There is just something ever so comforting about a big ol’ pan of warm bowl of signature chicken fried rice. Super fast, satisfying, economical and tastes like your favorite take-out dish without the delivery fee. With this 30 minute chicken fried rice recipe, you can use up any leftover cooked rice and protein (including chicken) you find in the fridge, all while cooking dinner in one pan!
The best part? There are no fancy ingredients or restaurant equipment that you need. With a big skillet, rice, chicken, eggs, soy sauce and some basic seasonings you can serve up your own batch of delicious homemade chicken fried rice for the family!
This recipe is for a U.S. audience with simple grocery store ingredients: boneless chicken breast, frozen peas and carrots, long-grain white rice, soy sauce and sesame oil. Easy, powerful, and easy-to-learn.
This Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe is a breath of fresh air!
Easy chicken fried rice is one of those meals you can come back to again and again without getting tired of it. It’s quick, flexible, and pairs really well with leftover spaghetti easy chicken fried rice recipe.
And here is why it ought to find a permanent home in your weeknight dinner lineup:
Ready in about 30 minutes
Has minimal pantry and freezer staples
Great for leftover rice
Cheaper than takeout
Perfect for meal prep
Kid-friendly and family-approved
Customisable with vegetables or sauces!
Making chicken fried rice is also a great way to use leftover food wisely. All it takes is some leftover cooked rice, additional chicken, frozen veggies (even little bits of diced onion or green onion) to make a full meal easy chicken fried rice recipe .
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make this easy chicken fried rice recipe, you only need basic ingredients. Most of them may already be in your kitchen.
Main Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked rice | 4 cups | The base of the fried rice |
| Boneless chicken breast or thighs | 1 pound | Adds protein |
| Eggs | 2 large | Adds texture and flavor |
| Frozen peas and carrots | 1 cup | Adds color and sweetness |
| Onion | 1 small | Builds flavor |
| Garlic | 2–3 cloves | Adds aroma |
| Soy sauce | 3–4 tablespoons | Gives savory flavor |
| Sesame oil | 1 teaspoon | Adds restaurant-style taste |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tablespoons | For stir-frying |
| Green onions | 2–3 stalks | Fresh finishing touch |
| Black pepper | To taste | Adds mild heat |
Optional Ingredients
You can also add:
Oyster sauce for deeper flavor
Sriracha for heat
Ginger for extra aroma
Which is corn, bell pepper or broccoli cabbage
A splash of rice vinegar
Red pepper flakes
Cashews or peanuts for crunch
Which Rice for Chicken Fried Rice?
Cold, day-old rice is the best kind for fried rice. When freshly cooked rice is prepare, it tends to be soft and moist which makes fried rice a sticky mush. The cooling polishes the rice – tightens it up in the refrigerator, with a view to stirring well apart.
Best Rice Options
These types of rice are great to use in this easy chicken fried rice recipe.
Long-grain white rice
Jasmine rice
Medium-grain rice
Brown rice
Basmati rice
What rice is best to use for turkey casserole: Jasmine rice such as this has a light fragrance and fluffy texture. For a lighter, fiber-rich version that is slightly healthier than fried rice, you can use brown rice as well.
Can You Use Fresh Rice?
Fresh rice can be used yes, but also it needs some prep. Place the rice on a baking sheet to cool in 15–20 minute. Then refrigerate or freeze it briefly to dry out the surface. This avoids having fried rice that ends up soggy.
How to Prepare Easy Chicken Fried Rice
This recipe goes fast, so have everything prepped before you turn on the stove. Fried rice has to be cooked on medium-high to high heat and you do not want to stop halfway through to chop garlic or eggs.
Step 1: Prepare the Chicken
Chop the chicken into simple bite measurement portions Make the pieces uniform in size as they will be cooked uniformly.
Season the chicken lightly with:
Salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Optional garlic powder
Chicken breast is low in fat and cooks relatively fast. Chicken thighs are a tad juicier and more forgiving if you overcooked it slightly easy chicken fried rice recipe .
Food safety note: chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F when checked with a food thermometer. This is the safe minimum internal temperature for poultry recommended by the USDA.
