Take that Benihana!

Ever since we started going to Benihana for Bill’s birthday, my older two kids have LOVED chicken fried rice. Then a few years ago a Pei Wei opened just down the street and the kids discovered they liked their version too.

A LOT.

I mentioned this to a friend at the baseball park a few weeks ago and she said she had a recipe that her family loves and that she’d share it with me.  Turns out the recipe was from Paula Deen’s magazine.  She makes a good chicken fried rice.

Paula could give Benihana a run for their money.

Yesterday I decided to commence with the stir fying and made lots of chicken fried rice.

Lots and lots.

Like 3 batches of it.

The only thing my people didn’t care for in Paula Deen’s recipe is that it has mushrooms which they didn’t love and they wanted more than two eggs (like lots more) in it.

If you would like the Paula Deen recipe, please email me.  I couldn’t find it online and scanned the recipe.  I know how to send attachments but can’t figure out how to add the attachment to the blog.  Because you know if I could do that it would mean I’m HIGH tech.  And I’m not.

I made a second batch and added four eggs instead of two.  I had enough of all the ingredients (carrots, celery, broccoli, etc.) that it seemed the best way to use it up.  I’m going to try freezing it to pull out for quick dinners.

One ingredient that Paula’s recipe called for was “Sesame Oil” which I found in the oriental section of Kroger (duh).  Anyway … when I was there buying umpteen ingredients for Paula’s recipe, I saw this little packet.  It cost 88 cents.  88 stinkin’ cents!!!!!

The clear winner for cost and, in my kids opinion, taste was “Sun Bird’s” seasoning mix recipe.  There’s also no dicing involved which renders me a huge fan!

I used four eggs instead of two and this packet only called for peas and carrots which come sold in little packets in the frozen food section so it was super EASY.

Afterwards, I had a DISASTER of a kitchen and was exhausted from chopping and slicing and dicing, but Caroline decided to look up the “official” recipe of Benihana’s.  You can find it here.

I will have to save that recipe for another day.

Or another month.

Or another year.

Because I have SO much chicken fried rice right now!  In fact, when we walked into the kitchen this morning the smell was still a bit overwhelming.  I mentioned it and Bill said … “well, you kind of had a stir fry festival yesterday.”

And yes, I guess you could say that I did.

The good news is that it’s going to be awhile before my kids ask for it again!