A Bag Of Potato Chips Is All You Need To Add A Crunch To Fried Rice

If you've ever found yourself eating fried rice and wishing the dish had just a little bit more crunch to make the texture more dynamic, then we have the perfect recipe for you. As it turns out, the solution to the lack of crunch in a bowl of fried rice is none other than a classic pantry staple: potato chips.

If you're intrigued, then look no further than Tasting Table's Weathering With You-inspired potato chip fried rice recipe, which was developed by Rika Hoffman. The recipe gets its name because Hoffman was inspired by a scene in the anime, "Weathering with You," that shows a character adding seaweed-flavored chips to fried rice. It consists of everything you would find in a traditional beef fried rice recipe — including carrots, scallions, eggs, and so on — but topped with chips.  

According to Hoffman, the addition of chips really takes the familiar dish to the next level. She describes, "The salty crunch of crushed chips provides variability of texture in every bite." Plus, because the chips are added to the finished recipe, it's easy to decide exactly how much crunch you want — Hoffman even recommends keeping some chips on the side, in case you want to add more as you eat.

Arguably the most important question when it comes to this recipe is what kind of chips to use in the dish. Hoffman opts for classic salted ripple potato chips but notes that there are plenty of other flavors that would work just as well. She suggests, "Sour cream and onion or black pepper potato chips would be especially delicious."

If you have a taste for spicy food, then adding a potato chip with a kick is the perfect way to upgrade your fried rice into spicy territory. You could try Kettle Jalapeño potato chips or Chili Lime Sun Chips. If you're looking for a zingier lime flavor, try Lay's Limón potato chips. Meanwhile, for a unique twist, you could opt for a barbecue-flavored potato chip, such as the classic Lay's BBQ, Lay's Honey BBQ, or Kettle Bourbon BBQ for a real fusion of flavors.

Using potato chips in recipes is the perfect way to get creative with familiar dishes, so try out a few of these variations in your fried rice to see which you like the best.