DINNER

Nasi Goreng (Chicken Fried Rice)

A tasty, healthier take on fried rice that cooks in one pan and makes great leftovers.

By Michelle Fenner
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Prep
15 minutes
Cook
20 minutes
Total
35 minutes
Serves
6
Scale:

Ingredients

Method

  1. 1

    Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat.

  2. 2

    Add the chilli and garlic and stir for 10 seconds, then add the onion and cook until lightly browned.

  3. 3

    Add the chicken and mushroom and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Add 1 tbsp kecap manis, mix it through and allow it to caramelise slightly.

  4. 4

    Add the rice, the remaining 2 tbsp kecap manis and the fish sauce. Mix the rice through, then let it brown on the bottom slightly before stirring. Repeat so most of the rice has a chance to go a little brown and crisp.

  5. 5

    When you are happy with the texture of the rice, add the chopped vegetables and edamame and let them soften a little.

  6. 6

    Make a few holes in the rice and crack the eggs in. Cover them with rice to cook. If you get impatient waiting, scramble them in the pan until set, then mix the egg through the rice.

  7. 7

    Serve with fresh tomato and cucumber on the side if you like.

Michelle’s note: Inspired by Nagi from RecipeTin Eats, with a few changes to make it healthier. Cook the rice the day before so it dries out a little (short on time? Spread it on paper towel on a tray and pop it in the fridge, or the freezer if you need it tonight). Brown rice adds extra fibre, and a good variety of vegetables bulks the dish up with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. This version uses 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil instead of the original 2.5 tbsp, and EVOO copes well with high-heat cooking. Add the vegetables after the rice has browned, or they release liquid and make the rice hard to fry.

Nutrition (per serving)

1440 kJ
Energy
18.8g
Protein
43.1g
Carbs
9.3g
Fat
1.8g
Sat. Fat
5.4g
Fibre
12.2g
Sugar
523mg
Sodium

Estimated from the FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database. Actual values will vary depending on the specific products used — not a substitute for individual dietary advice.

🥕 Nourished by Michelle · mobiledietitian.com.au

Healthy Nasi Goreng – Chicken Fried Rice

I do love a good fried rice. I found this one at Recipe Tin Eats by Nagi and have made a few modifications to make it healthier. Fried rice is typically notoriously high in oil, thus the fried name. I have found that it doesn’t need as much oil as is normally recommended and that you can use a healthy oil without too many flavour changes.

Another thing I love about Nasi Goreng is that it is a one pot meal and it is great as leftovers. The down side is that you have to prepare the rice the day before typically, as the rice needs to dry out a bit before it is used. So that takes a bit of fore thought and planning – which I do advocate for anyway in having a healthy diet. Nagi does give tips on how to do a short preparation for the rice which just involves placing it in the fridge or freezer depending on the amount of time you have before you need it. So give that a go if you forgot to pre-cook the rice. I tend to put the rice on paper towel on a tray, in the fridge if I forgot to do it the day before. But I will put it in the freezer if it is late in the day and I need it that evening.

Another point to note is that with the vegetables it is a good idea to add them after the rice has been browned. If you cook them earlier, you end up with a lot of liquid in the pan which makes frying the rice more difficult.

Have a go and let me know if you enjoyed it!

Other easy and nourishing rice dishes:

If you enjoyed this rice dish, you may find my Easy Sushi Bowl recipe to be delicious, nourishing and easy to whip up!

My Salmon Mornay is a great one for those that don’t like fish but are trying to include it in there healthy eating plan.