Recipe for Raleigh Kanki's Garlic Chicken Fried Rice in Honor of its 50th Birthday

North Carolinians have celebrated special occasions at Kanki Japanese House of Steaks and Sushi in the Raleigh area for 50 years. My husband celebrated birthdays there as a child. We started doing the same tradition for our son, who will be 17 at the end of the year. Some people don't even have a special occasion to dine there. Instead, they enjoy the hibachi menu after a day of shopping at Crabtree Valley. 50 years in business. That is quite a milestone in the restaurant industry. 

If you've never been to Kanki Japanese House of Steaks and Sushi, you dine at a table with others unless your dining party takes up an entire hibachi grill. A server takes your order then the chef prepares your food in front of you. Each chef always has their own personality. Kids clap. Parents take photos, and it's pretty magical when a young child sees the chef turn the grill into a huge flame. Personally, I always hope I get the Teppanyaki Chef with the "wee-wee" boy who puts out the fire. Of course, not everyone loves the wee-wee boy like my family does, but that silliness, along with the fabulous yum yum sauce and the fried rice, has always made this restaurant a favorite of mine. 

Now that my kids are older, they also want sushi and the hibachi entree. It was less costly when they ate the kid's meal. Those were some good times. I rarely choose anything else but my usual filet mignon and shrimp, with my filet, always being medium-rare. The chef always nods like it's the best choice and typically gives me extra rice because half of it is gone before he can put my shrimp and steak on my plate. I always have the good intention of taking some of it home, but the white sauce mixed with the fried rice, meat, seafood, and vegetables just tastes so darn good that I end up waddling out of the restaurant with about five pounds extra in my stomach. 

Kanki has been locally owned and operated since its flagship location opened at Crabtree Valley Mall in 1972. Since then, Kanki has opened two additional locations - one in North Raleigh and one in Durham/Chapel Hill. Kanki is known for being the Triangle's favorite place for celebrations. Kanki is proud to have been voted "Best Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in the Triangle" for more than 14 years!

In honor of its 50th Anniversary, Corporate Chef Alex Cordova shared the home-chef version of fried rice with me. I'm thrilled to make this at home because I love Kanki's Fried Rice. This version is a complete meal with chicken. 

Kanki Garlic Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of steamed white rice (short or medium grain)

1/2 cup of diced chicken, cut small

1/8 cup of green onions

1/4 cup of chopped white onion

1/4 cup of chopped carrots

1 tablespoon of garlic-butter

Soy Sauce

Salt

Pepper

Sesame Seeds 

Cooking Oil

Heat oil in a pan. Add chicken. Salt and Pepper. Cook until about 1/2 way cooked. 

Add carrots and onions. Toss well. Move the mixture to one side of the pan. Add additional oil. 

Crack egg. Move the pan away from direct heat and begin to scramble the egg. 

Once scrambled, mix egg and chicken together, then add the white rice. Mix. Toss for a minute or two.  

Add 1 tablespoon of garlic butter to the rice mixture. You can add a little more if you love the flavor. Continue to mix and make sure all tiny rice clumps are separated. Finally, add a little more salt and pepper to the rice. 

Continue to cook by mixing, tossing, and removing any rice clumps.

Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Continue to mix for another minute. Toss in some sesame seeds. You do this last for it to remain crunchy. Mix.  

Plate the garlic chicken fried rice in a bowl. Toss with more sesame seeds. 

From heating oil to mixing sesame is approximately a five-minute process. Kanki calls this a single serving, but more than likely, it would feed two people unless you wanted to eat two cups of rice.  

Oh my, I now realize how much rice I eat Kanki in person.

Happy 50th Kanki!! We are so glad to celebrate with you. 

Photo Credits: Carolina Stamey