This is the best Chicken Fried Rice! Savory and fluffy fried rice with juicy tender chicken, eggs, peas, carrots with garlic and shallots. Ready in 30 minutes with leftover rice!
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What is Chicken Fried Rice?
My easy chicken fried rice recipe features fluffy rice stir fried with tender chicken, mixed veggies, eggs in a savory soy sauce mixture. This serves well as a main course, side dish for meal prep. It's a quick and easy recipe making it great for busy weeknights!
I’m a huge fan of fried rice as it's such a comforting dish that brings a lot of childhood nostalgia for me. Whenever my parents didn’t know what to cook for us, it would be fried rice because we use up any leftover ingredients in the fridge.
I also believe this is the best chicken fried rice recipe you will make at home! The ingredients are very similar to the Chinese restaurant and if you own a steel wok, this is to your advantage as it'll create that smoky flavor! But if you don't own one, don't worry, a large pan will work too.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cooked Leftover Jasmine Rice: Or substitute with any long grain white rice or brown rice.
- Day-old rice is the key to making a great fried rice. You can use fresh rice but lay it out on a sheet pan in a single layer, pop it into the freezer exposed for 60 minutes to dry out the moisture. Then break up the cold rice with clean hands with a bit of neutral oil on them.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: or substitute with chicken breasts.
- Shallot: or substitute with onions
- Garlic
- Carrot
- Frozen Peas
- Eggs
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils.
Chicken marinade
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- 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.
- Cornstarch: this helps lock in the moisture in the chicken.
- 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
- Dark soy sauce
- Toasted sesame oil: or substitute with sesame seeds. Omit if you're allergic.
- Chicken bouillon powder: it gives extra depth of flavor as it contains some msg.
- White pepper: or sub with black pepper
How to make Chicken Fried Rice
Marinate Chicken
Marinate your sliced chicken with Chicken Marinate ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Make Sauce
In a small bowl, pre-mix sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
Fry & Remove Chicken
In a hot wok or large skillet on medium-high heat, add 1 teaspoon oil. Once oil is hot, fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
Sauté Aromatics & Vegetables
Add 1 teaspoon 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.
Cook & Scramble Eggs
Add 1 teaspoon of oil into empty space of wok. Pour in eggs and scramble them into bite-sized pieces before mixing with ingredients in wok. Push everything to the side of the pan.
Toss in Rice & Chicken
Add remaining oil along with cooked rice into empty space. Then toss with ingredients. Toss back in chicken.
Add Sauce & Toss!
Pour sauce around your rice along the edges of the wok (the heat + sauce creates more flavor on the bottom of the pan vs. pouring on top of rice). Mix until all rice granules are colored brown. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop in a pan on medium heat until hot.
FAQ
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!
Using a carbon steel wok that can withstand high flame to create “wok hei” or in Chinese “breathe of wok.” When the oil hits the heat of an hot wok, it creates that smoky taste in most Chinese cooked foods.
Other Fried Rice recipes you may like!
- Egg Fried Rice
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Tomato Egg Fried Rice
- Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice
- Vegan Mushroom Kimchi Fried Rice
- Thai Railway Fried Rice
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Chinese Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups cooked jasmine rice day old, see Notes for amount of uncooked rice
- ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs thinly sliced
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup carrot finely diced
- ½ cup peas frozen
- 3 eggs beaten
- 4 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
Chicken marinade:
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or sub with Dry Sherry Wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (aka chicken stock powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon 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 teaspoon oil. Once oil is hot, fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1 teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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!
Sherri
This would be such a great dish for my kids! I think they would absolutely love homemade fried rice! Thanks Christie! 🙂
Leanne
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!
christieathome
Yay! That's always a great thing. Thanks so much Leanne and I hope you enjoy it 🙂 Take care Leanne!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
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!
christieathome
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!
Elizabeth
Is it okay to marinate your chicken overnight? I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow.
christieathome
Absolutely! It'll make the chicken taste even better. I hope you enjoy my recipe!
Letscurry
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.
christieathome
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.
Never Ending Journeys
What a tasty chicken dish! It looks so flavorful.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
How delicious... and I love that this only takes 30 minutes to prepare!
Florencia Martinez C.
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!
christieathome
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 🙂
Joey
Just made your dish Came out wonderful so ummy
D.Jay
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!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe D.Jay! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂 Glad that this dish can become part of your rotation!
Azalia
Just made it, waiting for the troops to come. Will definitely post reactions, we love Asian food.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I hope you and the troops enjoy it 🙂
Stacie
Best chicken fried rice I've ever made at home!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving a kind review, Stacie! So glad you liked it. Have a great day!
