Easy Chicken Fried Rice is a cinch to make at home with a few kitchen staples. This simple, 20 minute dish tastes just like take out!
On nights when I don’t feel like making dinner, but want to save picking up take out for the end of the week or weekend, I make Easy Chicken Fried Rice.
This customizable dish is SO quick, SO easy and, although I’m showing you how to make chicken fried rice, I usually use whatever we’ve got on hand in the fridge or freezer.
We blaze through a wok of it incredibly fast – it’s delicious, inexpensive, and did I mention quick? It takes longer for it to cool down to a temperature that my children don’t consider “spicy” than it does to actually cook!
Watch How to Make It
Chicken Fried Rice Ingredients
I can say with 99% certainty that you’ve already got all the ingredients needed to make a batch of fried rice on hand in your refrigerator and cupboards. You’ll need:
- White rice
- Frozen vegetables
- Garlic
- Sesame or wok oil
- Chicken breast or thighs
- Eggs
- Butter (yes, BUTTER!)
- Gluten free tamari, or traditional soy sauce if you don’t need to eat gluten free.
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Pin ItTips for Making Fried Rice
- Use leftover rice. Cold leftover rice works great for fried rice, so don’t toss extra cooked rice if you’ve got it from a meal during the week. I’ll show you my go-to method for cooking rice fresh below.
- No chicken? No problem! This recipe is great when made with chopped shrimp, leftover steak, shredded pork, smoked rib meat, or chopped kielbasa. Or, go meatless and double up on the vegetables.
- Pump up the veggies. If you want to pump up the nutrition of this recipe even more, you can replace some of the white rice with cauliflower rice in a 1:1 ratio. Add it when sauting the frozen vegetables.
- Gluten free? If you need to eat gluten free, be sure to use gluten free soy sauce, ie gluten free tamari. My favorite brand is San-J and I prefer their low-sodium variety.
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice
Step 1: Prepare the Rice
Start by making the rice, or you can use 3 cups leftover cooked rice.
To a small saucepan add long grain white rice (I like Lundberg Farms) plus water, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a bubble then turn the heat down to medium-low, place a lid on top, and simmer for 10 minutes. The water should just BARELY be bubbling.
Remove the pan from the heat then let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes before fluffing the rice with a fork and spreading it out onto a plate. Rice = done!
Step 2: Stir Fry the Chicken
Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat then add sesame or wok oil. Once hot, add chopped chicken breast seasoned with salt and white pepper then stir fry until cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate then set aside.
Step 3: Stir Fry the Vegetables
Heat an additional teaspoon oil then, once hot, add frozen vegetables and stir fry until tender. Again, use whatever you’ve got in the freezer – I usually use peas and sweet corn.
Add minced garlic then stir fry for another 30 seconds or so, being careful to not let it burn.
Step 4: Scramble the Egg
Scoot the vegetables to the side of the wok then add an egg whisked with sesame oil into the center and scramble.
Step 5: Add Butter (Trust Me)
Add a couple pats of butter then allow it to melt. I know, I know – butter in fried rice? Trust me – it’s DELISH!
Once melted, add the cooked chicken and rice then toss to combine and heat everything through.
Step 6: Drizzle in GF Tamari or Soy Sauce
Last step is to drizzle in reduced sodium gluten free Tamari (or soy sauce if you don’t need to eat gluten free) then toss again to combine.
That’s all she wrote! I like to let the fried rice cool a little before serving as you can taste the ingredients so much better when it’s not piping hot. I hope you love this super simple, quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe – enjoy!
What’s the Best Wok for Fried Rice?
The unique shape of a wok allows for quick, even cooking — a must when it comes to making fried rice! I love this Calphalon Signature Hard-Anodized Nonstick Wok because, unlike a traditional wok, it has a flat bottom so you don’t have to worry about it tipping over. This wok is available for ~$106.
For a more affordable option, the Kenmore Hammond Flat Bottom Carbon Steel Wok is another great option at less than $40.
More Take-Out Inspired Recipes
- Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Beef and Broccoli
- Potsticker Noodle Bowls
- Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Thai Sweet Potato Curry
- Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Pork Bowls
- Spicy Shrimp Soup
Equipment
- Large wok (I love the flat bottom on this Calphalon one)
Ingredients
- 3 cups prepared long grain rice, see notes
- 1 chicken breast, ~1/2lb, cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and white pepper
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 egg
- 3 teaspoons sesame oil or wok oil, divided
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons gluten-free reduced sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
Directions
- Whisk egg with 1 teaspoon oil in a small dish then set aside.