Step 2: Scramble the Eggs
Pour little oil in a broad pan / wok and heat up. Consider adding a beaten eggs and scramble until just cooked.
Take the eggs out of the pan and set them aside. Make sure to reserve them al dente, because they are going back into the fried rice again later!
Step 3: Cook the Chicken
To the same skillet add more oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through.
Avoid stirring constantly at first. Allow the chicken to sit for 1 minute to brown. Browning is a big part of the flavor and makes your chicken fried rice taste homemade but like takeout easy chicken fried rice recipe.
Remove the chicken and reserve it with the eggs once cooked.
The fourth step: sauté an onion and garlic
Stir in the diced onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until slightly softened. Then again mince garlic toss for around 30 seconds.
Garlic cooks really fast, so don’t leave it in too long before adding the rice and vegetables.
Step 5: Add the Vegetables
Safely pour frozen peas and carrot approaches immediately into the pan preserve. They do not need thawing first.
Heat for 2–3 minutes until warm and soft. Frozen vegetables help make a chicken fried rice recipe super simple and you can use them right from the bag for this dish.
Step 6: Add the Rice
Wet Ingredients: 3 cups cold cooked rice in a skillet Use a spatula to break any clumps apart.
Let the rice stir-fry for a couple of minutes to warm through and toast lightly. This is a crucial step as this eliminates the residual moisture and makes rice firmer.
Refrain it with soy sauce and sesame oil
Do not pour directly into one spot but rather run soy sauce around the edges of the pan. It allows it to disperse evenly and also imparts a nice, smokiness / savory flavor to the rice.
Sesame oil is primarily for flavor, not high heat cooking, so you should add it at the end.
Add some more soy sauce, black pepper and a tiny pinch of salt if you think it is needed (taste!).
Step 8: Add the chicken and eggs back to the pan
Crumble in the chicken and the eggs. Mix it all really well together.
Top with green onion slices for freshness.
And your simple chicken fried rice recipe is ready.
Full Recipe Card
Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 cups cold cooked rice
1 pound boneless chicken breast or thighs, chopped
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 small onion, diced
2–3 garlic cloves, minced
3–4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2–3 green onions, sliced
Salt and black pepperto taste
Instructions
Cut the chicken into small bite-size pieces and season with some salt, pepper and a little soy sauce.
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Remove the scrambled eggs and a move to aside easy chicken fried rice recipe.
Stir in more oil and pan-fry the chicken till golden brown, about eight minutes. Remove from the pan.
Cook onion for 2–3 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add frozen peas and carrots. Stir-fry until hot.
Add the cold cooked rice and break up any large clumps. Stir-fry for 3–5 minutes.
Add soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir well.
Step 21 Storing chicken and eggs back in the pan Mix everything together.
Garnish with spring onions, serve hot.
How to Make the Best Made-from-Scratch Chicken Fried Rice
All about texture, heat and balance: A HCP easy chicken fried rice recipe. These easy tips will help your fried rice taste better!
Use Cold Rice
Fluffy fried rice the secret is cold rice It is light and easy to separate and will not turn mushy.
Do Not Overcrowd the Pan
The too-full skillet seeps out only steaming rice instead of browning. Use a big pan or do it in batches easy chicken fried rice recipe.
Cook Over Medium-High Heat
That fried rice requires a large amount of heat to toast the rice and coax out the flavor. Using a pan that already hot also makes sure the ingredients don’t turn mushy
Use Soy Sauce Carefully
Excessive soy sauce will make fried rice watery and salty. Start with 3 tbsp- then add more if needed.
Add Sesame Oil at the End
Sesame oil has a mountainous flavor. Use sparingly.
Prep Before Cooking
Fried rice cooks quickly. Start by dicing the onion, mincing the garlic, cracking and beating your eggs, and measuring up the sauces.
Recipe Variations
One of them is that this quick and easy chicken fried rice recipe lots popular here because it is adaptable. You can modify it as per your belongings in home.
Chicken Fried Rice with Egg
This is the classic version. Soft protein from scrambled eggs. Replace 2 with 3 eggs for more eggy flavor.
Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
Add:
Sriracha
Chili garlic sauce
Crushed red pepper
Diced jalapeño
If you enjoy takeout-style Chinese spicy fried rice then this version is for you.
Healthy Chicken Fried Rice
For a healthier choice, request brown rice, use less oil, low-sodium soy sauce and double the vegetables. If you’re looking for a leaner alternative, you can use chicken breast instead.
Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice
Use teriyaki sauce instead of some of the soy sauce. This imparts a sweeter, deeper flavor to the rice.
Vegetable Chicken Fried Rice
Add more vegetables like:
Broccoli
Bell peppers
Mushrooms
Cabbage
Zucchini
Corn
It is a perfect way to add color and filling to your meal.
Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Fried Rice
Use shredded rotisserie chicken for an even quicker dinner. Serve it towards the end, so that it just heats through without drying out.
What Goes with Chicken Fried Rice
Even though this chicken fried rice is a one-pot meal by itself, you can serve it with simple sides.
Good options include:
Egg drop soup
Spring rolls
Cucumber salad
Steamed broccoli
Dumplings
Orange chicken
Garlic green beans
Hot and sour soup
For a more low key dinner, paired fried rice with salad or steamed vegetables. At home, † it either with dumplings in a takeout kind of approach or a very simple dipping sauce.
Storing & reheating leftovers
Leftover chicken fried rice is wonderful, but rice needs to be treated with care. USDA food safety recommendations say that most cooked leftovers should go in the fridge and be eaten within 3 to 4 days.
How to Store
When the fried rice has cooled slightly, pack it into a container and seal it. Keep it in the fridge as soon as possible.
Do not allow the cooked rice to remain out for very long. This is why it is important to cool and refrigerate this food: because, if rice goes from hot conditions to warmer temperatures, Bacillus cereus can begin multiplying even if the rice has been cooked.
How to Reheat
How Do You Reheat Chicken Fried Rice?
For the microwave:
Add rice in a bowl (microwave safe).
Add a small splash of water.
Cover loosely.
Heat until steaming hot.
For the stovetop:
Put a bit of oil or water in a pan.
Add the fried rice.
Mix until heated throughout.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Although this is a simple chicken fried rice recipe, you can make some mistakes that can ruin the final result.
Using Hot Fresh Rice
The moisture level in fresh rice is too high. It can also leave the dish sticky and clumpy.
Adding Too Much Sauce
Soy sauce is flavorful but must not be added in excess, otherwise it dominates the dish. It also makes the energy be moist too.
Overcooking the Chicken
Small chicken pieces cook quickly. Take them out as soon they are cooked through so that they remain succulent.
Not Using Enough Heat
If the flame is too low, the rice turns soft rather than lightly fried. Best texture, medium-high heat
Skipping the Green Onions
Green onions are fresh and bright, the light color also compliments the beige rice.
Why This Works For a Quick Busy U.S. Family Recipe
This simple chicken fried rice recipe transitions well into the realm of daily American home cooking. Using inexpensive ingredients, quick cooking time and lunch leftovers all make it work!
And it’s also a brilliant families-friendly recipe as everyone can make their own bowl exactly how they want. Grown-ups can add sriracha or chili oil, veggies, etc. Kids might go for extra egg and czars fry rice mild.
Perfect for meal prep too. You cook a big batch of rice at the beginning of the week, and then you make fried rice on another day. You can even dice chicken in advance or use leftover cooked chicken to make dinner more quickly.
Conclusion
This recipe for chicken fried rice is quick, delicious and ideal for weeknight dinners. Using leftover cold rice, tender chicken, scrambled eggs, vegetables, soy sauce and sesame oil — you have an at-home takeout beater.
The important things are to use cold cooked rice, cook the whole thing in a medium heat flat bottom wok, not overdo it with the sauce and add ingredients in succession. One you know the basic method, you can switch it up with other vegetables, sauces and proteins.
That being said, homemade chicken fried rice is a reliable fill you up option for when you are cooking for the family, meal prepping for the week or you just need to use that leftover rice!
