!
Trust me on this, friends. Cilantro lime + fried rice. It’s the combo of fried rice flavors you never knew you needed.
More pantry fried rice inspo right this way!
Cilantro Lime Chicken Fried Rice
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Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Chicken
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-in cubes
Fried Rice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced into 1/2-in cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups cold cooked rice
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Chicken
- In a medium bowl, whisk lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add chicken to bowl and toss until coated. Let chicken marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour
Fried Rice
- Remove chicken from marinade and discard remaining marinade. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until shimmery. Add chicken and saute several minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and wipe pan clean.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add eggs to skillet and gently fold edges up as the eggs cook to let the middle portion cook. Once egg as set, turn out of pan onto a cutting board. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion and carrot until just tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add chicken, rice, peas, cooked egg, soy sauce, and lime juice to skillet and saute several minutes until heated through. Season rice with salt and pepper to taste and top with fresh cilantro. Serve hot and enjoy!
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