Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Published 2/28/2021
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This easy chicken fried rice recipe makes takeout a breeze in your own kitchen. In this post, we’ll teach you how to make chicken fried rice and share some alternate variations as well.
If you’re anything like me, you crave takeout more nights than none. Chicken fried rice is such a fun and simple meal that you can make in your own kitchen.
I love this meal because it can be a stand alone recipe, or you can serve it up with other Asian-inspired dishes such as Instant Pot Cashew Chicken, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, or Beef and Broccoli.
Chicken Fried Rice Made Easy
One-Pot: no need to dirty up a million and one dishes when you can make chicken fried rice in one pot!
Veggie-Packed: it wouldn’t be a Fit Foodie Finds recipe without extra veggies. Our chicken fried rice recipe comes complete with lots of veggies + we’re sharing other veggie add-in ideas below.
Simple Ingredients: what I love about chicken fried rice is that it’s truly made with simple ingredients and flavors you probably already have in your own kitchen.
High protein: not only do you get protein from the chicken, but there’s also scrambled eggs in chicken fried rice, which adds extra protein.
Chicken Fried Rice Ingredients
Chicken fried rice is commonly made with long-grain white rice, carrots, peas, chicken, scrambled eggs, and an easy brown sauce. Here’s what you need for our easy chicken fried rice receipe:
- olive oil
- chicken breast
- garlic powder
- garlic powder
- green onions 3 small carrots, minced (1 cup)
- white rice
- bell pepper
- peas
- eggs
- soy sauce
- maple syrup
- rice vinegar
- fish sauce
What kind of rice is best for fried rice?
We recommend using long-grain white rice. Our preference is jasmine, but basmati rice works too.
#1 Tip for Fried Rice
Our #1 tip for perfect chicken fried rice is to use chilled rice. We know this adds an additional step and a bit of planning, but cold rice really does create the best result.
If you use warm or hot rice, you’re going to get extra moisture in the pan while frying. That’s why, cold rice really is the best.
Idea!
Planning to get Asian takeout? Buy a couple extra pints of white rice and pop it in the refrigerator. Cold white rice is the best kind of rice for homemade chicken fried rice.
Easy Swaps
Protein: not a lover of chicken? Try using shrimp or beef instead.
Veggies: chicken fried rice is such a great recipe to add any and all veggies to. Try adding broccoli, bok choy, bell peppers, or cauliflower.
Make it gluten-free: to make this gluten-free, make sure to use tamari instead of soy sauce. Also make sure to use a gluten-free certified fish sauce.
Make it vegan: to make this vegan, omit the chicken. You can either serve it as-is or sub the chicken for tofu.
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice
- Make Fried Rice Sauce: first, make your fried rice sauce. Simply combine all of the ingredients together and set aside.
- Cook Chicken: cook chicken in olive oil and a little soy sauce. Make sure your chicken is cut into thin, small pieces.
- Fry Rice and Veggies: remove chicken and add more olive oil. Then, fry the veggies and white rice for around 6-9 minutes or until the veggies are cooked. Add fried rice sauce and mix again.
- Scrambled Eggs: Finally, create a well in the center of your frying pan. Crack in 3 large eggs and use a fork to scramble. Add a little soy sauce and cook over the heat until fully cooked. Make sure not to break the eggs up too much as you want to keep them in larger chunks.
More fried rice!
Homemade fried rice doesn’t have to stop here. Check out some of our other fried rice variations:
- Easy Fried Rice (vegetarian)
- Cauliflower Fried Rice (low carb)
- Instant Pot Fried Rice (made with brown rice)
Chicken Fried Rice Variations
- Add pineapple: Right before serving, add diced pineapple and mix.
- Use brown rice: More of a brown rice kind of person? Feel free to use either long-grain or short-grain brown rice 1:1.
- Use a different protein: Try using a different such as shrimp or beef. Or, you can even use ground chicken instead of chunked.
Storage
Let chicken fried rice cool completely. Then, transfer it into an airtight container and seal. Store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Can you freeze chicken fried rice?
Chicken fried rice can easily be frozen. If you are planning to freeze cooked chicken fried rice, we recommend not scrambling the eggs in and doing this part once you’ve thawed and reheated it.
Let chicken fried rice cool completely. Then, transfer into a gallon-size bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
Fried Rice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced into small chunks
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce, separated
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 8 green onions, minced
- 3 small carrots, minced (1 cup)
- 4 cups cooked chilled white rice, or brown*
- 1 large red pepper, minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 large eggs
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- First, begin by preparing fried rice sauce. Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
- Next, cook chicken. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large frying pan and heat over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant add chicken breast and season with garlic powder. Then, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Saute over medium/high heat for around 5 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Then, remove chicken from the pan, keeping the excess oil and liquid in the pan.
- Next, add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and then add only the white parts of the green onion and minced carrot. Saute over medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes. Then, add white rice and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add red pepper and frozen peas and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add fried rice sauce and cooked chicken and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn heat down to medium and then create a large well in the center of your pan. Crack in 3 large eggs and scramble. Then, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce to the scrambled eggs and mix. Let eggs cook in the pan, folding them onto themselves while maintaining larger chunks of scrambled eggs. Once the eggs are fully cooked, mix everything together co combine.
- Serve chicken fried rice with the green parts of the green onion.
Tips & Notes
- Rice: this recipe works best with chilled rice. We suggest making your rice ahead of time and chilling in the fridge overnight. This helps remove moisture from the rice before frying.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this for my husband who loooooves fried rice! It’s always what he orders. And he absolutely LOVED it! In fact, as I was making my grocery list this week he asked if I could get the ingredients to make fried rice again!
This makes us so happy!!
Made this last night for the family – a huge hit and will definitely make again. Recipe was spot on and soooo good. We topped with a bit of sriracha at serving time.
Love the sriracha add! Glad you guys loved this 🙂