This gluten-free fried rice is a guest recipe and post by Angela of Angela’s Kitchen. She wanted to share a favorite from her dairy-free OAMC (once a month cooking) collection.
In my family when back-to-school time rolls around we not only make sure we have our notebooks and pencils, but also a plan for filling our lunch boxes. Our family of two teenagers and an elementary student pack gluten and dairy free lunches to bring to school each day. Packing a sandwich can get boring, so we have come up with other solutions for filling the noon meal. One option that appeals to all of my kids is dairy-free and gluten-free fried rice.
This recipe comes together quickly, as I usually have leftover rice or quinoa on hand. Toss in a bit of meat (this is a great meal to use up leftovers) or other protein (such as tofu), a bit of egg (optional), and vegetables for a truly enviable lunch box meal. And feel free to use different vegetables in this dairy-free and gluten-free fried rice; choose family favorites or use what is seasonally available.
I like to make a double or triple-sized batch of this recipe ahead of time and freeze it in individual lunch-sized containers. Pulling a lunch item from the freezer gives me one less thing to do on rushed fall mornings. Gluten-free fried rice thaws and reheats beautifully, making it simple to put in a lunch box with fruit and some more veggies to round out the meal.
Special Diet Notes and Options: Gluten-Free Fried Rice
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, peanut-free and tree nut-free.
For vegetarian gluten-free fried rice, omit the chicken and increase the egg, if desired. For a vegan option, diced tofu and tempeh are great protein choices in fried rice.
For soy-free, gluten-free fried rice, you can swap coconut aminos for the soy sauce. This condiment is seriously delicious, but is a little sweeter and less salty than soy sauce or tamari. For fun, you can also experiment with homemade soy sauce alternative.
- ¾ cup gluten-free chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce / tamari
- 1-1/2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons coconut or olive oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced
- 1 large egg, whisked (omit for egg-free needs)
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cups snow peas, trimmed and sliced in half on the diagonal
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups cooked and cooled rice or quinoa
- In a small bowl, whisk together the stock, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar and green onions.
- In a skillet, heat one tablespoon oil over medium-high heat, and stir-fry the chicken until cooked through. Set aside in a bowl.
- Add the egg (if using) to the skillet and scramble. Set cooked egg aside with chicken.
- Add another tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the red bell pepper and stir fry for about 2 minutes, or until the pepper is beginning to become tender.
- Add the peas and stir fry for about one minute or until the color of the pea pods brightens.
- Add the last tablespoon of oil, chicken, egg and the cooked rice or quinoa. Carefully break rice apart with spatula while stir frying. Add the chicken stock mixture, continuing to stir fry and cook until all the sauce has absorbed into rice and mixture is evenly heated.
- Serve right away, or prepare for freezing.
To serve in a lunch box: Thaw and heat mixture through. Place in a thermos bowl that has been pre-heated with hot water (put hot water in thermos bowl while heating rice. When ready to use, pour out water and add rice). Seal with thermos bowl cap.
To serve from frozen: If you have access to a microwave or stove at lunch time, place frozen rice container into lunchbox. Reheat at lunchtime according to microwave instructions or by heating in a small sauce pan on a stove.
