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.

Course dinner, lunch, main meal

Cuisine Asian

Keyword best fried rice, Chinese fried rice, easy fried rice, how to make fried rice

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings 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