Easy Governor’s Chickpea Fried Rice! It’s quick to make, easy to customize to what you’ve got on hand, and absolutely ideal for busy weeknights when you want takeout vibes without the delivery wait.
This Easy Governor’s Chickpea Fried Rice is my kind of fast: a cozy, Chinese-inspired dish that turns plain leftover rice into something seriously crave-worthy. Loaded with hearty chickpeas and packed with big punchy-sour, sweet, and salty flavor, every bite hits that perfect balance that makes you keep going back for “just one more spoonful.”
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
We LOVE a great fried rice that makes quick work of our leftover rice, and this one totally delivered; we devoured it. The sauce clings to every grain, the chickpeas add satisfying bite, and the flavor is deliciously bold.
If you’re looking for an easy and healthy chickpea fried rice recipe with that classic Chinese takeout energy, you gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Easy Governor’s Chickpea Fried Rice is a fast and easy Chinese dish that is filled with punchy-sour, sweet, and salty deliciousness. The rice is coated in a sticky sauce that is pure comfort food.
- What is the Difference Between Governor’s and General Tso’s? Governor’s and General Tso’s are very similar. Governor’s generally has a more ginger flavored sauce. General Tso’s is often served with broccoli while Governor’s is often accompanied with bell peppers. Governor’s often has peanuts, but we left them out, feel free to add them if you wish. Dependent on who you talk to, it would appear that Governor’s is often spicier. We kept this dish at a mild to moderate heat level so our kids could enjoy the dish. Feel free to increase the crushed red pepper flakes to increase the heat if you wish.
- Sherry Vinegar: Sherry vinegar is often used with the Governor’s recipe. It has a sharp, clean tang to it. If you are not into a little tang, then feel free to cut it back or feel free to use rice vinegar if you wish; however, if you use rice vinegar, then scale back, starting on the low side and taste testing as you go.
- Sweet and Sour: If you want more sour, then use less maple syrup. If you enjoy more sweetness, then use the full 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup.
- Taste Testing the Sauce: The good news is you can taste test the sauce as you are building it. Be sure not to add the cornstarch while you are in the taste testing phase. This way you can get a very solid picture of what the sauce tastes like before committing it to the recipe. Once you are happy with the flavor, then add the cornstarch. The cornstarch thickens the sauce when it cooks and the cornstarch flavor is cooked away once it gets hot.
- Cooked and Refrigerated Rice: Cooked and refrigerated rice works best when making this dish. If you use recently cooked rice, it will be too gummy and sticky. Using cooked and refrigerated rice (preferably made the day before or earlier in the day) allows the rice to dry out enough to showcase distinct individual grains of rice making a better textured dish.
- Why Give the Chickpeas a Rough Chop? Place the chickpeas on a cutting board and give them a very rough chop. Do not over-chop them. It’s perfectly fine to have plenty of whole chickpeas. Rough chopping some of the chickpeas creates a better mouthfeel. If you do not want to give them a rough chop that is perfectly fine as well. If some of the chickpea skins peel off, simply discard them.
- Why Finely Chop the Red Bell Pepper? Finely chopping the red bell pepper, allows for a great distribution of the bell peppers, and allows for them to cook quickly for this rice stir fry.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: If you enjoy a spicy dish, increase the amount of red pepper flakes.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered air-tight container.
This dish can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
- Molasses: We used Grandma’s Unsulfured Original Molasses. Feel free to use your favorite molasses. We do not recommend black strap molasses as it can sometimes be bitter. You can leave the molasses out of the dish if you wish. The molasses adds excellent depth of flavor and is reminiscent of brown sugar.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large skillet
If you try this bold dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Easy Governor’s Chickpea Fried Rice
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 Minutes
- Yield: 3 ½ Cups 1x
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Easy Governor’s Chickpea Fried Rice is my kind of fast: a cozy, Chinese-inspired dish that turns plain leftover rice into something seriously crave-worthy.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper, fine dice *
- 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] chickpeas, drained, rinsed, drained well, rough chop *
- 2 cups cooked and refrigerated brown rice (or rice of choice) *
- 4 to 5 green onions, sliced
Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium tamari *
- 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar *
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (+/-)
- 1 teaspoon molasses *
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (+/-)
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger (+/-)
- Pinch to ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (+/-)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
Instructions
- Prep all the Base ingredients as the recipe comes together quickly. In other words, chop the red bell pepper, rough chop the chickpeas, and slice the green onions, set aside.
- Place all the Sauce Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk to well combine, set aside.
- Add the finely diced red bell peppers into a large skillet, heat over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until they reach the desired tenderness. Add a splash of water, if needed to prevent burning.
- Add the roughly chopped chickpeas, and sauté for several minutes, then add the Sauce Mixture and increase the heat to a high heat, stir constantly until the sauce starts to thicken, reduce the heat to medium, then cook for several minutes.
- Add the cooked and refrigerated rice and sliced green onions, stir well to ensure all the rice and green onions are evenly coated, then heat for several minutes until the rice is hot and heated through. Be sure to watch the mixture to ensure it does not burn.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Products Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Equipment Used.
Servings: 2 to 3 (makes 3 ½ cups)
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