“Delicious and easy chicken fried rice made of left over rice, vegetables and eggs. It’s so simple to prepare, ready in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for family lunch or dinner.”

Making this amazingly easy chicken fried rice takes less than 30 minutes, and it is so delicious! Chicken that is moist and tender, fluffy rice, vegetables, eggs, and just the right amount of umami flavor in each bite.

You can quickly prepare this as healthy evening dinner, and the leftovers are perfect for lunches the next day.

If you are buying this outside, you won’t ever want to takeout food again once you tried this easy, better-than-takeout chicken fried rice recipe. In addition to being far more economical, homemade food such as this has much more flavor and is usually healthier.

Even while this homemade version is healthier, it has all of the tastes you would expect from a restaurant-style dish.

You may eat it by itself or mix it with all of your favorite Asian cuisines. I love to pair it with extra fried egg, chicken curry, chicken teriyaki, chicken picadillo, kinatamisang manok, ginisang munggo, and ginisang pechay with tofu.

In this recipe, I used chicken thighs, frozen blended peas and diced carrots, scrambled eggs, green onions, garlic, onion, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper, all provide layers of flavor to fried rice.

Although I’m showing you how to make chicken fried rice, I normally use whatever we have on hand in the fridge or freezer. This fried rice recipe is very adaptable and can easily swap whatever you have on hand.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT

• Easy to prepare and cook. It’s extremely easy to prepare this dish at home! It only takes a few minutes to cook all the ingredients in a skillet.
• Rich in flavor: Chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and more are all included in this fried rice, which has been expertly seasoned and cooked.
• Healthier and more flavorful than takeaways. Skip the takeaway order and prepare your favorites at home instead! It can be made in a healthy form and yet tastes great.
• A great way to use your left over rice. Instead of throwing or heating your cold rice in the microwave, you can easily make it a tasty makeover.
• Completely adaptable to your preferences. You can add, substitute or omit ingredients if so desired.
• One skillet recipe. Making cleanup easy and manageable.

WHAT IS CHICKEN FRIED RICE

Fried rice is a dish made of leftover rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or frying pan at high heat. It also typically includes items like eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat (chicken, pork, or beef). It is frequently consumed either by itself or as a side dish.

Fried rice is common in East Asian, Southeast Asian, and some South Asian cuisines. Since Asians are known for consuming rice every meal, so it’s not surprising that they come up with this brilliant way of using up old-day rice.

As a homemade dish, fried rice usually uses leftover ingredients from other meals, giving rise to countless variations. All fried rice dishes can be traced back to the Chinese fried rice that was first created during the Sui Dynasty.

Making fried rice is a practical way of saving money while serving tasty rice recipes to your family.

Chicken fried rice is one of the varieties of fried rice that uses boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Aside from chicken, it also has scrambled eggs, and vegetables to give additional flavor and texture. It usually has an umami flavor that comes from using soy sauce or oyster sauce.

It’s one of the recipes that our entire family enjoys. It is easy to prepare, very filling, so tasty, and freezes well for later use.

CHICKEN FRIED RICE INGREDIENTS

To make this recipe for chicken fried rice, you’ll need:

• Leftover cooked rice. I used leftover chilled jasmine rice in this recipe as this is what we normally use in our household. Both medium- and long-grain rice can be used. Using freshly cooked rice in this recipe won’t turn out properly, see the FAQs below if using freshly cooked rice.
• Chicken. Use boneless and skinless chicken thigh or breast sliced into small pieces. This is the protein that will make this dish a complete meal.
• Eggs. The egg gives this rice dish the most incredible flavor and texture! Eggs are a fantastic source of flavor, texture, and protein. Slightly scramble the eggs so they resemble standard fried rice. Almost always, standard fried rice recipes include eggs. You can omit the eggs, though, if you’re not a lover of eggs or have a food allergy, it’s entirely up to you.
• Vegetables: I used frozen blended peas and diced carrots. I don’t thaw them, I just wash and drain them.  Including vegetables gives your fried rice a genuine flavor while also adding some added benefits. You can also use fresh carrots and dice them. Use frozen peas, not canned, as the texture is extremely mushy.
• Oil. We use 2 oils in this recipe, vegetable oil, and sesame oil. Using sesame oil adds a rich, delicate flavor and gives this fried rice a deliciously authentic Asian flavor.
• Soy sauce. Soy sauce is a traditional and flavorful condiment that is popular in Asian cuisine especially among Chinese people. You can use low-sodium soy sauce if preferred.
• Garlic and onion: I usually enjoy the combination of garlic and onion. They add flavor and fragrance to the dish.
• Green onions. Green onions are chopped up and added for flavor, color, and texture. They are also great as garnish.
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste.

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN FRIED RICE

Making this chicken fried rice is very easy, here are the steps:

Prepare the ingredients: Fried rice can be prepared quickly, so have all of your ingredients on hand and close to the fire. Make sure that the chicken are sliced into cube or strip and vegetables are ready to go. Also, whisk the egg.

Scramble the eggs. Heat vegetable oil in the skillet. Pour slightly beaten eggs into the heated oil. As it cook, chop them up into little pieces. After the egg has been scrambled, remove it from the pan. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Cooking the egg first will prevent it from overcooking and ensure that it remains in bigger bits.

