Make a quick weeknight meal of this Easy Chicken Fried Rice recipe, while still enjoying authentic Chinese takeout flavor. Chicken, eggs, and vegetables are sautéed in oil, then fried up with rice and an Asian sauce until perfectly crispy. Whether serving up a quick one-person lunch or a dinner for the whole family, this is the best dish for that homemade takeaway experience!
Table of Contents
Confession time… I make this chicken fried rice recipe AT LEAST every other week.
With all the necessities for it always on hand, and less than an hour of preparation time needed, it’s become one of my go-to easy and tasty dinner recipes!
Ingredients
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, you can jump to the recipe.
- Vegetables. Basic mixed vegetables like carrots, onions, and peas are typical for fried rice, but any diced vegetables, even frozen, may be used. This recipe also calls for bell peppers, and green onions for garnish.
- Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is the ideal cut for this dish as a lean protein, but chicken thighs can also be used as a more flavorful alternative. Fried tofu, tempeh, or seitan can be substituted as a meatless alternative.
- Eggs. Organic or pasture-raised eggs taste the best and are the healthiest for you, but any kind of eggs may be used.
- Rice. Long-grain white rice is recommended as the most common and inexpensive variety, but brown or jasmine rice will work too. Leftover rice made the day before is ideal.
- Soy sauce or Tamari sauce. Either works as the main flavoring agent of the dish, but use a good-quality brand like San-J or Kikkoman. Soy sauce is lighter and saltier, and Tamari sauce is richer and deeper in soy flavor.
- Rice wine vinegar. Use a good, reliable name brand like Marukan. Rice wine vinegar provides an acidic tanginess which contrasts the oily rice, and improves the flavor.
- Toasted sesame seed oil. This ingredient packs a powerful, deep, nutty flavor in every drop. Use it sparingly, because it can quickly become overpowering.
How to Make Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Jump to the recipe for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
- Cook the rice. Before cooking the rice, rinse it under cold water in a strainer repeatedly, until the water draining out of it is no longer cloudy. This removes the excess surface starch in the rice, which prevents stickiness after cooking and allows the individual grains to separate easier. If making rice specifically for frying, then spreading it out, uncovered, in a tray or other shallow container allows the moisture to evaporate more easily. Leave it in the fridge overnight.
- Prep the ingredients. Finely dice the carrots, onion, and bell pepper, and chicken into ½-inch pieces. Keeping the pieces small and uniform in size allows the vegetables to soften quickly and the chicken to cook evenly.
- Sauté the vegetables and chicken. In a large wok or skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, pepper, and onion, and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet, and drizzle another 1 tablespoon of oil into the empty side to begin heating. Add the cubed chicken to the empty side of the skillet, and continue cooking over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Scramble the eggs. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. Push the chicken and vegetables to one side of the skillet. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet, and add the eggs, salt, and pepper. Scramble them in that spot for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through. Break the eggs apart and mix into the rest of the pan.
- Fry the rice. Add the cooked rice to the mix, and season it with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir everything well. Continue frying the rice over medium heat for 10 minutes, breaking up any clumps that are sticking together. Let the rice cook to your desired level of crispness, and stir in the frozen peas during the final 2 minutes, to avoid overcooking.
- Finally, serve it up in a bowl and enjoy! Sliced green onions can be added after plating, as a garnish.
Meal Prep and Storage
- Prep-Ahead: It is highly recommended to cook the rice between 1-2 days ahead, as that makes the texture better for frying. The chicken and vegetables can also be cut into pieces ahead of time. The vegetables will keep in the fridge for up to 2-3 days, and the chicken can be cubed up to 1 day ahead.
- Storage: With or without chicken, this dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: This can be frozen in an airtight container or sealed Ziploc freezer bag for up to 3-4 months. Individual servings can also be portioned out to make reheating easier.
- Reheating: It is recommended to reheat fried rice in a skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through, but reheating in the microwave will suffice as well.
FAQs
Chinese restaurants often utilize very big, professional-grade woks and stove burners which fry rice at a very high temperature that browns and crisps it in a way most home cooks cannot replicate. Additionally, many Chinese restaurants still add monosodium glutamate (MSG) to theirs, giving it a greater depth of flavor.
The only distinct difference between Japanese and Chinese fried rice is the type of rice that is used.
Chinese varieties generally uses long-grain rice, such as Basmati or Jasmine rice, which create a more dry texture. Japanese dishes favors short-grain rice, like sushi rice, which yields a more sticky, chewy texture.
In Chinese restaurants vegetable oil and soybean oil are the most commonly used, because they are inexpensive, widely available in bulk, have a neutral flavor, and function very well at the high temperatures required for frying.
Fried rice presumably first originated in the Sui Dynasty (589-618 A.D.) in the city of Yangzhou, in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. Yangzhou-style rice – or “Yangchow” fried rice – usually featured roast pork, prawns, scallions, and peas, and served as the basis for the version we know today.
It’s believed to have originated as a way to make use of leftover food even back then, which is why the use of leftover rice is so critical to getting the right taste and texture.
A very large wok or skillet – at least 12 inches – should be used, to give plenty of space to sauté the ingredients and lots of hot surface area for the rice to crisp on. Any material will do, so use what best suits your budget and lifestyle.