Crissy
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!
christieathome
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this! Thanks for making my recipe Crissy!
Randy Paggi
I have a hard time finding dark soy sauce, should i use oyster sauce in its place , what do you recommend.
christieathome
Feel free to use a bit more regular soy sauce to taste or use oyster sauce 🙂
Linda
This is a great recipe! Will definately make again and again🙂
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe Linda! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Dale
HI: Can you tell a taste of the 1 tsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine in the recipe?
christieathome
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.
Randall P.
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.
christieathome
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 🙂
Angela St. Peter
Excellent authentic fried rice recipe. Thanks Christie. I just bought all of the ingredients to make your crab rangoons next. My family can’t wait.
christieathome
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 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Paula
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.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Paula! I am so glad you all loved it 🙂 A pinch of five spice sounds lovely!
Lauren
I do not have dark soy sauce. Just regular. Is that okay?
christieathome
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.
Claudia Johnson
All I can add is WOW, the best ever. Christie a zillion thanks. I took a photo but didn't know how to upload.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for the kind comment, Claudia! Very happy you enjoyed it 🙂 I appreciate your effort to take a photo to post.
Emma V
Yooo. I've been making fried rice for years but haven't found the right recipe... Until now!! This is ACTUALLY like takeout, and totally his the spot. Delicious, I'm bookmarking this page.
christieathome
Very happy to read that this mimics takeout exactly! Glad it hit the spot and thanks for your review!
Maeve
I love this recipe! I make it all the time for meal preps. It's really easy to make and absolutely delicious!
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe, Maeve 🙂 Happy it's a go-to recipe for you and that it works for meal prep!
Jen G.
Made this tonight using some leftover roasted chicken breast and it came out AMAZING. As others suggested, I made the rice and then spread it out on a pan and refrigerated for a couple of hours, which helped it cook perfectly. All the ingredients and measurements were perfect, although I did double the sauce recipe and added some edamame. It came our perfectly and we all loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe and for leaving this kind review, Jen! Glad it worked out so well! Yes, that's a great tip that I often suggest anytime I want to dry out rice fast. I actually freeze (vs refrigerate) the rice on the baking sheet for 45-60 minutes for efficiency. I'll then break the rice apart with wet or hands that have a bit of vegetable or avocado oil to prevent a sticky mess. Hope this tip helps!
Linda Alvarado
Yes. Thank you 😊
christieathome
You're welcome!
Shari
This recipe is literally FANTASTIC… I’ve made good fried rice at home before and leftover rice is DEFINITELY key (parboiled rice which doesn’t get sticky even when cooked also helps)… but the recipe itself with marinade & sauce… SPECTACULAR!!!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for the kind review, Shari! So happy you enjoyed it!
Jenifer
Oh my goodness this was so good
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Jenifer! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Annette Mitchell
What a great recipe. I did add a 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar for just a little sweetness, this rice is amazing and reminds me of the fried rice I grew up on in Massachusetts. I chose to use green onion, carrots and bean sprouts in mine. You can use any vegetables you’d like. Next time, I’m going to change up the protein and use shrimp.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making and sharing your kind review with my Annette! I am so happy it worked out with the dark brown sugar for extra sweetness! Sounds so good. Enjoy it with shrimp! (I also share a shrimp version if you click here).
Joan Clarke
Making tonight looking forward to it
christieathome
Thanks so much Joan! I hope you enjoy my version of chicken fried rice! 🙂
Chris Lewis
Will precooked Ready Rice work for this recipe? or is there a way to make it work - dry it out??
christieathome
To quickly dry out cooked 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.
Courtney
When I don’t have day old rice I make a fresh batch, spread it thin on a baking sheet uncovered and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Works really well to dry it out a little.
Courtney Harris
This is the best! I’ve made it probably 8 times now. Whole family loves it too. It’s so simple but yet there are little touches that make a huge difference. Especially pouring the sauce down the sides to heat up before stirring. Thank you!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe so many times for your family! I appreciate you for sharing your kind review, Courtney! This is truly music to my ears 🙂
Emy
favorite fried rice recipe!
christieathome
Thank you so much for sharing your kind review with me, Emy! I am so happy to hear it's your favourite fried rice recipe 🙂
Paula Ena
Made it twice….tripled the recipe this time. It is delicious!!!! My family love it. Has a lot more flavor (not salty). Better than restaurant quality. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Paula! I appreciate your very kind review and so glad it's better than restaurant quality 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Raj
Easy to follow, delicious results.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Raj! So happy that you enjoyed it 🙂