Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Easy chicken fried rice is made in just one pan and ready in 20 minutes for a delicious dinner that’s even faster and better than takeout!
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked white or brown rice, previously chilled (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas and carrots
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken (such as rotisserie chicken, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon Asian chili garlic sauce (see notes)
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
- Sliced green onions or chives, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet or wok, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the peas and carrots until warmed through, about 2 minutes.
- Push the veggies to one side of the pan, then crack in the 2 eggs on the clear side. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs and cook until set. Mix into the veggies.
- Increase the heat to medium high then add the cooked rice and chicken and stir until well combined. Heat through, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chili garlic sauce until it’s mixed in well.
- Remove from heat then add the soy sauce and stir until well mixed.
- Serve immediately with extra soy sauce and sliced green onions, if desired.
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Notes
Rice: This needs to be previously cooked, cooled and refrigerated before making this fried rice, so please plan accordingly. (It changes the starch content and affects the taste and texture.) Feel free to use brown or white rice.
Chicken: The chicken also needs to be already cooked. You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store or some roasted or boiled chicken breasts or thighs. See below for more subs on this. It also helps to chop it pretty small so it gets well distributed throughout the fried rice.
Peas and carrots: Frozen mixed peas and carrots works great here and you don’t even have to thaw them ahead of time, just throw them in frozen. See below for other veggie additions.
Chili garlic sauce: This adds a great depth of flavor and just a little bit of background heat. And it’s available in the Asian section of most grocery stores. If you don’t have any, add 1 clove of garlic, minced, after you’ve sautéed the onion. Then serve with hot sauce or sriracha if you want the heat, too.
Soy sauce: I use and recommend low sodium soy sauce so you can control the amount of sodium. You can also substitute tamari if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
Additions: Feel free to add some corn, broccoli or bell peppers if you want to up the veggies in your fried rice.
No cooked chicken: If you don't have any cooked chicken to use, you can thinly slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook it in the pan after you have sautéed the onion, until cooked through. Then proceed with the recipe. You can also use ground chicken and cook it in the same way.
Chicken substitutions: You can use this same recipe and make it with ground pork, thin strips of pork, shrimp or another seafood. Just make sure your protein is cooked through when adding in the recipe below.
Leftovers: Leftovers, once cooled, can be refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in individual portions in the microwave until warmed through. Add extra soy sauce if needed to wake it back up.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 514kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 771mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g
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