Seasoned rice stir-fried with tender chicken, eggs, vegetables, and aromatics. This quick and easy chicken fried rice is ready in less than 30-minutes! A delicious main, meal, or side dish for the whole family to enjoy. It's also better-than-takeout!
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My version of Chinese chicken fried rice features cooked jasmine rice fried with juicy chicken, scrambled eggs, peas, carrots, garlic and shallots in a savory sauce.
Chicken fried rice is a popular Asian dish served at many Chinese restaurants for takeout and it's one of my favorites as it always hits the spot!
This is such a comforting dish that brings back a lot of childhood memories for me. When my mom didn't know what to cook on busy weeknights for our family of five, it would be fried rice as it was so satisfying and ready in little time!
It's a great dish because you can use up leftover cold rice in the fridge.
If you're not a fan of chicken, I also share a great recipe for Egg Fried Rice and Shrimp Fried Rice!
Why you'll love this recipe!
- ready in less than 30 minutes.
- made with simple ingredients in one-pan!
- filling and so delicious!
- great for large families or gatherings.
- restaurant-quality!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cold Day-Old Cooked Jasmine Rice: or substitute with cold day-old cooked long-grain white rice. Avoid using short grain rice if possible. Cold day-old rice is recommend for fluffy fried rice. If you're using freshly cooked rice or same day cooked rice: see Expert Tips below on how to dry it out.
- Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs: or substitute with chicken breasts (marinating for 15 minutes), pork shoulder, jumbo shrimp, steak or extra-firm tofu (and skip the marinade for the tofu).
- Frozen Carrots and Peas: or substitute with diced fresh carrots and peas or substitute with a frozen vegetable mix that contains peas, carrots, corn and green beans. Or substitute with bell peppers, broccoli florets, button mushrooms, or edamame.
- Large Eggs
- Shallot: or substitute with ¼ small onion.
- Garlic Cloves
- Neutral Cooking Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or coconut oil.
Chicken Marinade
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Shaoxing Wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine available at Asian grocers. Or substitute with dry sherry wine, dry white wine or chicken broth.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
- Neutral Cooking Oil
Sauce
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Dark Soy Sauce: or substitute with dark mushroom soy sauce or regular soy sauce.
- Sesame Oil: or substitute with sesame seeds.
- Chicken Bouillon Powder (a.k.a. chicken stock powder): Avoid skipping this ingredient as it gives the fried rice depth in flavor.
- White Pepper: or substitute with black pepper.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Marinate the chicken for at least 5-10 minutes for a tender texture!
- If you have a steel wok, use to your advantage for that smoky flavor found in Chinese restaurant cuisine! When the oil hits a hot steel wok, it creates a smoke called "wok hei", which means "breathe of wok" in Chinese translation. This smoke is flavors the ingredients in the pan. (You can also use a regular large pan, but you won't get that smoky flavor).
- Use day-old cold cooked rice to prevent soggy fried rice.
- If you only have same day or freshly cooked rice: evenly spread the rice into a single layer on a large baking sheet and freeze it for 60 minutes before frying to remove excess moisture.
- Break up the cold rice into separate grains. This creates fluffier rice and allows them to be better toasted and seasoned.
- Pour the sauce mixture along the edges of the pan. When the sauce hits the hot pan, it "toasts" the sauce creating extra umami flavor!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make chicken fried rice:
- In a medium-sized bowl, marinate sliced chicken thighs with marinade ingredients as listed above. Set aside to marinate for 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon / 5 ml of vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove from the pan.
- Add 1 teaspoon / 5 ml of vegetable oil into the pan. Sauté garlic and shallots for 10 seconds. Add peas and carrots and fry for 10 seconds. Push everything to the side of the pan.
- Add remaining oil into empty space of the pan. Add in beaten eggs and let them sit for 20 seconds before scrambling and breaking into bite-sized pieces. Then toss everything together.
- Add rice and chicken and toss everything together until incorporated. Pour sauce around the rice or along the edges of the pan and let the sauce toast for 5 seconds for extra flavor before tossing. Toss everything together until all the rice grains are brown. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Leftover fried rice will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Chicken fried rice can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: let the fried rice cool down completely and then store into a freezer-safe bag or air-tight container. To reheat from frozen: defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot.
Pairing Suggestions
Chicken fried rice serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, or hot and sour soup.
- chow mein or lo mein.
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sweet Chili Chicken, Szechuan Chicken, Beef Mushroom Stir Fry, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, Soy Garlic Tofu, or Chinese Braised Tofu
FAQ
Can I make this in advance?
Chicken fried rice can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot.
Can I use freshly cooked or same day cooked rice?
Freshly cooked or same day cooked rice can be use to make fried rice, but it's best to dry it out prior to cooking to remove excess moisture which causes soggy fried rice. To dry out the rice: evenly spread it into a thin layer on a large baking sheet and freeze it for 60 minutes uncovered. Then break up the rice into separate grains.
What's the best way to cook rice?
I recommend using a rice cooker to make fluffy rice and I share the one I use in the recipe card below under "Equipment". If you don't own a rice cooker, you can also prepare the rice in a pot on the stovetop and refer to any online recipes for this process.
