Chicken and Corn Fried Rice

Delicious, kid friendly, and cheap! Does it get any better?

It may not seem like spinach with lemon juice would go well with chicken and corn fried rice, but trust me, this works! The different flavors, textures and temperatures go perfectly together. I tried this out on my kids, and all of them loved it (and 2 out of 3 even ate the spinach). This comes from Chef Ming Tsai who responded to a challenge to some of the nation's best cooks: Come up with a meal that is family-friendly, budget-conscious, and delicious. IMO, he nailed all three!

NOTE: I skipped the whole chicken step. I just bought a ready-made roasted chicken (Costco's are really good) and shredded it. I also just did white rice, because I didn't want to cook two different kinds of rice. I'm lazy.

Chicken and Corn Fried Rice

Serves 4

1 pound ground chicken
2 eggs
1 large yellow onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 ears of corn when in season, or 1 bag frozen (12 ounces)
1/2 (10 ounces) bag spinach (washed, spun dry, de-stemmed, leaves torn)
2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
4 cups cold, cooked long-grain rice, brown and white combination, preferably day-old so it's nice and dry*
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Canola oil

Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with oil. When oil shimmers add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown, breaking up any large chunks with wooden spoon or spatula. Remove chicken to a plate. Add about 1/2-inch oil to wok and allow to heat; add eggs, which will puff up. Cook scrambled eggs and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If necessary, add more oil to wok to lightly coat, then add onions, garlic, and powdered ginger, and cook until nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add corn, rice, chicken and egg, and toss to combine. Add naturally brewed soy sauce, toss to combine, and check for seasoning. Place mound of raw spinach in center of four dinner plates. Drizzle with lemon juice and season. Top with fried rice to cover. Enjoy!

*Alternatively, if you're not cooking rice the day before, place the cooked rice in a single layer on a sheet tray, and place in freezer to cool and dry.