Stainless steel is cheap and widely available, but food can stick to it easily. Cast iron provides a good non-stick surface, but its weight makes maneuvering difficult. Teflon-coated non-stick pans are effective, but can put off harmful fumes. Ceramic – my personal recommendation – is pricey, but is lighter than cast iron, more non-stick than steel, and healthier than Teflon.
Make it a Meal
While this Easy Chicken Fried Rice can serve as a meal all in itself, for the full Chinese takeout experience it’s worth trying some of these other classic accompaniments:
Whip up a light appetizer with some Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls or P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Or use this fried rice recipe as a side dish for heavier proteins like General Tso’s Chicken, Gluten Free Chinese Orange Chicken, or Mongolian Beef.
More Asian Stir Fry Recipes
Get the most out of your skillet or wok by trying out some of these other amazing stir-fried recipes:
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Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
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Ingredients
- ½ cup carrots finely diced
- 1 cup bell pepper cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup sweet onion cut into ½-inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil, divided
- 1 lb. chicken thighs or breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 4 eggs whisked
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- 4 cups cooked rice*
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce gluten-free, or Tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
- ½ cup frozen peas
- Green onions optional
- See this recipe in Meal Plan #10
Instructions
- In a large wok, or large skillet, combine 2 tablespoons oil with bell peppers, onions, and carrots. Sauté for 3-5 minutes over medium heat.½ cup carrots, 1 cup bell pepper, 1 cup sweet onion
- Push vegetables to the side and drizzle 1 tablespoon oil into the skillet and place chicken in oil. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Mix with vegetables.1 lb. chicken thighs
- Whisk eggs together in a small bowl. Either push all vegetables and chicken to one side, or remove and place on a separate plate.4 eggs
- Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons oil in the spot you have cleared and add in eggs, salt, and pepper. Scramble in that spot for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked. Once cooked, you can combine the eggs with the rest of the vegetable mixture.½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add in cooked rice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.4 cups cooked rice*, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
- If you like extra crispy fried rice, let rice sit over medium to medium-high heat for a full minute before mixing again. Rice likes to stick to the bottom of the pan, so be sure to scrape all of the crispy goodness off of it! Repeat this process until it reaches your desired crispiness.
- Mix in frozen peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking.½ cup frozen peas
- Top fried rice with green onions to serve and enjoy! See this recipe in Meal Plan #10.Green onions
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Notes
- Rice: It is best to use leftover white rice instead of freshly cooked white rice. Freshly cooked rice tends to clump together and does not crisp up as easily.
- Protein: Omit the chicken, and/or use a meat-free protein like tofu, tempeh, or seitan if needed.
- Veggies: Add more vegetables, and consider additional varieties like cabbage, snow peas, or broccoli. Substitute white rice for brown rice or cauliflower rice.
- Storage: With or without chicken, this dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Fried rice can be frozen in an airtight container or sealed Ziploc freezer bag for up to 3-4 months. Individual servings can also be portioned out to make reheating easier.
- Reheating: It is recommended to reheat fried rice in a skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through, but reheating in the microwave will suffice as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much is a serving?
The exact measurement of the serving size is unknown, but you can divide the final amount by 5ths to get one portion. Hope this helps!
First gf meal I made besides spaghetti. It’s really easy and very delicious!!! Great recipe for my book. T
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Rick! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Made this a couple of times. Tried and tested. Love it. Thank you London!
You’re SO very welcome, Manvir!! Happy to hear you enjoy the recipe. Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
What’s the serving size?
Hi Sarah! It will be about 1 cup per serving!
This is a GREAT recipe! Only changes I made were to add 4-5 cloves of crushed garlic and to take each vegetable out and set aside after cooking, then reintroduce them when I put the rice in the wok. This way there is less chance of over cooking, especially since eggs are sensitive. I have made this many times since finding the recipe and am so glad I found it. My wife has the Gluten intolerance and she went years without having one of her favorite dishes until I found this. It does not last two days in my house with one 12 yo and us. I have recommended it many times to people attempting fried rice for the first time. Even those without gluten issues.
Hi Mark!! Love your idea to add crushed garlic and to take out the veggies. I am so happy your wife can enjoy fried rice again. Thanks so much for sharing and for your comment/rating 🙂
La Choy is gluten free and has a low sodium option, sold at Walmart 🙂
That’s great, Heather! I have not tried La Choy yet, but will have to soon!!
Just wondering this would be good with beef too, right?
Absolutely, Lisa!! A good flank steak would probably taste incredible in here!
This was the best chicken fried rice I have ever made! Thanks so much for the recipe! My sister in law has celiac disease so anytime we have family dinners, I have to make gluten free food. Your blog has been so helpful! We also love the crock pot chicken tortilla soup!!
Thanks so much, Tiffany!! We, somewhat embarrassingly, eat this fried rice ALL. THE. TIME!! lol It just seems like I always have the ingredients on hand 😉 Thanks so much for your sweet comment! You made my day 🙂
Looks great. Fried rice has so much flavor. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Keith!! Ya, fried rice definitely satisfies the taste buds 🙂