Kimchi Fried Rice with Chicken and a Runny Egg

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A fast, deeply savory Korean fried rice built on two non-negotiables: cold day-old rice that fries into separate grains, and kimchi so sour it's almost fizzy — juice and all. Chicken thigh browns in the pan first, gochujang and butter melt into the kimchi to make a glossy red base, and a soft fried egg on top turns the whole bowl into a sauce when you break it.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked short-grain white rice, cold from the fridge (day-old)
• 1 1/4 cups well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup kimchi brine from the jar
• 1 tablespoon gochujang
• 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chile flakes), optional for extra color
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 10 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, whites and greens sliced separately

• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 sheet roasted seaweed (gim), snipped into thin strips, optional

Instructions

1. Break up the cold rice with your fingers in a bowl until there are no clumps left — every grain should be loose. Squeeze the chopped kimchi lightly over a small bowl to catch its juice, and measure out 1/4 cup of brine total, topping up from the jar if needed. In that bowl, stir the brine together with the gochujang, soy sauce, and sugar until smooth.
2. Pat the chicken dry and toss with the 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil in a 12-inch nonstick or carbon steel skillet over medium-high until it shimmers, about 1 minute. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, until well browned underneath, then stir and cook 2 minutes more until just cooked through. Scrape onto a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter to the same pan over medium-high. When the butter foams, add the garlic and scallion whites and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
4. Add the chopped kimchi and fry, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes — you want the edges to darken and caramelize and the pan to smell sweet rather than raw. This step is what separates good kimchi fried rice from sour kimchi fried rice, so don't rush it.
5. Pour in the gochujang-brine mixture and let it bubble and reduce for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the rice and the gochugaru, if using, and press and toss with a spatula for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat until every grain is tinted red and you hear the rice start to crackle against the pan.
6. Return the chicken and any resting juices to the pan, toss for 1 minute to heat through, then stir in the scallion greens and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Taste and add a splash more brine or soy sauce if it needs sharpness or salt. Keep warm over the lowest heat.
7. Fry the eggs: heat a separate small nonstick skillet over medium with a thin film of oil, crack in the eggs, and cook 2 to 3 minutes until the whites are set and lacy at the edges but the yolks are still liquid. Season with a pinch of salt.
8. Divide the rice between two shallow bowls, packing it lightly and inverting for a domed shape if you like. Top each with a fried egg, drizzle with the remaining sesame oil, and scatter with sesame seeds and seaweed strips. Break the yolk and fold it through the rice as you eat.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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