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    Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

    Published April 22, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    This super easy-to-make chicken fried rice recipe is loaded with vegetables, chicken, eggs, and rice tossed in a delicious sauce.

    chicken fried rice recipe in a bowl with green onions


     

    I absolutely love Chinese food and eat it almost once a week.  Whether it’s a stir-fry, General Tso’s chicken, or Fish or Bao, I’m obsessed and love the techniques you use to make everything.

    Chicken Fried Rice

    This is one of the easiest and quickest to make recipes out there.  In less than 30 minutes, you can have delicious fried rice packed with vegetables, protein, and, most importantly, flavor.  Chinese food features some of the oldest cooking techniques on the planet.

    Fried rice was created during the last 6th and early 7th centuries during the Sui Dynasty and featured most of the same ingredients we use now.  Based on where you are located, chicken fried rice can have variations of flavors and ingredients, the main similarity being the short cooking method used to make it.

    This is an awesome recipe to whip up, especially if you have tons of leftover rice from a previous meal.

    Fried Rice Ingredients

    While the proteins can change in this recipe, the ingredients to make just fried rice stay the same.  Here are the basic ingredients:

    • Cooked Jasmine Rice
    • Red Onions
    • Carrots
    • Celery
    • Peas
    • Cooking Oil
    • Eggs
    • Oyster Sauce
    • Soy Sauce
    • Green Onions

    Optional Ingredients you can add:

    • Corn
    • Tomatoes
    • Sprouts
    • Cornichons
    • Edamame
    • Mushrooms

    What’s the Best Rice to Use?

    You should always use medium to long grain rice when making a fried rice recipe.  The most common one to use would be jasmine rice. It absolutely needs to be cooked ahead of time before making this recipe or to keep it as traditional as possible, use day-old leftover rice.  Some other options you could use are:

    • Medium Grain White
    • Long Grain White
    • Brown
    • Sushi

    How to Make Chicken Fried Rice

    Follow these easy steps to make this delicious chicken fried rice recipe.

    Cook the rice ahead of time, fluff with a fork, and set aside.

    cooked jasmine rice in a pot

    Add the thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts to a large hot wok on high heat with smoking cooking oil until cooked throughout.

    cooked sliced chicken in a wok

    Pour in sherry, soy, and honey to the chicken once it’s cooked, and stir-fry for 1 minute before setting the chicken aside.

    removing cooked chicken from a wok onto a plate

    Place the wok back on the burner over high heat and cook the vegetables over high heat for 2-3 minutes while stir-frying.

    stir-frying vegetables in a large wok

    Add the whisked eggs to the vegetables in the wok and stir-fry until the eggs are cooked through and resemble scrambled eggs.

    cooking whisked eggs with vegetables

    Put back in the cooked chicken and rice and stir for 2-3 minutes while breaking up any chunks of rice.

    frying rice and chicken with vegetables in a wok

    Pour in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, peas, sliced green onions, salt, and pepper, and mix until completely combined until the rice is brown.  Serve.

    stirring fried rice in a wok with vegetables and chicken

    Spicy Chicken Fried Rice

    There are quite a few ways to spice up this recipe by giving it a little heat.  I am not a huge spice fan, so I usually don’t do any of these.

    • Serve it with sriracha sauce.
    • Add some sambal (chili garlic sauce) to the top
    • Cook in some spicy peppers with the vegetables
    • Finish with pepper flakes

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 hour ahead of time. Simply keep warm in the wok, covered over low heat before serving.

    How to Reheat: Place your desired amount in a hot wok over high heat with a small amount of oil until smoking and stir-fry the fried rice for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot.  You can also heat in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until hot.

    How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  You can also freeze covered for up to 3 months.  Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    chef notes + tips

    • Your oil must be smoking first in your wok before cooking.
    • Once the oil begins to smoke, you must add it to your food, or else it can catch fire.
    • Everything cooks exceptionally quickly, including the chicken.
    • When the vegetables are done cooking, they should be al-dente, slightly crunchy.
    • You can use canola, peanut, sunflower, or sesame oil for this recipe.

    More Quick Weeknight Meals

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    Let's Cook - Chef Billy Parisi

    Video

    Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

    5 from 22 votes
    This super easy to make chicken fried rice recipe is loaded up with vegetables, chicken, eggs, and rice tossed in a delicious sauce.
    Servings: 8
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 5 tablespoons cooking oil
    • 2 7-9 ounce thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 2 tablespoons sherry
    • 2 tablespoons honey
    • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 4 peeled medium diced carrots
    • 3 medium diced celery stalks
    • 1 peeled medium diced yellow onion
    • 6 medium diced cremini mushrooms
    • 3 finely minced garlic cloves
    • 5 whisked large eggs
    • 4 cups cooked Jasmine rice
    • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
    • 1 cup peas
    • ¼ cup sliced green onions
    • sea salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • In a large wok over high heat add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Once it begins to smoke, add in the sliced chicken and immediately spread it out to cover as much surface area as possible to brown.
    • Cook, the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until cooked throughout.
    • Add in the sherry, honey, and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Set the chicken aside on a plate.
    • Place the wok back on the burner on high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Once it smokes. add in the carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and garlic and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
    • Pour in the eggs and tilt the wok to spread the whisked eggs around and cook like you would when making an omelette or scrambled eggs by moving them around with a spoon or spatula.
    • Add the chicken and rice back into the wok and break up any large chunks of rice, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
    • Pour in the oyster sauce, remaining 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, peas, green onions, and salt and pepper and mix until combined. The rice should be brown.
    • Serve.

    Notes

    Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 hour ahead of time. Simply keep warm in the wok, covered over low heat before serving.
    How to Reheat: Place your desired amount in a hot wok over high heat with a small amount of oil until smoking and stir-fry the fried rice for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot. You can also heat in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until hot.
    How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze covered for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.
    Your oil must first be smoking in your wok before cooking.
    Once the oil begins to smoke you have to add it to your food or else it can catch fire.
    Everything cooks extremely quickly, including the chicken.
    When the vegetables are done cooking, they should be al-dente, slightly crunchy.
     
    You can use canola, peanut, sunflower or sesame oil for this recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 16gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 980mgPotassium: 454mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 5430IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 2mg
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Chinese