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Chicken Fried Rice

5 from 11 votes
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posted: 05/10/20

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

Chicken Fried Rice is a fast easy dinner that comes together with simple ingredients. Skip the take out and make your family this delicious recipe they will love.

overhead close up view of teal skillet filled with chicken fried rice on a wire cooling rack with a red napkin

Our family has been consuming a decent amount of take out. It started out as a way to support our local restaurants and community that we care about. I can’t say our motives are totally pure at this point . . .

If you are also over doing take out and want to make a great take out level meal at home, let me give you this amazing Chicken Fried Rice recipe.

The simplicity of this recipe will make your kids happy, and I have a bunch of great add on and swap ideas for even more flavor.

CHICKEN FRIED RICE INGREDIENTS

One of the things I love about this recipe are the simple ingredients it calls for that are easy to keep on hand.

  • Chicken
  • Carrots
  • Eggs
  • Cooked Rice
  • Frozen Peas
  • Green Onions
  • Garlic
  • Soy Sauce
  • Sesame Oil

Of that list, my guess is that what you might not have on hand (besides fresh chicken) is green onions and sesame oil. You can definitely make this recipe with vegetable oil and skip the green onions. That way it is a recipe that you can always make.

And I love keeping frozen chicken breasts on hand so that I always can make this.

pulled back view of a white bowl filled with easy chicken fried rice recipe with peas, carrots, and eggs on a wooden cutting board with another bowl in the background

HOW MUCH RICE TO USE

This recipe calls for cooked and cooled rice that is at least four hours old. To get four cups of cooked rice, you need to start with approximately 1 1/3 cup dry rice.

WHY OLD RICE

Old rice is a key to this recipe. When you first cook rice, it is wet, soft and delicious. As cooked rice cools, it dries out. This is normally terrible, but it is perfect for fried rice! If you were to use fresh rice, your fried rice would end up a big gooey mess.

Make sure as your rice cools you break up any big clumps so it all dries out properly.

overhead view of a teal skillet filled with chicken fried rice on a wire cooling rack with a red cloth napkin on a white marble surface

SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS

Do you have some picky eaters in your house? Let’s talk about swaps. Really any of the ingredients (except the rice, soy sauce, and oil) can be ditched in place of something else.

Eggs: If your family can’t stand scrambled eggs, you can leave them out of this recipe. I think they are barely noticeable and add some protein, so I force them on my kids.

(My kids hate scrambled eggs and literally did not notice them in this recipe.)

Carrots: A good swap for these would be red peppers. You just will need to cook them for less time.

Peas: A great substation here would be corn. Definitely not common for fried rice, but it’s your house and your dinner.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

The sky is kind of the limit with a recipe as simple as this Chicken Fried Rice. You could add the following things for more flavor and texture.

  • Chopped Peanuts
  • Cilantro
  • Water Chestnuts
  • Chili Paste
  • Fresh Minced Ginger
straight forward view of a white bowl full of a mound of chicken friend recipe recipe on a wooden cutting board against a dark black background with green onion slices around the cutting board

OTHER FRIED RICE RECIPES

If your family loves fried rice – and who can blame them – then here are two more recipes for them to love.

If you make this Chicken Fried Rice or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

overhead close up view of teal skillet filled with chicken fried rice on a wire cooling rack with a red napkin
5 from 11 votes

Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

Serves: 5 people
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Chicken Fried Rice is a fast easy dinner that comes together with simple ingredients. Skip the take out and make your family this delicious recipe they will love.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 medium carrots diced
  • 1 pound chicken breasts diced small
  • 3 eggs whisked
  • 5 green onions diced
  • 4 cups rice (cooked, cooled, and refrigerated at least four hours)
  • 3 – 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

  • Heat a skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until smoking.
  • Cook the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
  • Add the carrots and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 5 mintues.
  • Move the chicken and carrots to one side of the skillet. Pour in the eggs to the empty side of the skillet. Using a spatula, scrape from the outsides to the center, flipping them as you cook them. Cook until just done and then mix all the ingredients together.
  • At this point you may need to add a little more oil. If you do, add only a teaspoon or two.
  • Add in the green onions and garlic to the pan, stirring well. Cook for about thirty seconds. Stir in the rice, coating it completely. Stir in the frozen peas, and soy sauce and cook for another minute until the peas are just thawed (they cook quickly just from the heat of the dish). Taste and add more soy sauce to taste (my family needed about 4 1/2 tablespoons to fall in love).

Notes

Please note that this recipe serves about 5 people. Nutritional information is based on 1 cup of the recipe and the recipe makes 7 cups total.
Serving: 1cup Calories: 251kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 24g (8%) Protein: 20g (40%) Fat: 8g (12%) Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 122mg (41%) Sodium: 500mg (22%) Potassium: 128mg (4%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 2g (2%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
overhead close up view of teal skillet filled with chicken fried rice on a wire cooling rack with a red napkin

did you make this

Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. Peter Gordon says

    Lisa:
    Your nutrients are for 1 cup. I got that. Now, when you get a chance, would you tell us what the nutrients are for one cup? Love your recipes. Thanks for all your hard work.

    • Lisa Longley says

      My apologies, Peter. It is in there now.

  2. Ana says

    5 stars
    Today I did the fichen fried rice. My first fried rice ever, and it came out delicious . Thank you, looking forward to more delicious recipes.👏💥

    • Lisa Longley says

      So happy to hear that you liked this Ana! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know!

  3. Deb Quaglia says

    5 stars
    My family absolutely loves this recipe. Thank you! I am very appreciative for all your recipes. I use them quite often.

  4. Demetria L Santillan says

    Can I use frozen peas & carrots instead of fresh carrots?

    • Lisa Longley says

      It would change the cooking instructions, but yes!

  5. Anika says

    Making this tonight. Is it 4 cups cooked rice or coor 4 cups and use it all?

    • Lisa Longley says

      It is four cups of cooked rice.

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