Name: Chicken Fried Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 500 g chicken breast (washed and chopped into bite-size pieces); 4 cups cooked Jasmin or Basmati rice; 1 tsp garlic-ginger paste; 1/4 cup scallion (white parts); 1/4 cup scallion (green parts); 1/4 cup cooking oil; 1/4 cup peas; 1/4 cup carrots (finely diced); 3 medium eggs (lightly beaten); 1/8 cup soy sauce; 1 tbsp sesame oil

Chicken Fried Rice is a delicious healthy dish loaded with good flavors. It doesn’t only look beautiful and taste amazing, but it is also a very healthy and a complete dinner meal.

It is surprising how much flavor is in such simple chicken fried rice. Once you have your rice ready, it takes minutes to put together. A complete meal loaded with tender and juicy chicken, moist and fluffy rice, flavorful green peas and carrots.

This chicken fried rice is a dish that takes 15 minutes max to prepare and fits perfectly in hectic life we are living. Prep the rice overnight and throw everything else in when ready to eat your chicken fried rice.

What is Chicken Fried Rice?

It is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is mixed with other ingredients such as chicken, eggs, and vegetables. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish.

Origin of Fried Rice

Fried rice is a dish that is found almost all over the world. However, Fried rice first developed in China and as such, all fried rice dishes can trace their origins to Chinese fried rice.

Chicken Parts Best For Fried Rice

In my opinion, best parts for chicken fried rice are skinless boneless chicken breast or chicken thighs. They cook fast and are easy to eat without the hassle of dealing with bones.

Chicken fried rice is healthy for you

CHICKEN BREAST: is an excellent source of low-fat protein. Protein helps your body to maintain muscle mass and also helps you to build muscle if you are participating in a strength program. Chicken breast is also a very good source of selenium, phosphorus, vitamin B6, and niacin.

RICE: Depending on the type of rice you choose, rice can serve as a good source of B vitamins, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, fiber, and iron. Rice is also an excellent source of manganese and magnesium. For more benefits, substitute white rice with brown rice.

What goes in Vegetable Fried Rice?

Chicken breast (or boneless skinless chicken thigh)
Cooking oil
Garlic-ginger paste
Scallions sliced (the whites and the greens separated)
Frozen carrots or diced fresh
Frozen peas
Eggs lightly beaten
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Cold cooked white rice

A full list of the measurements is in the recipe box below.

How to make Chicken Fried Rice

Preheat a large skillet or wok on medium heat and pour cooking oil.
Add the chicken breast pieces, season with salt and pepper, and stir fry till cooked and lightly browned. Drain in a small plate and set aside for later.
Add more oil in the wok and pour in the beaten eggs. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, drain in a small plate and set aside for later.
In the same wok, add scallions (whites), garlic and ginger and sauté till fragrant. Add more oil if necessary.
To that, add peas and carrots and fry until tender.
Lastly, add cooked rice, cooked chicken, sesame oil and scallion (greens). Pour soy sauce on top and stir-fry till well mixed and cooked.

How to Reheat Leftovers

The best way to reheat chicken fried rice is either in a wok or in the microwave.

To reheat in a wok, sprinkle a few table spoons of water in the wok, heat and stir-fry the rice till warm.

To reheat in the microwave, put the rice in a plate, sprinkle a few teaspoons of water, cover and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.

Since we are using eggs and chicken (Salmonella infection risk) in this recipe, make sure the rice is steaming hot and consume within one hour after reheating. However, don’t reheat fried rice more than once for best results.

Storing and Freezing

Properly stored, leftover chicken fried rice will last for 5 days in the refrigerator.

To further extend the shelf life of leftover vegetable fried rice, freeze it in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months.

Tips for The Best Fried Rice

For the best chicken fried rice, use leftover cold rice. Freshly cooked rice has too much moisture and doesn’t crisp up as well and you may end up with mushy fried rice.
For crisp and caramelised fried rice, make sure your pan or wok is hot before starting.
Since the steps for making fried rice are very fast, make sure to prepare all ingredients before starting.
Use soy sauce for authentic restaurant quality fried rice. The saltiness of the soy sauce does wonders to the slight sweetness of the rice.
Just like soy sauce, sesame oil is highly recommended in this recipe. It gives this rice an authentic restaurant quality flavour.

More Tips

To stir-fry chicken fried rice, use two wooden spatulas, one on each hand. This makes it easier to stir the rice faster without breaking the grains.
Don’t overfill the wok otherwise you will end up with mushy rice!
Chicken breast can be substituted with skinless boneless chicken thighs.
I used the white long grain Jasmine Rice in this recipe; however, Basmati Rice is also fine.
When using freshly cooked rice, let it cool down a little. Also, dont overcook the rice.
If you use overcooked fresh rice, your chicken fried rice will turn out mushy.

For other rice recipes, check out:

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5 from 2 votes