This is the best Chicken Fried Rice! Savoury and fluffy fried rice with juicy tender chicken, eggs, peas, carrots with garlic and shallots.

Ready in 30 minutes
This meal is perfect for as a main course, side dish and or as leftovers, if there are any left! It's a great recipe that can be made in just 30 minutes with leftover rice from last night or the day(s) before. Chicken fried rice also works well for meal prep too for a delicious meal!
Comfort food
Iβm a huge fan of Asian fried rice. Itβs such a comforting dish that brings a lot of childhood nostalgia for me. Whenever my parents didnβt know what to cook for us, it would be fried rice.
Why? Because if we had any leftover ingredients which would include cold rice, we could toss everything together in a wok to create a delicious and easy meal that would feed the whole family! My mom would make us many variations of fried rice but the most common was fried rice with hearty chicken or with leftover char siu.
Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
This authentic chicken fried rice is extremely easy to make at home. If it's your first time making it, don't worry I share step by step visuals and a video on how to achieve the best results.
Better than Take Out Chicken Fried Rice
This is a strong claim, but I genuinely believe this is the best chicken fried rice recipe you will make at home! Like the restaurant fried rice, they use remarkably similar ingredients with the power of a carbon steel or steel wok. The smokiness that you get from this type of wok is a game changer when it comes to making Asian food at home.
If you donβt own a wok, you can also make it in a large frying pan or nonstick skillet. You just wonβt get that smoky flavour but overall, this dish is delicious without it!
Ingredients
For this recipe youβll need the below chicken fried riceΒ ingredients. Please scroll down to recipe card for full measurements.
- Cooked leftover Jasmine rice: The best rice to use for a good fried rice recipe is Thai jasmine white rice. If you use day old cooked rice, it's even better because the rice becomes dried out and this prevents the rice from sticking together as it cooks in your large skillet. This is the one of the most important things in making fried rice.
- You may also substitute with brown rice. For a healthier alternative, you may use cauliflower rice.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Chicken thigh meat is a great choice for fried rice as it's juicier and tender even if you by chance overcook it. However, you may substitute with chicken breast but please only cook until 50% cooked as breast tends to dry out fast. The chicken pieces shouldn't be dry.
- If you have leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, you may sub with that but please skip the marinating process as it's already cooked. I would also suggest tossing the cooked chicken at the very end to simply reheat it.
Aromatics
- Shallot: In Asian cuisine, shallots are often used for fried rice as it's more fragrant. If you can't find shallots, substitute with finely chopped white onion, yellow onion or a sweet onion.
- You may also substitute with the white part of green onions and save the green part as a garnish.
- Garlic: This aromatic is the secret ingredient for a very tasty fried rice! Though it's small, it adds a very aromatic taste to any rice dishes. It's commonly used in Chinese cuisine and most of Asian cuisine.
Vegetables & Other Ingredients
- Carrot: Carrots add color and healthy fiber to this chicken fried rice. It's common to see carrot in fried rice. Feel free to use the fresh or frozen kind.
- Peas: Feel free to use frozen or fresh peas. This adds color to our dish and healthy fiber. The different veggies help to loosen the rice making it taste lighter in texture.
- Eggs: Beaten eggs are the second ingredient to making the best fried rice. The eggs help to coat the rice. The rice tastes different when it's coated in the best way possible as the eggs add flavor.
- Neutral oil: any neutral tasting oil such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil will work. I would avoid using olive oil as it contains a slight taste and scent, it also does not have a high smoke point as we cook this over medium-high heat.
Chicken marinade
- Regular soy sauce: not light or dark soy sauce! Just your regular all purpose soy sauce. Any Asian grocery store or online retailer, like Amazon (depending on your country) will carry this ingredient.
- For a gluten free option, substitute with gluten free soy sauce, coconut aminos or tamari sauce.
- Shaoxing Cooking Wine: or sub with Dry Sherry Wine if you can't find Chinese cooking wine. If you're looking for a non-alcoholic version, feel free to omit completely. Any Asian grocery store or online retailer, like Amazon (depending on your country) will carry this ingredient.
- Cornstarch: This creates juicy chicken as it helps to lock in any moisture by sealing it. The usage of cornstarch in marinating meat is a common technique used at any Chinese restaurant.
