Sticky Asian Chicken with Fried Rice

On my quest to eat healthier, I am constantly looking for new ideas and new ways with the same foods. We eat quite a lot of chicken in our house but chicken can be so bland and boring if you just cook it normally. I mean you can only eat so many grilled chicken breasts a week.

Yesterday I had a SERIOUS craving for sticky and sweet chicken but how do you make sticky and sweet chicken healthier? It’s packed full of oil and sugar usually. I couldn’t do TOO much about the sugar but I removed the fat from the marinade completely and instead of using more fat to cook the chicken, I just very simply placed them on a grilling rack over a roasting tray and grilled them in the oven whilst continuously basting them with the sweet and fragrant marinade.

Fried rice is another thing that doesn’t exactly conjure up images of healthy lifestyles but with this recipe, once again I tried to keep it Low GI and low fat and to make it even healthier, you could add more veg. Sugar snap peas, baby corn, green beans and broccoli will all be perfect.

To add to our daily vegetable quota, I served the rice and chicken with some finely sliced cucumber that I just seasoned and added a splash of vinegar to. Just delicious.

Serves 4

1kg chicken pieces
1/2 cup low salt soy sauce
4tbsn fish sauce
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
1tbsn fresh ginger, minced
4 garlic cloves, crushed

2-3 cups basmati rice, cooked (perfect way to use up left over rice)
1 large red pepper, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
4 spring onions/ scallions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2tsp fresh ginger, minced
3 eggs, beaten
soy sauce, fish sauce and lemon juice to taste

• For the chicken, combine all the marinade ingredients and add the chicken pieces. Allow to marinade for up to 2 hours.
• Place on a wire rack over a roasting tray and grill, basting throughout.
• For the rice, fry the red pepper, carrots and spring onions in 1tbsn oil until they start to go golden, Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute.
• Add the rice and stir to combine with the vegetables. make a hollow in the centre of the rice and pour in the beaten eggs.
• Allow the egg to cook slightly and stir through the rice.
• Add soy sauce, fish sauce and lemon juice and taste. Adjust the seasoning slightly if necessary.
• Serve the chicken and rice with freshly sliced cucumber.