Easy Kimchi Fried Rice

I make my mom’s Chinese fried rice almost weekly, whenever I need a quick meal and want to clean out the fridge. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I could add my favourite Korean flavours into my go-to meal, and it was a serious game changer. With the addition of two classic Korean ingredients (kimchi and gochujang), the dish is totally transformed into a dinner that’s spicy, exciting, and such an easy weeknight meal (plus, it makes for great leftovers!)

I used mushrooms, spinach, and leftover rotisserie chicken to make this dish, but you could essentially sub in any veggies and protein that you like. I think carrots, red peppers, or zucchini would make a great addition, which is always handy when you want to make dinner in a pinch, or want to clean out the fridge and get rid of odds and ends.

To make this recipe extra speedy, I use pre-cooked rice and chicken. If you don’t have these on hand, just cook your rice according to package instructions, and cook chicken sliced thighs or breast in oil and a little gochugaru and soy sauce in the same wok, and then set aside until step 3. I also add a crispy fried egg on top because I just love the way it oozes onto the rice, but this is totally optional.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked rice (dry, leftover rice works best)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 cup kimchi, chopped
• 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
• 3-4 tablespoons gochugaru (less if you don’t like spice, more if you do)
• 2 tablespoons soya sauce
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 package mushrooms, sliced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• Crispy fried eggs, to serve (optional)
• Crispy seaweed, to serve (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pan or wok, heat cooking oil on medium-high and add in chopped kimchi, sautéing for a couple minutes until it’s slightly browned.
2. Add in mushrooms and spinach, cooking for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms have softened and spinach has wilted.
3. Add in chicken, cooked rice, soya sauce and gochugaru, mixing thoroughly until gochugaru is coating all ingredients.
4. Let rice mixture sizzle and crisp up on medium-low, tossing occasionally so the bottom doesn’t get burnt or too crispy.
5. Serve into bowls and top with crispy fried egg, green onions, and seaweed.