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.
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.
Add the thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts to a large hot wok on high heat with smoking cooking oil until cooked throughout.
Pour in sherry, soy, and honey to the chicken once it’s cooked, and stir-fry for 1 minute before setting the chicken aside.
Place the wok back on the burner over high heat and cook the vegetables over high heat for 2-3 minutes while stir-frying.
Add the whisked eggs to the vegetables in the wok and stir-fry until the eggs are cooked through and resemble scrambled eggs.
Put back in the cooked chicken and rice and stir for 2-3 minutes while breaking up any chunks of rice.
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.
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 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
- Loco Moco
- Chicken Fricassee
- Sloppy Joe
- Broiled Salmon
- Beef Stroganoff
Be sure to follow me onFacebook,Youtube,Instagram,andPinterest,and if you’ve had a chance to make this, then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below.
Video
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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 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes 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 besmoking 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
Author: Chef Billy Parisi
Elevate Your Every Day Cooking
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44 comments
- Cherie
I make this about once a week. In fact, I’m making it again tonight. So good!
- Reply
- Alvin Prusoff
I loved this recipe. Looking in my fridge last night, I had leftover rice and turkey. Substituted turkey for chicken. Everyone loved it. This will be my go to post Thanksgiving recipe! Thanks Billy!
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- John Wallace
This was delicious!
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- sue
Shopping tomorrow yes thank you Chief Billy😋😁🤩👋
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- sue
Yes to morrow be wonderful thank youChief Billy😁😋🤩👋
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- Susan LaBonte
Love this fried rice!!!
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- Brigitte Harwood
Excellent and easy! I prepped ahead then was able to throw together and have on the table quickly! win win
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- Nancy Firlik
I made this for the first time tonight. Not crazy about the celery, so I will probably not use it again. I did not have oyster sauce and I will get some for my next time. Overall, we very much enjoyed the dish.
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- Mary Baumgarten
Very tasty
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yes indeed!
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- Vincent Rump
You forgot to wash your rice
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nope
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- Ann Marie
Very easy to make and delicious !
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so good!!
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- Fran
I’ve made this recipe several times and made it tonight for the grandkids. They loved it!! This is one of my regular recipes now we enjoy it so much. Thanks Chef Billy for this wonderful recipe!!
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excellent!
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- Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
This was absolutely delicious! The best use of leftover rice…or a reason to make way too much rice the night before. 😉 It was way to make in the wok or on the flattop on my grill. Everyone loved it & there is never leftovers, sadly.
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Excellent!
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- Mary
I made this recipe with shrimp and it was fabulous!! Quick and easy. Great weeknight meal. I liked the slightly sweet flavor the honey gave it. I will be making this again!!
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awesome
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- Ann
I made this last night for dinner. Everybody really liked it. When my picky son goes back for seconds, you know it’s good! I was proud of myself for doing all my prep work, which I normally never do! It did come together fast but I was prepared! I will definitely make it again.
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thank you so kindly!!
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- Howard joham
Made the Chicken Fried Rice yesterday for dinner. It was good and I’m not a cook. I’ll make dinner when my wife works late and she usually opts out to eat snack food. But this smelt good, looked good and tasted good. Thanks chef!
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Awesome!
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- Teri Glass
Chef, you did it again, this Chicken Fried Rice is everything! Best I’ve had in a long time. I followed the directions to the tee, except I added Shrimp to the chicken at the last few minutes before chicken was done! Thanks and keep doing what you do!
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thank you so kindly!!
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- Linda hannah
Absolutely delicious!
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thanks for giving it a shot!!
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- Trent Mull
I have made several variations of this recipe based on what I have on hand! Always delicious! Thanks Chef Billy!
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- Theresa
So flavor packed, easy and delicious!!!! A new favorite!
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- SHEILA
would cauliflower rice work in this recipe?
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I believe it could.
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- Scott
Delicious! It would take a professional sous chef on fast-forward to prep this dish in the stated 10 minutes, but no matter – it’s totally worth it. We used leftover pork tenderloin, so just a quick sear of pork up top, then followed the recipe. Thanks Billy, another recipe that totally hits the mark.
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- Brian D
Delicous!!!
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- Diane Miller
Can I substitute another liquid for the sherry? Thanks!
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mirin
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- Rob
This recipe is great — big hit in our household. I backed off a bit on the amount of rice (by about 1/3) as I couldn’t fit it all in my wok. I can see substituting chicken with shrimp, pork or simply leaving out the meat to make it veggie fried rice.
Thanks so much. Now I just have to repeat the recipe a number of times so I commit it to memory as opposed to looking at the instructions.
Rob- Reply
- Gail Fesnak
I know this will be great. I live alone and one need enough for 2 servings. I changed the recipe on computer, but it still prints out for 8 servings. What am I doing wrong?
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- Debi Barrett
I don’t have a wok. Can I just use a large frying pan?
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sure
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- Michelle
Can you substitute barbecued pork for the chicken?
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sure
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- Jean Nielson
Thank you Billy! Absolutely the best Chicken fried rice recipe!!! And I’ve tried alot of them over the years!!! the video instruction was so helpful. Also, you gave me the courage to make pasta when I bought a pasta attachment for my kithenaid stand mixer, your video was great, my husband and I have made your pasta recipe several times…thankyou so much!!! I’m on to your blueberry scones next!!!
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My pleasure, thanks so much for trying all these recipes!
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