Basmati rice makes excellent chicken fried rice—especially if you cook it ahead and chill it. The grains stay separate, so you get that nice restaurant-style fried rice rather than something mushy.
This a great Mitch & Tonya’s Spice Cabinet version. 😋
🍗 Mitch & Tonya’s Chicken Fried Rice
Using Basmati Rice & Cape Breton SHORELINE All Purpose Seasoning
Serves: 4–5
Best pan: Your large cast-iron skillet or wok
Ingredients
Rice & chicken
3 cups cooked, cold basmati rice — preferably cooked the day before
2 cups cooked chicken, diced small
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp butter
Vegetables
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
½ cup finely diced onion
2 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Eggs
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp butter or oil
Seasoning
1½ tsp Mitch & Tonya’s SHORELINE All Purpose Seasoning
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground ginger
Sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp brown sugar
🔥 Let's make it
1. Get the rice ready
If you're cooking the basmati specifically for fried rice, cook it with slightly less water than you normally would. Spread the cooked rice onto a large baking sheet and let it cool completely.
Cold rice is the secret. Warm, freshly cooked rice tends to steam instead of fry.
2. Make the egg
Heat your skillet over medium-high/high heat.
Add 1 Tbsp butter or oil.
Beat the eggs and pour them into the hot skillet. Scramble them until just cooked, then remove them to a plate.
3. Fry the chicken
Add the 2 Tbsp oil and the chicken.
Let the chicken sit against the hot skillet for a minute or two so it gets a little colour.
Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for about 1–2 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables
Add the peas and carrots.
Cook for about 2 minutes until heated through.
5. Here's where the magic happens
Add your cold basmati rice.
Break up any clumps and spread the rice across the skillet. Let it sit undisturbed for about 30–45 seconds, then toss/stir.
Repeat that a couple of times.
You're trying to get some of those beautiful little toasted bits of rice.
6. Season it
Sprinkle over:
1½ tsp SHORELINE
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ginger
Toss everything together.
7. Add the sauce
Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar.
Drizzle it around the hot sides of the skillet, rather than dumping it all in one spot.
Then toss the rice through it.
That gives the sauce a chance to caramelize slightly before coating the rice.
8. Finish
Return the scrambled egg to the skillet.
Add the green onions.
Toss everything together for another minute.
Taste before adding any more salt—the soy sauce and SHORELINE will already bring plenty of seasoning.
⭐ One thing I do differently with my spices
I actually keep SHORELINE as the main seasoning rather than using a traditional Chinese five-spice blend.
Your SHORELINE has that versatile savoury profile that would work beautifully with the chicken, egg and vegetables without making the fried rice taste like a completely different dish.
If you want a little Mitch & Tonya's kick, though, I'd put ¼ tsp of FORGE into the sauce.
That would give you a Chicken Fried Rice with a Cape Breton kick without making it painfully hot. 🔥
And if you're using leftover roasted or BBQ chicken, that's even better—the little smoky bits of chicken mixed through the basmati rice would be fantastic.