Cook the chicken. Over medium-high heat, add sesame oil. Sauté garlic, onion and white stalks of the green onion. Cook until fragrant and translucent. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the inside is no longer pink. Season with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and ground black pepper.

Add the vegetables. Add the peas and carrots and cook for about 2 minutes.

Stir-fry the rice: Set the heat to high. Move the chicken and vegetables to one side of the pan or make a hole in the center then add the cold rice. Mix until well combined. Add the remaining soy sauce and toss to incorporate with the vegetables. Continue sautéing the rice for 3 minutes, or until you see a hint of browning developing on the rice and vegetables.

Season and taste. Taste the rice and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and additional soy sauce as necessary.

Take the pan off the heat. Add your scrambled eggs and mix until combine.

Serve! Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with chopped green onions. Serve it hot and enjoy!

RECIPE VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTION

The possibilities for homemade fried rice varieties are endless, so don’t be afraid to get inventive and use up any other leftover foods you might be in possession of. Thus, the following are some traditional add-ins:

• Substitute the protein. You can use other meat as you preferred such as pork, beef, ham, or shrimp. If you want a vegetarian option, leave it out completely.
• Switch up the veggies. Veggies greatly enhance the flavor and freshness of fried rice in addition to adding some wonderful splashes of color.  You can add or use chopped bell peppers, broccoli, sweet corn, or green beans. You can use fresh vegetables in place of the frozen ones.
• Substitute white rice. In place of conventional white rice, you can use brown rice or cauliflower rice. Using cauliflower rice in place of the white rice in this dish increases its nutritional value even further.
• Add oyster sauce for a richer flavor.
• Add a little teriyaki sauce for a little extra flavor when cooking the chicken. You can also marinate the chicken before cooking (if you have extra time).
• To give it some heat, you can also add some red pepper flakes or chili paste.
• Use butter for stir-frying rice to give a creamier flavor.

RECIPE TIPS

• Before you begin cooking, have everything chopped and measured. Stir-fry cooking moves quickly and requires little rest time. This dish is much simpler if all of your components are prepared beforehand.
• Don’t use too much oil, just a little will do. Spread it to the whole pan to grease it and to avoid rice from sticking.
• Use a wok or nonstick pan if you want to cook fried rice successfully.Utilizing a non-stick skillet is also very beneficial in preventing rice from sticking to the pan’s bottom.
• Use high heat when stir-frying. This will assist the rice and vegetables cook through and brown, as well as keep the rice from steaming in the pan rather than frying.
• Make sure the chicken is cooked through before adding the vegetables.
• Allow the rice to brown a little on the bottom. If you like your rice to be a little crispy, like I do, give it a little time to rest between stirrings so that it can do so.
• Don’t be hesitant to finish by adding more soy sauce: I am aware that everyone reacts differently to salt. Additionally, the salt content of various soy sauce brands largely varies. So, if you think it will tastes delicious, please add extra towards the end. I nearly always add an extra drizzle to my serving because I enjoy it so much.
• Avoid overcooking the final product to avoid having rough rice and mushy vegetables.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What kind of rice should you use?

Long or medium-grain rice is frequently used to make fried rice. These varieties of rice are flavorful and make each bite ideal. If you don’t want to eat white rice, brown rice is a terrific nutty substitute.

Do I have to use cold or leftover rice?

For fried rice, it is recommended to use cold, day-old rice. As rice sits, it dries up, helping to keep your fried rice from becoming soggy.

Fresh rice that is warm (or even lukewarm) will not fry properly when it contacts a hot skillet; the outcome will be soggy clumps that are undesirable.

However, you can also cook the rice right before making the fried rice if you must. Simply prepare the rice using a little less water than usual, put it out on a sizable pan, and let it to dry out for one to two hours. Alternatively, placed in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or the freezer for 10-15 minutes) to reach the desired level of cooling (not frozen).

Can I substitute other vegetables?

Of course! The refrigerator can be cleaned out using stir-fried rice. Just keep in mind that different vegetables require different cooking times, thus you might need to slightly modify the recipe.

Can I freeze chicken fried rice?

This dish is simple to prepare in advance and freeze in Ziploc bags if you’re meal planning. It will have a three-month shelf life in the freezer.

When you’re ready to eat, simply take it out of the freezer, let it thaw, and cook it in the skillet for 5–10 minutes. It makes for a quick and simple dinner any day of the week.

HOW TO SERVE

Serve this easy chicken fried rice over lunch or dinner.  You can serve by itself or mix it with all of your favorite Asian cuisines. Personally, I like to pair it with saucy or soup dishes such as chicken curry and Mung bean soup (ginisang munggo) to name a few.

HOW TO STORE

Chicken fried rice is best to consume immediately after cooking. But whether or not you add protein, fried rice keeps well in the refrigerator.

Refrigerate any leftover chicken fried rice in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Fried rice can be warmed either on the stovetop or in the microwave. To keep it moist, add a tablespoon or two of water on top. Cover the dish or pan to keep the moisture in and keep the rice from drying out.

Make this easy and delicious chicken fried rice recipe as soon as possible. Every week, you’ll want this instead of takeout because the whole family adore it.

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