More like this
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Seasoned rice stir-fried with tender chicken, eggs, vegetables, and aromatics. This quick and easy chicken fried rice is ready in less than 30-minutes! A delicious main, meal, or side dish for the whole family to enjoy. It's also better-than-takeout!Note: the recipe has been slightly modified for improvement as of Sep 3, 2025.
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups cooked jasmine rice cold day-old (or see Notes below to prepare uncooked rice for this recipe)
- ½ lb skinless boneless chicken thighs thinly sliced
- 1.5 cups frozen peas and carrots or frozen vegetable mix (corn, peas, carrots, green beans)
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 small shallot or ¼ onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
Chicken Marinade
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry / dry white wine / chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (a.k.a. chicken stock powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, marinate sliced chicken thighs with marinade ingredients as listed above. Set aside to marinate for 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon / 5 ml of vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove from the pan.
- Add 1 teaspoon / 5 ml of vegetable oil into the pan. Sauté garlic and shallots for 10 seconds. Add peas and carrots and fry for 10 seconds. Push everything to the side of the pan.
- Add remaining oil into empty space of the pan. Add in beaten eggs and let them sit for 20 seconds before scrambling and breaking into bite-sized pieces. Then toss everything together.
- Add rice and chicken and toss everything together until incorporated.
- Pour sauce around the rice or along the edges of the pan and let the sauce toast for 5 seconds for extra flavor before tossing. Toss everything together until all the rice grains are brown. Enjoy!
Notes
How much uncooked rice should I use?
- For a serving for 4, measure out 1 ½ cups or 300 grams of uncooked jasmine rice. Then cook it the night before in your rice cooker or in a pot (see instructions below) and then refrigerate.
- Rinse rice under cold running water until it runs clear and then strain. Transfer strained rice to a medium-sized pot or pan, ideally non-stick.
- Then place your index finger above the rice and fill it with fresh cold water to the the first knuckle line of the finger.
- Cover with a lid and bring to a boil on medium heat. Then reduce to low heat and keep covered. Cook for 12-14 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. If there's water in the base of the pot, continue to cook on low until there isn't.
- Take the pot off the heat. Let this rest covered for another 10-12 minutes so the rice can properly cook through a steaming process. The finished rice will be sticky (not wet) and you should be able to fluff it with a rice paddle.
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
Suggested Equipment & Products
Nutrition
Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 971mg | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3732IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 3mg
Nikki
Love how easy instructions are to follow and great recipe.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this kind review, Nikki! I truly appreciate that.
GraceD
Excellent recipe … Did not have dark soy so I used extra regular soy.
Christie Lai
Amazing! Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing your positive experience here! Glad the regular soy sauce worked out for you, Grace 🙂
Dawn Brewster
Cannot wait to try this
Can you do a list on the various seasonings and spices one can use , I absolutely want to be able to make a variety of dishes, I purchased a wok and am in the process of getting the seasonings and spices I will need, Oils and soy sauces
Christie Lai
Enjoy! I will consider creating an Asian pantry list blog post in the future.
Ashley
I make this a few times a month, it my favorite!!
Christie Lai
Woo hoo! That's awesome to hear. Thanks so much for making it often and for posting a positive review!
Jordan
Absolutely delicious!!!
Christie Lai
Woo hoo! Happy you enjoyed it Jordan and thanks for making my recipes! Appreciate the support.
Monica
Hi! Can I use the frozen cube carrots they have at the store instead of the fresh carrot?
Christie Lai
Hi Monica, yes that will work fine!
Bill
Very good recipe. I make it all the time.
Christie Lai
So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for making it.
Jen
This was so good that my family finished it all and this never happens with my cooking.
Christie Lai
Haha so glad you all liked it! Thank you so much for making it.
Bob Ko
I have made this at least 5 times. It is easy, it is delicious. I do not make any other recipe when I want chicken fried rice. Everyone likes it.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for the very kind review, Bob! Very happy to read this and glad it's your favorite chicken fried rice recipe! Have a wonderful day!
Jill
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it turned out great both times. The chicken bouillon makes the dish so flavorful. I do add a bit extra soy sauce and sriracha for heat.
Christie Lai
Amazing! Thank you so much for making my recipe, Jill! I'm so glad you enjoyed it both times with the extra seasoning and heat 🙂
Barbara
Delicious recipe!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making it!
Amelia
This recipe is the only 1 use, family loves it.
Christie Lai
I am so thrilled to read this, thank you so much for making it Amelia! Glad the family loves it!
sofia
hello!! im making this tonigjt and yesterday i went to three stores and couldnt find dark soy sauce 🙁 can i just use more of the regular? thank you!!
Christie Lai
Hi Sofia, sorry for the delayed reply. Yes, feel free to add more regular soy sauce to taste. Avoid substituting 1:1 for the dark soy sauce.
Jd
Everything seems so easy for u when u cook, I really enjoy watching u when u cook
Steven Steinbrecher
EXCELLENT flavor and pretty easy to make!!!!!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Steven! So happy you enjoyed it and found it easy to make!
Merlene Beckford
Excellent recipes. Specifically love the Chinese chicken fried rice 🍚
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing this kind review!!
Raj
Easy to follow, delicious results.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Raj! So happy that you enjoyed it 🙂