- Heat another teaspoon oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Season chicken with white pepper and salt then add to hot wok and stir fry until cooked through. Remove to a plate then set aside.
- Heat remaining teaspoon oil in the wok then add frozen vegetables. Stir fry until tender, 1-2 minutes, then add garlic and stir fry for 30 more seconds being careful not to let it burn. Push vegetables to the side of the wok then add egg and sesame oil mixture into the center and scramble.
- Add butter then, once melted, add cooked chicken and rice and then toss to combine. Drizzle in tamari, toss to combine, then serve.
Notes
- How I make my rice: add 1 cup long grain white rice (I like Lundberg Farms) 1-3/4 cup water, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and pinch of salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer then place a lid on top and turn heat down to low — the water should barely be bubbling. Cook for 10 minutes then remove pan from the heat and let sit with the lid on for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork then spread out onto a plate to cool. Yields: 3 cups cooked rice.https://amzn.to/3zgQvak
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Very delightful and much like a restaurant. Seaseme oil is a must! I do suggest chicken Thigh meat…So tender diced up…
Agreed – we use chicken thighs in here more often than not these days! So glad you enjoyed, Dean – I appreciate your feedback and recipe rating!
this is a great recipe! I swapped fresh chicken breast for a can of keystone chicken and used uncle Ben’s original jasmine rice (microwave pack) you can use 2 family size and 1 big can of chicken if you want more servings I also used 4 large eggs (tsp of oil per egg) and 1 small bag of frozen corn and boy it was soooo yummmy!!!!
***forgot to add 5 star rating to original comment****
I’m thrilled to hear this, Amber, and thank you so much for your 5 star ratings! Love that you were able to make this recipe work with what you had on hand.
I made this and it was wonderful.
I’m so glad to hear that, Cheryl! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Just made this recipe. It’s so good. Thanks!! So easy also.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Louise! Thank you so much for your feedback!
I made this tonight with shrimp (I don’t like chicken too much) & mixed veggies, egg & water chestnuts & it was great! Instead of tamari I used Braggs Aminos with a splash of GF Bachan’s. The flavor was amazing & the dish, made exactly as shown, was fantastic!
Oh I’m so glad to hear that, Susan! I LOVE GF Bachan’s and add it to my fried rice often as well. Also love to swap the chicken for shrimp if I’ve got it on hand in the freezer. Sounds like an awesome meal — great job!!
😋😋😋delicious😋😋😋
It’s hot in the UK at the mo so didn’t want to spend too much time cooking! Found this treasure of a recipe.
Delicious, easy to cook and the family loved it. Put 3 eggs in as love scrambled egg. Recipe added to one of my favourites.
Thank you ☺️
Fantastic!! So glad it hit the spot, Alisa! Really appreciate your feedback — stay cool!
I am about to try this recipe. I am using leftover chicken from shish-kabobs. I am planning to use canned veggies instead of frozen (since I opened the cans before I found this recipe.) I will update with a rating after I cook it.
I hope you enjoy, Shannon!
Quick, easy, delicious!!! Celiac runs in my wife’s family, so this is a great gluten free recipe to add to my repertoire!
Oh I’m so glad it was a hit, Thomas! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Just made this for my family. Super easy and so yummy! Used the gluten free sauce instead of soy sauce and used 2 cups of veggies instead of 1.
Awesome!! So glad it was a hit, Claire — thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was really good and a great way to use up leftover veggies. I omitted the egg since I don’t like them scrambled and just added more chicken instead. I also didn’t have low sodium soy sauce so I used the normal kind and added white sugar to balance out the saltyness. I did also added a little bit of ginger. It tastes great, will make again!
Sounds so delicious, Kate! I’m so glad you’ve found a way to make this recipe your own!
This was easy and delicious! I’ve never had great luck with trying to come up with my own version of fried rice, but this was excellent. Will make again for sure.
Awesome!! So glad you enjoyed it, Amy!
Funny how many recipes pop up for my searches, and they are “Iowa girl eats!”
This is one of many of your recipes I have tried.
Only substitution is Coconut Aminos – due to Celiac Disease.
Going to have a great dinner here tonight :)
Oh that makes me so happy!! I hope you enjoyed it, Moose! :) I use San Jay low sodium gluten free tamari — if you’ve never tried it, the flavor is amazing!