Chicken Rice (チキンライス)
Chicken rice is a stir-fried rice dish created in Japan, with thinly sliced chicken flavored with ketchup.
Summary
Chicken rice is a western style dish which originated in Japan. The main ingredients, such as chicken, onions, mushrooms, carrots, green peas, and corn, are finely chopped or diced and stir-fried with rice. Some versions of chicken rice are cooked like a pilaf rather than being fried. Chicken rice is not only eaten as it is, but in many cases it is also served as a rice omelette: chicken rice wrapped in thinly fried beaten eggs.
In most cases, it is flavored with ketchup. Thus, sometimes chicken rice is misunderstood to be stir-fried rice flavored with ketchup, regardless of whether it contains chicken or not. Sometimes dishes containing ham or bacon are called chicken rice.
Basically, the method of cooking is to heat a little oil in a frying pan, stir-fry the chicken until it gets brown, then add the other ingredients. After cooking them for a while, add the cooked rice. Season it with salt and pepper, before finally adding the ketchup and stir-frying it until it is ready.
At Shiseido Parlor, a prestigious western style restaurant in Tokyo, ketchup is not used to flavor chicken rice. Instead, chicken, onions and mushrooms stewed in a tomato sauce are mixed and stir-fried with the rice.
Like chahan (Chinese-style fried rice), chicken rice is a staple of children's lunches served in restaurants. Typically, chicken rice is served in the shape of a mountain with a small flag as a decoration on top.
Chicken rice outside Japan
Hainanese chicken rice is a specialty in Singapore. It is referred to as Hainanese chicken rice in Japan.
Arroz con pollo is a dish popular in South and Central America, and is also known as chicken rice.