Chicken Fried Rice
Skip takeout and make this easy chicken fried rice recipe at home in under 30 minutes. With lots of veggies, flavorful chicken, and the perfect amount of sauce - it's an easy dinner your whole family will love.
Servings: 12 Servings
Cost: $8
Ingredients
Eggs
- 2 eggs
- pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced into thin strips)
- 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
Fried Rice
- 4 cups white rice at least a day old chilled in the refrigerator.*
- 4 Tablespoons sesame oil divided
- 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish
Instructions
Cook the Eggs
- Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large skillet (at least 10”) over medium heat.
- Beat eggs with a pinch of sea salt, then pour into heated pan and spread evenly into one thin, round layer.
- Cook 2-3 minutes, or until the egg is firm and bubbles appear on the top.
- Flip and cook and additional 2 minutes until the egg is cooked.
- Remove from heat, transfer to a cutting board and cut into thin pieces. Set aside.
Cook the Chicken
- Combine the garlic powder, ground ginger, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil to a fry pan. Then add the chicken and cook until it is no longer pink (you may need to cover the chicken for part of the cooking time, but don’t cover it the entire time because some of the water needs to cook out and not be trapped by the lid). About 5-8 minutes depending on the size of your chicken.
- Then, sprinkle the seasoning mixture and add an additional 1 Tablespoon peanut oil and stir to combine.
- Cook until the chicken begins to lightly brown, then add the soy sauce and cook until absorbed.
- Set the chicken aside while you make the rest of the recipe.
Make the Chicken Fried Rice
- Sauté onion, garlic and carrots in 1 Tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook until vegetables are soft and just starting to brown (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add 3 Tablespoons sesame oil and 1 Tablespoon peanut oil to the vegetables.
- Add rice, stir and cook on high for 5-6 minutes, or until the rice just begins to brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add cooked chicken, peas, soy sauce and ginger, stir to combine.
- Carefully add the egg and gently stir it into the mixture.
- Cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until the rice is lightly browned.
- Serve immediately and garnish with green onions.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitution Notes
- Chicken breasts. boneless skinless chicken thighs work well too.
- Rice. Using cold, day-old, rice is critical to making the best fried rice. So plan accordingly and make it a day in advance or use leftover rice.
- Sesame oil. I do not recommend omitting or substituting the sesame oil in this recipe. It is key to the authentic flavor of this dish.
- Peanut oil. If you have a peanut allergy in your household you can substitute canola oil, avocado oil or additional sesame oil for the peanut oil.
- Minced Garlic. Powdered garlic works just as well as minced garlic if you don’t have any on hand.
- Onion. I recommend using green onions or sweet white onions in this recipe.
- Carrots. Use fresh, diced carrots for the best results! Or, omit.
- Peas. I recommend using thawed, frozen peas. Don't use canned peas they don't taste great.
- Soy Sauce. Both regular and low-sodium soy sauce work well.
- Powdered Ginger. Use fresh minced ginger instead of powdered.
- Eggs. Again, these can be omitted if you have an egg allergy in your family, however I recommend only omitting them if necessary.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1880IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg