I love spicy foods and my Tex-Mex heritage has provided lots of inspiration helping me create dishes like Cowboy Fried Rice.
I love food, and in fact, you could say I eat for a living! And I was one happy camper when I sat down to this plate of deliciousness.
Whether you serve my Cowboy Fried Rice for breakfast, lunch or dinner, I can promise you there will be smiles at your table!
What are the ingredients needed to make Cowboy Fried Rice?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Cowboy Fried Rice. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use Brown Rice in this dish?
No you don’t. You can use your favorite type of rice, farro, or grain.
How do I make cowboy fried rice?
After gathering your ingredients the first step is to sauté the bacon and onions with olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-heat.
Next add in the garlic and let it cook for a minute before adding in the tomatoes and corn. Season with sea salt and black pepper and continue sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
Now it’s time to add the cooked brown rice and pulled pork. Turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking the mixture.
**Add additional olive oil or a little water if the ingredients start to stick.
Do I have to cook a pork roast to make this dish?
No you don’t. You can get pulled pork from your favorite barbecue restaurant (most sell it to go) or try your local grocer, many of them are now cooking their own pulled pork.
You can always buy a sauced variety and if you don’t mind the flavor of the barbecue sauce you can use it as is. If not, give it a quick rinse to get most of the sauce off the pork.
I’ve got an easy pulled pork recipe if you’re going to cook your own pork.
Do I have to use pork in my Cowboy Fried rice?
No you don’t, some of my other choices would be:
- Chicken
- Beef Brisket
- Shrimp
- Salmon (blackened would be nice)
Or leave the meat out altogether and serve it as a side dish. This is your dinner, have fun and make it fit your tastes or use what you have on hand.
The final step to making my Cowboy Fried Rice is adding the chili beans and seasonings. Mix well and continue to heat the mixture for 3-5 minutes.
**If the mixture starts to stick, add in a little water, chicken stock or vegetable stock.
Do I have to use Beans in the Cowboy Fried Rice?
No you don’t. Are you seeing a pattern here? If you’re not a fan of beans, add some of your favorite veggies instead.
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Broccoli Rabe
- Mushrooms
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Regular Potatoes
There are so many different ways you can create this dish!
Serve up the Cowboy Fried Rice with over easy or sunny-side up eggs and heated corn or flour tortillas. Add in some jalapeño slices, lime wedges, your favorite hot sauce and you’re living!
Do I have to use Fried Eggs?
No you don’t. You can leave out the eggs, or add scrambled eggs right into the fried rice. It’s your choice.
More Recipes you’ll love!
Cowboy Fried Rice with Pulled Pork & Chili Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 slices bacon diced
- 2 cloves garlic fine dice
- 1 cup sweet corn fresh, frozen or canned(drained)
- ½ cup tomatoes diced
- 4 cups cooked brown rice or your favorite rice
- 1 cup chili beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp oregano dried
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 8 large eggs
- 8 corn tortillas or flour tortillas
- 2 jalapeño seeded and sliced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- hot sauce optional
Instructions
- After gathering your ingredients the first step is to saute the bacon and onions with olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the bacon starts to crisp up.
- Next add in the garlic and let it cook for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes and corn. Season with sea salt and black pepper and continue sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked brown rice and the pulled pork. Turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking the mixture.**Add additional olive oil or a little water if the ingredients start to stick.
- The final step in making my Cowboy Fried Rice is adding the chili beans and seasonings. Mix well and continue to heat the mixture for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. When the mixture is hot, cover the pan and remove from the heat until ready to serve.**If the mixture starts to stick, add in a little water, chicken stock or vegetable stock.
- While the mixture is heating, heat the tortillas and fry the eggs for the topping.
- Serve up the Cowboy Fried Rice with over easy or sunny side up eggs and heated corn or flour tortillas. Add in some jalapeño slices, lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce and you’re living!*I like sunny side up eggs so you can see the yolks, but cook them however you like.
Nutrition
Brenda Washburn
STEP 3 STATES TO ADD TOMATOES BUT IT IS NOT LISTED IN THE INGREDIENT LIST.
I MADE THIS WITHOUT TOMATOES AND WITH BRISKET. VERY GOOD BUT FLAVOR WAS EXCELLENT THE NEXT DAY.
Chef Dennis Littley
sorry about that Brenda, it was just a half a cup of diced tomatoes and more for color than flavor. I bet it was excellent with the brisket!
Kushigalu
Love how this rice is packed with full of flavor. What a delicious dish to try. Thanks for sharing
Gail Montero
I make fried rice all the time and love this cowboy version with bacon and beans! We would thoroughly enjoy this for breakfast!
Jacqueline Debono
I love putting a fried egg on top of rice dishes! This cowboy fried rice looks delicious. I really like all the chili spices you have used! On my to make list!
Jo
I’m a hige fan of rice and this cowboy fried rice looks like my next favorite thing to try. I’m a rice eater and always looking for new recipes using rice. I love how hearty and delicious this cow boy fried rice looks.
Beth
I know that my son and daughter-in-law, who enjoy hearty morning meals, would love this for a Christmas morning breakfast. Planning ahead!
Laura Arteaga
Loved the step by step pictures, so easy to follow! Thank you for this recipe, it was lovely! Made it for dinner and kept the leftovers for breakfast 🙂
Erin
I’ll have to check out those tablets! I just recently started getting heartburn. Ugh. And this fried rice looks awesome!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
Hmm yum! I just can’t wait to try making this Cowboy fried rice! Just the sight of this makes my tummy growl.
Moop Brown
Being from Texas myself, I always love seeing tasty looking Tex-Mex recipes like this! Can’t wait to try making this one
Joyce
Wow this recipe looks super delicious! I love the fun name too!! Huge fan of fried rice so I got to try this one soon!
Stine Mari
I love Tex-Mex and all these ingredients are perfect together! What a fabulous cowboy fried rice, this is a keeper for sure.
veenaazmanov
This is Picture perfect presentation. Kids to relish every bit of it. This platter is a welcome for any meal. I love it.
Amy
This look so delicious! I love being able to try different types of fried rice! I will definitely be adding some additional hot sauce on top as I love spicy food too. Thankfully I don’t suffer from heartburn and I’m sorry that you do!
Leslie
What an impressive, hearty breakfast recipe! Nobody will be left hungry after eating this one! YUM!
Amy Liu Dong
I may say that this recipe look so delicious and tasty plus 2 eggs included makes a great appetizer. This definitely a complete meal that will boost your day ahead.
Jere Cassidy
Lordy, this is just the type of food my hubby loves so I am making this for him. This is so unique with all the ingredients and adding the egg on top is extra tasty.
Alex Ryder
Really loving the look of this dish – and I’d definitely go with fried eggs on top! Great to see you have the heartburn covered too! Being a food blogger can be tough!
Marta
This meal was in my husband’s wheel house. Many Latin American cultures add eggs to their meals, so, he was all over this. The TexMex flavors really make the dish a hit. Thanks for sharing!
Fred N
This is definitely a great comforting dinner on a cold night with the family! I love your creativity in the kitchen makes cooking so much fun. Thanks for sharing Chef!
Amy Liu Dong
I love rice a lot and this one sounds like a perfect meal for me and for my family. YUM!
Emily Woodward
Such a good idea. I loved this recipe
Gloria
Now this is my kind of recipe. I love rice. You can eat this for any meal of the day. Love those runny eggs on top of that rice.
Marie Gizelle
This would definitely be a dish I would cook if I’m not on lowcarb, we loved rice dishes at home. When I had heartburn I started going lowcarb and would drink homemade ginger tea, I don’t get heartburn now. ^_^
Rosemary
So flavorful, simple and delicious. This recipe hits the spot!!
Marysa
So many great ingredients in this recipe! Your rice sounds so flavorful and delicious.
michele
This rice dish is a hearty way to begin the day and is packed with flavour. Delicious!
Kerri
Now talk about comfort food! This just hit the spot, it was easy to make and my family raved over it!
Chritina
Yum! I love this recipe.
Gervin Khan
Wow! This recipe looks like a masterpiece and makes you entice to it. The ingredients are easy to find and the instruction is as ABC. Thanks for sharing this with us, I would definitely make this at home.
Amy
This was delicious! Definitely a great family meal.
Swathi
This Cowboy fried rice looks delicious love to try it.
Audrey
Lots of good stuff in this dish! What a fun recipe.
Audrey
Such a unique rice recipe! Lots of really good stuff in this dish.
Tara
My husband would love this dish so I’ll give this recipe a go and surprise him. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sue
I am loving this Tex Mex take on fried rice!
Kay
Such a delightful dish, a combination of my favourite things mixed into one dish! The perfect alternative to a fry up in the morning!
Kathy
This sure does look amazing. I’m saving this to make later. I have most of these ingredients already at home. I can’t wait to try this.
Emily Flint
My man is going to go crazy over these beans with pulled pork! So delicious!
Walter Pino
I have cooked a lot of your recipes and everyone them turned out great. I want thank you so much.
Chef Dennis Littley
you’re very welcome Walter. Thanks for letting me know you’ve been enjoying my recipes!
Ramona
This looked so delicious and inviting. Once I’ve seen this recipe I really fancied so I made it for lunch today and it was yummmmm. Quick and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Sunrita
Love love loooovveeeee this hearty recipe. Just reading this filled me with warmth.
Ruth I
I love eating spicy foods. This looks incredible! I’d love to dig into this recipe. My husband would love this, he loves to eat spicy foods too. Thank you for sharing this wonderful dish I’m excited to try this one!
Nikki Wayne
I love fried rice so much. This one looks addictive.
Terri A Steffes
I bookmarked this recipe for our first campout of the 2021 camping season. I cannot wait to surprise my husband with this delicious meal.
Heather
I’ve never heard of cowboy fried rice, but I absolutely have to try it. It looks delicious.
Sarah Bailey
OK now this sounds like it would be right up my street – I have to admit I do love a good fried rice, but haven’t had one quite like this before.
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
Now, this sounds like my kind of rice dish. I love the addition of the pulled pork and beans. It sounds wonderful.
Larry
This looks delicious Chef and I want to try it but I’m confused about the beans. It seems that if I drain and rinse the chili beans I just have pintos – is that the intent?
Pam Wattenbarger
Yum! We have fried rice at our house quite often and this will be a totally different take for us!
Amber Myers
This looks like my kind of fried rice. I don’t think I’ve ever tried it this way, but it looks incredible!
Joline
I would absolutely eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner! It looks so delicious and filling.
Ben
I’ve never had fried rice quite like this before. I love this southwestern take on what is traditionally an Asian dish. Very cool, Chef Dennis.
Tammy
Yummy, yum. I love recipes like these. I’m printing it out now.