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.
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.
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.
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
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.
- Thai Basil Fried Rice – This one is my all time favorite. I love it’s flavors!
- Shrimp Fried Rice – Another great simple recipe!
If you make this Chicken Fried Rice or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
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
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.
My apologies, Peter. It is in there now.
Ana says
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.👏💥
So happy to hear that you liked this Ana! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Deb Quaglia says
My family absolutely loves this recipe. Thank you! I am very appreciative for all your recipes. I use them quite often.
Demetria L Santillan says
Can I use frozen peas & carrots instead of fresh carrots?
It would change the cooking instructions, but yes!
Anika says
Making this tonight. Is it 4 cups cooked rice or coor 4 cups and use it all?
It is four cups of cooked rice.