+ ---
+ title: Chicken hibachi bowl with fried rice
+ lede: Griddle-seared chicken breast, charred vegetables, and egg fried rice cooked in sequence on a flat-top, finished with soy, garlic, and lemon.
+ eyebrow: WEEKNIGHT / GRIDDLE
+ tags: [weeknight, high-protein]
+ serves: "4"
+ total_time: "35m"
+ hero: photos/hero.jpg
+ ---
+
+ ## Ingredients
+
+ ### Chicken
+ - 1 lb | boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
+ - 1 tbsp | avocado oil
+ - 1 tbsp | low-sodium soy sauce
+ - 0.5 tbsp | garlic, minced
+ - salt and black pepper, to taste
+
+ ### Vegetables
+ - 1 tbsp | butter
+ - 0.5 tbsp | garlic, minced
+ - 1 | zucchini, cut into half-moons
+ - 1 | white onion, sliced
+ - 8 oz | broccoli florets, cut small
+ - 8 oz | snap peas
+ - 8 oz | water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
+ - 1 tbsp | low-sodium soy sauce
+ - salt and black pepper, to taste
+
+ ### Fried rice
+ - 1 tbsp | avocado oil
+ - 2 | eggs
+ - 14 oz | cold cooked rice, day-old
+ - 1 tbsp | low-sodium soy sauce
+ - 1 | lemon, juiced
+ - 3 | green onions, chopped
+
+ ### To serve
+ - yum-yum sauce, to taste
+
+ ## Method
+
+ ### Preheat the griddle
+ Set the flat-top to its highest setting and give it a full 10 minutes to come up to heat. Flick a drop of water onto the surface; when it skitters and vanishes fast rather than sitting, you are ready to cook.
+
+ > note: piling food on and then clearing it drops the surface temperature. Let the griddle recover between stages, checking with the water-drop test each time.
+
+ ### Sear the chicken
+ Add the avocado oil, then lay the cubed chicken out in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Leave it undisturbed for 1 minute to build color, then turn and cook 3–4 minutes more, until the cubes are white through with no pink at the center.
+
+ 
+
+ ### Finish and pull the chicken
+ In the last minute, add the soy sauce and half the garlic and toss for 30 seconds. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent loosely with foil; it will finish through carryover while you cook the rest.
+
+ ### Char the first vegetables
+ Scrape the griddle clean and let it return to heat. Melt the butter, add the remaining garlic, then the broccoli, zucchini, and onion. Cook 4–5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green with charred edges and the onion turns translucent.
+
+ 
+
+ ### Add the snap peas
+ Push the first vegetables to the plate with the chicken, then add a teaspoon of oil and the snap peas to the cleared surface. Cook 2–3 minutes until bright green and still crisp, then stir in the water chestnuts for 1 minute to warm through. Move everything to the plate.
+
+ ### Fry the rice
+ Clear the griddle and let it recover. Add the avocado oil, crack in the eggs, and scramble quickly. Add the cold rice, press it flat against the surface, then add the soy sauce and lemon juice. Stir-fry 3–4 minutes, letting the rice sit between tosses so it crisps.
+
+ > note: cold day-old rice fries far better than fresh. Fresh rice steams and clumps.
+
+ ### Combine and serve
+ Fold the green onions into the rice, then return the chicken and vegetables to the griddle. Toss everything together for 1 minute over reduced heat to reheat and marry. Plate and serve with yum-yum sauce.