- Neutral oil: This adds moisture to your chicken and also makes them slippery so when they fall into your hot pan, they won't stick together.
Sauce
- Regular soy sauce: not light or dark soy sauce! Feel free to sub with low-sodium soy sauce and add to taste.
- For a gluten free option, substitute with gluten free soy sauce, coconut aminos or tamari sauce.
- Dark soy sauce: this type of soy sauce is meant for coloring a dish in most Asian cuisine. If you can't find this ingredient, add more regular soy sauce to taste. Any Asian grocery store or online retailer, like Amazon (depending on your country) will carry this ingredient.
- Toasted sesame oil: a nutty oil that gives your fried rice or any stir fries that delicious sesame aroma. If you don't have sesame oil, you may substitute with toasted sesame seeds.
- Chicken bouillon powder: This gives your fried rice that extra depth of flavor as it contains some msg. Most Western or Asian grocers or online retailers like Amazon will carry this item.
- White pepper: or sub with black pepper
How to make Chicken Fried Rice
Below are general guidelines to show you how to make chicken fried rice restaurant style. Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details.
- Marinate your sliced chicken with Chicken Marinate ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, pre-mix sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- In a hot wok set over medium high heat, add 1 tsp oil. Once oil is hot, fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1 tsp of oil and stir fry garlic and shallots for 10 seconds or until softened. Quickly add peas and carrots and fry for another 10 seconds or until softened. Sweep everything to the side of the wok.
- Add 1 tsp of oil into empty space of wok. Pour in eggs and scramble before mixing with ingredients in wok. Push everything to the side of the pan.
- Add remaining oil along with rice into empty space. Then toss with ingredients. Toss back in chicken.
- Pour sauce around your rice along the edges of the wok (the heat + sauce creates more flavour vs. pouring on top of rice). Mix until all rice granules are coloured brown. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy!
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this delicious chicken fried rice:
Can I use different vegetables?
Yes, feel free to substitute or add any fresh veggies that you desire. I would avoid using leafy greens. However, feel free to use bell peppers like red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, edamame and more!
What's the best way to cook rice?
There are different ways to cook rice, some make it in a pot over the stove top or in an instant pot. But in my own kitchen, the rice cooker is the best way to make steamed rice.
It does it perfectly without any worry and the rice cooker pots are usually non-stick, so the rice slides right out with ease. I share a good rice cooker brand in the Recipe card below under "Equipment".
What is the secret to good fried rice?
Using a wok that can withstand high flame to create βwok heiβ or in Chinese βbreathe of wok.β When the oil hits the heat of an extremely hot wok, this creates that smoky taste you enjoy in most Chinese cooked foods.
How do you dry out rice for fried rice?
I will usually make it the night before and after it cooks, Iβll lay it out in a single layer on a sheet pan covered lightly with aluminum foil. Then place it in the back of the refrigerator, where itβs the coldest.
On the day of cooking, I will add a little oil to my hands and break up the rice with my hands until it's separated into granules. The oil prevents the rice from sticking to your hands.
To urgently dry out rice: after the rice has cooked, lay it out on a tray and then pop it into the freezer (not fridge) UNCOVERED for 1 hour and this will help dry it out.
Other Fried Rice recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this best chicken and egg fried rice, you may enjoy these other recipes:
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Tomato Egg Fried Rice
- Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice
- Vegan Mushroom Kimchi Fried Rice
- Thai Railway Fried Rice
Easy Chinese Chicken Fried Rice (30-min)
Ingredients
- 4 Β½ cups cooked jasmine rice day old, see Notes for amount of uncooked rice
- Β½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs thinly sliced
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ΒΎ cup carrot finely diced
- Β½ cup peas frozen
- 3 eggs beaten
- 4 tsp vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
Chicken marinade:
- 1 tsp regular soy sauce not light or dark soy sauce!
- 1 tsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine or sub with Dry Sherry Wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp regular soy sauce not light or dark soy sauce!
- Β½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (aka chicken stock powder)
- β tsp white pepper or sub with black pepper
Instructions
- Marinate your sliced chicken with Chicken Marinate ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, pre-mix Sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
- In a hot wok set on medium high heat, add 1 tsp oil. Once oil is hot, fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1 tsp of oil and fry garlic and shallots for 10 seconds or until softened. Quickly add peas and carrots and fry for another 10 seconds or until softened. Push everything to the side of the wok.
