Chicken Fried Rice Casserole

I found this recipe on pinterest. I have made it a few times but hesitated to put it on the blog because in my opinion it is a lot of work to make. However, I keep making it again so I decided it was worth posting. 

Just FYI: To make the friend rice you have to cook white rice at least 24 hours in advance! 

What You Need:

For the fried rice:

2 cups uncooked white rice

1 1/2 cups of peas

1 1/2 cups of cubed carrots

2 cups ham, chopped (optional, but it is good in there!)

2 eggs

2 Tbsp oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp white sugar

1/8 tsp ginger

1 pinch crushed red pepper

For the Casserole:

1 large chicken breast (or 2)

1 lb broccoli crowns

1 small bag snow peas

For the sauce:

3/4 cup LOW SODIUM soy sauce (or it will be super salty)

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp white sugar

3/4 tsp ginger

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp garlic minced

2 Tbsp corn starch

2 Tbsp cold water

What You Do:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Start with the sauce and chicken, then while it is cooking we will make the fried rice. 

In a medium saucepan mix together soy sauce, water, sugar, ginger, sesame oil and garlic. Bring to a boil, continue boiling for 1 minute. 

In a small bowl mix together the cold water and cornstarch. Add 1 tsp of the hot soy sauce mixture to the bowl, then slowly pour it all back in the pan, whisk until it begins to thicken. 

Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour about 2/3 of soy sauce mixture over top of it.

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, remove and shred. 

To make the fried rice (to save time I like to do this while the chicken is cooking):

Cook your white rice 1-2 days before you want to make/serve the casserole. Let it dry (just leave it sitting out, covered). 

Steam the carrots and peas, set them aside (I usually just put them in a microwave safe dish, cover in water and cook for 5-6 minutes)

In a large pan, scramble the eggs, set them aside. 

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, ginger and crushed red pepper. Set aside. 

In the large pan, add the rice and oil, cook over medium heat until hot and the rice is popping. Add the sauce mixture, peas, carrots, ham, eggs and stir until heated through. 

Set aside. 

Steam the broccoli and snow peas and add them to the fried rice. After the chicken is shredded add the chicken. Mix it all together and put in a 9x13 dish. Add a few tablespoons of the left over sauce mixture and stir to mix. 

Place the dish back in the oven for 15 minutes, serve warm. 

Sadly, this is the only picture I have of this dish and it wasn't complete. But it is delicious!!