Chicken Fried Rice

This easy chicken fried rice is loaded with golden brown chicken, sweet onions, carrots, peas, eggs, and green onions and tastes so much better than your favorite Chinese takeout. You don’t know how good fried rice can be until you make it in your own kitchen.

So often, fried rice dishes are loaded with so much soy sauce that is the dominant flavor. This delectable recipe brings out the best in this dish with a minimal amount of soy sauce. My family loves this, and it is always a huge hit with friends. Who doesn’t love a good fried rice recipe?

How to make Chicken Fried Rice

Start by preparing the white rice in advance. Cook it up the night before and chill it overnight in the fridge. When ready to start the recipe, cook the chicken in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat with a bit of oil. Work in batches, browning in a single layer. Plate the chicken, covering it with aluminum foil. Heat a little oil and cook the onions, carrots, and peas until tender crisp. Reduce heat and add the garlic, cooking for just a minute, stirring constantly. Then, plate the veggies. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Now add a little butter and add the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs just until set. Then, plate the eggs with the veggies, covering them loosely with aluminum foil.

Add a little butter over medium/medium-high heat. Once melted, add the rice and sprinkle with low-sodium soy sauce. Fry the rice until slightly crunchy and lightly browned. Stir several times but not all the time, so it has time to brown. Work in batches if your pan is crowded. Once the rice is fried, add the green onions and just a touch of sesame oil. Bring the chicken, vegetables, and eggs back to the skillet. Then, stir to warm everything, and for best results, serve promptly.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

• Cut your chicken into thin bite-size pieces so it cooks through in just a couple of minutes.
• Use cooked, chilled day-old rice. Use any long-grain rice, including white rice, brown rice, or jasmine rice. Cook it 1-2 days in advance and chill it well in the fridge. Freshly cooked rice does not fry well at all. It clumps up and turns into a gooey mess. Leftover rice is perfect for this recipe.
• Pro-tip – If you forget to cook the rice the day before. Cook it and spread it out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or until well chilled.
• There is no need to thaw the peas. Pull the peas out of the freezer when you start the recipe, and add them frozen when needed. They will quickly thaw in the skillet and stir fry up just perfectly. Canned peas are not recommended.
• Cut your vegetables into small pieces to complement the dish and to make it easy to pick up with chopsticks.
• Add the soy sauce to taste. I prefer a modest amount of soy sauce on my fried rice, but my husband likes it a little saltier, so I usually add a little more to his.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.

What goes with Chicken Fried Rice?

• Crab rangoons – are crispy golden fried wonton shells filled with crab and cream cheese.
• A simple salad with ginger dressing.
• Egg drop soup is a simple soup with wispy eggs in chicken broth.
• Steamed or roasted broccoli
• Pork Dumplings are ground pork, cabbage, and sweet ginger-filled dough wraps that are scrumptiously fried or steamed. 

Recipe variations

• Protein – substitute beef, chicken, or shrimp.
• Vegetables – any vegetable that can be stir-fried works. Think snow peas, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, and water chestnuts.
• Nuts – add some finely chopped peanuts or cashews to enhance the texture and take this recipe to a new level.

Other delicious Asian recipes you will love!

Mongolian Chicken

Ramen Stir Fry

Kung Pao Chicken

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

Chicken and Broccoli

Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Chicken Fried Rice

Make this better than takeout Chicken Fried Rice right in your own kitchen.  With just a few simple tips, you can make this delectable recipe easily and quickly while controlling the amount of sodium.  Enjoy this as a main dish or a side dish with pot stickers and crab rangoon. 

5 from 65 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, lunch, main meal

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 1055kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into thin bite-size pieces or chicken thighs
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups long grain white rice cooked and chilled
• 3-5 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium see notes
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 green onions chopped
• salt and pepper to taste; optional

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat.  Cook chicken in a single layer, browning on both sides; approximately 2 minutes on each side. Add more oil if needed. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the same large skillet over medium/medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrots, and peas.  Cook until crisp tender stirring several times.  Reduce heat to low.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.
• Whisk eggs and add 1/2 tablespoon butter to the same skillet over low heat.  Add eggs and cook just until set. Remove from the skillet and add to the plate with the vegetables.  Cover to keep warm.
• Melt remaining butter over medium heat.  Add rice to the skillet. Drizzle with soy sauce.  Increase heat to medium-high and fry until lightly browned.  Stir several times but not all the time, so it has time to brown.  Work in batches if your pan is crowded.
• Drizzle the rice with sesame oil and sprinkle with green onions; stir to combine. Return chicken, vegetables, and eggs to skillet and heat through.  If desired, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

• Cut your chicken into thin bite-size pieces, so it cooks through in just a couple of minutes.
• Use cooked, chilled day-old rice.  Use any long grain rice, including white rice, brown rice, or jasmine rice. Cook it 1-2 days in advance and chill it in the fridge real well.  Freshly cooked rice does not fry well at all.  It clumps up and turns into a gooey mess.  Leftover rice is perfect for this recipe.
• Pro-tip – If you forget to cook the rice the day before.  Cook it and spread it out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or until well chilled.
• There is no need to thaw the peas.  Simply pull the peas out of the freezer when you start the recipe and add them frozen when needed.  They will quickly thaw in the skillet and stir fry up just perfectly.  Canned peas are not recommended.
• Cut your vegetables into small pieces to complement the dish and to make it easy to pick up with chopsticks.
• Add the soy sauce to taste.  I prefer a modest amount of soy sauce on my fried rice, but my husband likes it a little saltier, so I usually add a little more to his.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 1055kcal | Carbohydrates: 159g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 229mg | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 1053mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5759IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg

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