Earlier in the week I made this tomato braised chicken recipe (using leg-thigh pieces instead of just thighs, served with brown rice and a sprinkle of parsley). It was okay, but maybe not something I’d do again. After that meal there was leftover chicken and rice, so we were all set for chicken fried rice the next day.

I thought we didn’t have enough rice for all of us, so I cooked some quinoa (a grain that no one in this house really seems to like), cooled it in the freezer as time allowed and fried it up with the leftover rice.

(And note, I think it was the best I’ve ever cooked quinoa. I rinsed under running water for several minutes, squishing it in my hands, and simmered it 1 c quinoa to 1.75 c water.)

This time I cooked all the ingredients separately before combining with the rice/quinoa. I’ve read that this is the best way to do a stir fry, so all the ingredients are cooked perfectly. I don’t know if it made much of a difference, but it’s easier if you’re prepping ahead (say, during naptime) and then you can throw all the cooked ingredients together when it’s time for dinner.

It was good, and reheated well the next day. I don’t know that I’m going to go out of my way to include quinoa, but it’s nice to know it’s an option.