Bits of salty fish (tuyo), chunks of chicken, tender-crisp lettuce and flavorful rice. This Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice is such a delicious, all-in-one meal that will keep you wanting more!
Hello, hello! I am dropping in for a quick savory recipe. Lately, we have been ordering Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice quite often.
My husband tried it first with his friends, and he introduced the dish to us. It instantly became a hit. My eldest loves it. I love it. And between the three of us, we can eat one large order with Pork Egg Rolls with Mixed Veggies and still want more.
However, it is not cheap. Nope. So naturally, and with glee, I began planning to re-create the recipe at home so we can have it anytime we want.
Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice
This is basically leveled-up fried rice with more elaborate mix-ins. I don’t know about you but when I cook fried rice for my kids, all they want is some soy sauce, and maybe an egg mixed in.
Now this Fried rice is a step up to our usual one. Festive with all the veggies, chicken and of course, the salted fish. Like Bang Bang Shrimp rice Bowls and Salmon Poke Bowl, this is a complete meal in a bowl.
What You will Love about this dish
- The heart of this recipe is the salted fish, and it is flaked to tiny bits so you just kind of catch notes of saltiness every now and then in the rice, and that makes it so dang good!
- Chinese restaurants use an entirely different kind of salted fish, but to make it more adaptable and friendly to me- I used our very own cured salted fish called tuyo.
- Dare I say, tuyo have such an interesting smell and I would not fry this inside our house. So to solve that challenge, I buy cooked ones from a Filipino restaurant. All I have to do is flake them.
- Note: To flake the tuyo, I discard the head, the scales and the bones.
Let’s Make Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice
In a wide pan or skillet heat about 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken and cook until it is browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add 1 tablespoon or so of oil to the pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until softened and aromatic.
Add the tuyo flakes and stir and toss it around to infuse the oil with the flavor. Add the chopped lettuce and briefly cook, tossing around to coat them in the flavored oil.
Add the rice. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until it crisps up a bit and it is shiny and coated with oil. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and stir to distribute. Add the chicken toss everything well.
Make a well in the center of the rice mixture and pour in a scrambled egg in the middle. Cover the egg with rice mixture and let it sit without stirring for 1 minute.
Uncover and stir the egg with the rest of the mixture to distribute. Season the fried rice with salt and pepper as needed. You won’t need much because the tuyo gives it so much flavor.
Transfer to a dish and serve warm. Top with green onions. Enjoy this on its own or with your favorite fried dish! We eat this just as it is.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- If you are not comfortable cooking the tuyo (salted herring) inside the house, you can find some Filipino restaurants selling already cooked ones. You can also fry them outside, weather permitting.
- I discard the head, scales and bones of the cooked fish, but you don’t have to. You can keep them in the fried rice if you want.
- You can use any greens in place of the lettuce. Try spinach, or cabbage.
- You can swap the protein too. Instead of chicken, you can add shrimp, tofu, ground pork or beef.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are lots of salted fish in Asian cuisines. If you cannot find tuyo, try other salted fish variations. Try looking for Cantonese Salted fish, although this one may be pricey.
Other options will be salted anchovies, and smoked fish. Smoked fish will not be as salty but it imparts a nice smokey, umami flavor which is good as well.
Basically, it all comes down to preference. Since the rice is already cooked, you can actually use what you have. Just don’t use glutinous rice as those are not ideal for fried rice. I use white jasmin rice but basmati will be good as well.
Typically the rice you use will vary in texture which can affect the dish, but I do not see it being a major issue.
Enjoy delicious take-out-style fried rice at home. You will be glad to have this recipe for your meal rotations. I truly hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
More Delicious Food
- Filipino Style Lasagna
- Filipino Baked Spaghetti
- Mushroom and Rice Spicy Thai Soup
- Easy Pad Thai
- Garlic Pork Chow Mein
- Turkey Teriyaki Rice Bowl
Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice
Bits of salty fish (tuyo), chunks of chicken, tender-crisp lettuce and flavorful rice. This Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice is such a delicious, all-in-one meal that will keep you wanting more!
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 small chicken breast, chopped into 1 inch chunks
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup tuyo flakes, from about 12 pcs of tuyo (salted fish), scales, head and bones discarded
- 3 cups chopped lettuce
- 5 cups cooked rice
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce ( I used Maggi Seasoning)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper, to taste
- chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- In a wide pan or skillet heat about 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken and cook until it is browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Add 1-2 more tablespoons or so of oil to the pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until limp and aromatic. Add the tuyo flakes and stir and toss it around to infuse the oil. Add the lettuce and toss until coated with the flavored oil.
- Add the rice. Cook while stirring often for 3-5 minutes, or until it is coated lightly with oil and crisps up a bit. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and stir to distribute. Add the chicken and toss everything well.
- Make a well in the center of the rice mixture and pour in a scrambled egg in the middle. Cover the egg with rice mixture and let it sit without stirring for 1 minute., the egg should be slightly set. Uncover and stir the egg with the rest of the mixture to distribute. Cook the fried rice for a few minutes more, stirring often until everything is hot and the fried rice is aromatic.
- Season the fried rice with salt and pepper as needed. You won't need very much, Transfer to a dish and top with green onions. Serve warm.
Notes
I used 12-15 pieces of tuyo for this recipe. I discarded the scales, bones and head.
If you can find tuyo or want to make something similar to this, use anchovies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 398Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 18g
Leave a Reply