This Low-Effort Weeknight Dinner Virtually Makes Itself

I’m all the time chasing crispy. It is one in all my favourite textures in meals. I’ve been identified to take issues too far within the pursuit of deep browning (see my ultra-crispy fried egg experiments). On the subject of fried rice, I would like that very same distinction: nutty, golden grains with loads of crispy edges. That’s the attraction of this sheet-pan model—it’s about rethinking the strategy to work across the limitations and challenges of stir-frying at house whereas creating an exquisite texture within the grains.

Why Use A Sheet Pan?

In a typical stir-fried rice, the aim is fluffy, separate grains, frivolously coated in oil, and evenly seasoned. A scorching wok can create a little bit of texture the place the rice meets the pan, however the aim is not usually crispy rice. For these of us who wish to push the crispy issue additional, there’s positively room for extra. Plus, it would not assist in the search for additional crisp that almost all of us aren’t cooking on high-BTU wok burners at house. 

This recipe borrows from Kenji’s straightforward fried rice approach however ditches the stovetop in favor of a scorching oven and a preheated sheet pan. That swap does imply giving up wok hei, but when we’re being actual, that’s fairly onerous to attain at house anyway. The at-home stovetop technique additionally usually requires stir-frying in smaller batches, lest the components pile up and steam.

Through the use of a sheet pan, you get extra floor space for browning, a principally hands-off course of, and the flexibility to cook dinner double the quantity of rice—4 cups as an alternative of the standard two. It’s not an alternative choice to basic wok-fried rice, and it’s not attempting to be. It’s a sensible, scalable technique that delivers massive taste and a crispy texture that some (like me) favor.

Ideas for Sheet-Pan Fried Rice Success

Hold It Easy 

I hold the ingredient checklist restrained, very like Kenji’s unique recipe, as a result of good fried rice doesn’t want a lot. Onion and carrot deliver sweetness and a young crunch, garlic and scallions spherical out the fragrant base, and frozen peas add a young, barely snappy chew that contrasts with the rice.

May you employ a bag of frozen blended greens as an alternative of dicing carrots? Completely. Any mixture will work: peas and carrots, peas with inexperienced beans, perhaps some corn tossed in. Simply be certain they’re absolutely defrosted and drained earlier than including. I’d skip mixes with broccoli and mushrooms; each are likely to have excessive water content material, which turns to steam when heated and prevents the rice from browning. 

Keep in mind That The Rice Is the Actual Star 

Should you’ve ever made fried rice, you most likely know that day-old rice is right, particularly if it’s had an opportunity to dry out. However with this technique, you may get nice outcomes from recent rice, too, although some drying of the grains first helps the ultimate texture of the dish. Simply unfold the cooked rice out on a sheet pan whereas it’s nonetheless scorching to permit the floor moisture to evaporate.

What issues most is that the rice is damaged into particular person grains earlier than tossing it with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and fish sauce, then spreading it on the pan. That is the way you keep away from bare patches of rice that flip into gummy clumps whereas guaranteeing golden, crispy edges. It’s not closely sauced or spice-forward—if that’s what you’re after, attempt nasi goreng or our kimchi fried rice as an alternative.

If You Do Wish to up the Ante, Add a Protein and, Perhaps, a Little Warmth 

Simply because this sheet pan technique makes it troublesome so as to add bits of scrambled egg to the rice doesn’t imply you may’t add an egg one other means—like placing a fried one on prime. I like to recommend utilizing an extra-crispy one which’s frizzled on the perimeters however nonetheless has a runny yolk.

Wish to add a protein? We’ve received recipes for shrimp fried rice, pork fried rice, and Chinese language sausage fried rice you can look to for inspiration, although many cooked proteins will work. Should you’re including one thing like shredded hen, small shrimp, or cubed tofu, be certain they’re minimize into bite-sized items. Cook dinner it individually first (sure, this does complicate the sheet-pan recipe a bit), then stir it in with the peas on the finish—simply lengthy sufficient to heat via with out overcooking. 

You possibly can even add some warmth, if you happen to need. A squirt of sriracha, a spoonful of gochujang, or my private favourite, a drizzle of chili crisp. Does it want it? No. However that does not imply you will not get pleasure from it.

This isn’t a conventional technique for fried rice, but it surely’s low-effort and high-reward, with no particular set-up required. And when you style these nutty, golden, crispy grains scraped from the sheet pan, you may not return to the stovetop technique anytime quickly.

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