- Add 1 tsp of oil into empty space of wok. Pour in eggs and scramble before mixing with ingredients in wok.
- Add remaining oil along with rice and toss with ingredients. Toss back in chicken.
- Pour sauce around your rice along the edges of the wok (the heat + sauce creates more flavour vs. pouring on top of rice). Mix until all rice granules are coloured brown. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy!
This would be such a great dish for my kids! I think they would absolutely love homemade fried rice! Thanks Christie! π
I'm pretty excited that I have everything I need to make this one! I haven't had chicken fried rice in such a long time. Might be time to make it again! Take care Christie!
Yay! That's always a great thing. Thanks so much Leanne and I hope you enjoy it π Take care Leanne!
I don't make fried rice nearly enough and this one looks so scrumptious!! I also appreciate your wisdom on thinking in the present. Wonderful advice for the current times ~ thank you!
Thanks so much Tasia! I appreciate you taking the time to read and for your kind words on my fried rice. I hope you give it a try!
Is it okay to marinate your chicken overnight? I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow.
Absolutely! It'll make the chicken taste even better. I hope you enjoy my recipe!
Christie
Just yesterday I posted a chicken curry recipe. Chicken fried rice is something I have never tried before, as I have always grown up eating biryani instead. Hoping to give a try to this one sooner.
I appreciate your efforts in bringing the best.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog! I truly appreciate your kind comment! I absolutely love biryani and I will have to give it a try one day.
What a tasty chicken dish! It looks so flavorful.
How delicious... and I love that this only takes 30 minutes to prepare!
This was a quick, easy and absolutely delicious meal! I really appreciated the tips on cooking everything within the same pan to avoid dirtying more things. Loved making this on date night at home!
Thanks Florencia! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this as well as the cooking tips. I love making everything in one pan to reduce the amount of dishes I have to wash later haha π
Just made your dish Came out wonderful so ummy
Made this last night; it was so easy and delicious. I marinated the chicken longer than five minutes for maximum flavour penetration but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. I also prepped the rice in the morning then lined a sheet pan, spread it out and refrigerated it so it was ready and super dry before putting the recipe together. Never did this before but will from now on as the rice was nice and crisp. Will put this recipe on rotation!
Thank you so much for making my recipe D.Jay! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it π Glad that this dish can become part of your rotation!
Just made it, waiting for the troops to come. Will definitely post reactions, we love Asian food.
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I hope you and the troops enjoy it π
Best chicken fried rice I've ever made at home!
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving a kind review, Stacie! So glad you liked it. Have a great day!
This was soooooo good! I used green onion instead of shallot and added a bit of sesame oil to the eggs before cooking them. Loved the dark soy sauce flavor! Great recipe!
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this! Thanks for making my recipe Crissy!
I have a hard time finding dark soy sauce, should i use oyster sauce in its place , what do you recommend.
Feel free to use a bit more regular soy sauce to taste or use oyster sauce π
This is a great recipe! Will definately make again and againπ
Thanks so much for making my recipe Linda! So happy you enjoyed it π
HI: Can you tell a taste of the 1 tsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine in the recipe?
A little bit goes a long way. If you desire, you can always add more to your liking. If you are looking to omit the ingredient because it's hard to find, feel free to.
This was such an amazing recipe! My crew loved it. I didn't have shallots so I chopped a small yellow onion very finely and it worked just fine. This truly was "better than take out" and we just loved it.
I am so happy to read this Randall! Thank you so much for making my recipe for your crew! Glad it lives up to its name π
Excellent authentic fried rice recipe. Thanks Christie. I just bought all of the ingredients to make your crab rangoons next. My family canβt wait.
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Angela! I am so happy to read that you enjoyed this! I also hope you enjoy my crab rangoons too π Have a lovely day!
Perfect recipe for Chicken Fried rice. We all loved it! The only change I made was to add a touch of Chinese Five Spice seasoning.
Thank you so much for making my recipe Paula! I am so glad you all loved it π A pinch of five spice sounds lovely!
I do not have dark soy sauce. Just regular. Is that okay?
Yes, I would suggest adding more regular soy sauce to taste and do not sub at a 1:1 ratio as regular is saltier than dark.