Rice has always been a favorite at the Chaston house. My father lived in Japan for two years and prepared us wonderful rice dishes, instilling in us a love for Japanese cuisine. My step-grandfather was Filipino and I remember him making the best Filipino fried rice for us when I was very young.
Admittedly, this recipe is not true Filipino fried rice. Through the years, we’ve adjusted from green onions to regular onions, added more bacon, and settled on a very dense, sticky rice. Please note that instant rice will disintegrate in the hot bacon grease.
Now if you have a favorite bacon, use it but I think the maple bacon gives this adapted fried rice dish a sweet and flavorful undertone that cuts the through the other savory flavors.
Fried rice is Erik’s favorite meal. So since we all have favorite foods and things, take a listen to “My Favorite Things” played by legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.
Ingredients
- 3 scoops Botan® Calrose Rice for rice cooker
- 1 pound Hormel® Black Label® Maple Bacon
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
- 1 pound frozen peas, thawed
- 1 15-ounce can kernel corn, drained
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook rice in rice cooker according to directions. Rice will be sticky. Remove pan from rice cooker and allow rice to cool.
- Cut bacon into half-inch pieces. Place bacon pieces loosely in a large frying pan. Cook bacon until it is crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and drain on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels.
- Pour bacon grease into a heat-tempered container.
- Return 6 tablespoons bacon to large frying pan.
- Over medium heat, sauté diced onion. Add cooked chicken breast pieces. Stir.
- Add rice, breaking up clumps and stirring to coat with bacon grease.
- Make a large open circle in the center of the pan. Put peas in center of pan allowing them to heat up for a minute then stir into rice.
- Add corn. Stir.
- Sprinkle rice mixture with black pepper and salt. Stir.
- Serve topped with bacon pieces. (Putting the bacon into the rice mixtures makes the bacon rubbery.)