Homemade Chicken Fried Rice is cheaper than going out to your favorite Chinese restaurant and will probably have fresher flavors, all made from the comfort of your own kitchen. This is a great recipe for when you’re serving a crowd or simply want delicious leftovers to nosh on throughout the week.
The Best Chicken Fried Rice
Using just a few simple ingredients and leftover rice, we’ve created an easy chicken recipe that we promise will be requested again! Be sure to leave enough time for your chicken to marinate and grab some frozen veggies from the grocery store to help save time. Now let’s get cooking!
Looking for a sauce to serve with this fried rice recipe? You have to try our Yum Yum Sauce!
Looking for More Recipes Like This?
If you love fried rice recipes as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Hibachi Fried Rice or Salmon Fried Rice!
What You Will Need
Fried Rice Sauce
- soy sauce – The base of this savory sauce.
- chili garlic sauce – The secret ingredient that adds so much flavor.
- fresh ginger – Adds a spicy and warming flavor.
- sesame oil – A mild flavored oil that allows all these flavors cover this hearty chicken recipe.
Chicken Fried Rice
- soy sauce – Brings complex flavors of saltiness, umami, and a slight bitterness.
- chicken thighs – We like boneless and skinless for this recipe for easy assembly. You could always use leftover chicken, but it just won’t be as flavorful as the marinated version.
- oil – We like extra virgin olive oil, but use whatever you have on hand.
- garlic, yellow onion, & frozen peas and carrots – Classic veggies for any stir fry dish.
- eggs – Adds little bits of egg in every bite.
- cooked rice – The secret to any good fried rice recipe is leftover rice! Because it is slightly dried out, it really soaks up all the yummy sauce flavors.
- ground black pepper & kosher salt – Just a bit to heighten all the flavors.
- green onions – Just a few for garnishing.
- red pepper flakes – For those who like some heat!
How To Make Chicken Fried Rice
Start by mixing together your fried rice sauce ingredients and gathering everything else that you’ll need for this easy recipe.
Then pour some soy sauce over the top of your chicken and let it marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Next, bring a large skillet to medium-high heat and once hot, add in the oil and marinated chicken thighs, discarding the leftover soy sauce. Let the thighs cook for 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Then transfer your cooked chicken to a plate, let rest for 5-ish minutes, and then cut into bite sized pieces.
Add another drizzle of oil to the same cast iron skillet and add in your garlic and chopped onion, moving them around the pan until the onion is softened. Then add in your frozen vegetables and let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Push the veggies off to the side to create a little bowl in the middle of the skillet for your eggs. Add a little bit more oil to keep your eggs from sticking and then pour in your beaten eggs, moving them around the pan until they’re cooked through. Then mix in the veggies.
Recipe Tip:
For those who love to meal prep, chop your veggies a day in advance to help make this dish come together even quicker!
Now it’s time to put it all together! Add in your cooked rice, chicken pieces, pepper, half of the green onion slices, red pepper flakes, and around 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
Stir everything together in the pan until all the ingredients are warmed through. Last, but definitely not least, add in half of the stir fry sauce and mix thoroughly.
Recipe Tip:
Make a double batch of rice earlier in the week! Leftover rice truly yields the best results in this recipe as it soaks up all the amazing flavors better than fresh rice.
To give this dish some more authentic flavor, top it all with more sauce, green onions, red pepper flakes, and my personal favorite, a fried or poached egg. Serve this as your next incredible main course for the family, date night, or to nibble on all week long. And yes, you might have just found your new favorite rice dish!
Recipe FAQs
Leftover rice is drier than fresh rice, keeping it from getting to sticky when added to the rest of the stir fry ingredients.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Made chicken friend rice for the first time and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Marinate Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Description
A delicious Chicken Fried Rice recipe with homemade fried rice sauce. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner and makes great leftovers!
Ingredients
Fried Rice Sauce:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1–2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2–4 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Chicken Fried Rice:
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs*
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (sub other oil of your choice), divided
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 3 cups packed cooked rice (preferably day-old)**
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 green onions, sliced
- red pepper flakes to taste
- kosher salt to taste
- for serving: poached or fried eggs, additional green onions, or red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: place chicken in a shallow bowl or reusable silicone bag along with 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Ensure chicken is fully coated and let marinate 15-20 minutes.
- Make Fried Rice Sauce: combine sauce ingredients in a mason jar. Seal the lid and shake to combine (alternatively you can whisk together in a shallow bowl).
- Cook Chicken: Bring 12 inch cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add marinated chicken thighs (discard excess soy sauce) and let cook 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer to a plate and let rest 5 minutes before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook Veggies: Add another tablespoon of oil to the cook top. Add garlic and onion, move around until garlic becomes fragrant, approx. 30 seconds. Add frozen peas and carrots. Move around approx. 2-3 minutes. Move veggies off to the side to create a little hole in the middle of the pan.
- Cook Eggs: Add 1 tablespoon oil to the middle of the pan along with 2 whisked eggs. Move eggs around until cooked through. Combine with the veggies.
- Combine it all with Sauce: Add the rice to the pan along with the cooked chicken pieces, ground black pepper, 1/2 the green onion slices, red pepper flakes (if using), and approx. 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Move around until well combined and rice is warmed through. Add approx. 1/2 the Fried Rice Sauce and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately with the remaining Fried Rice Sauce, remaining sliced green onions, crushed red pepper flakes, or even a fried egg or poached egg!
Notes
- *Rice: it is highly recommended that you use day-old rice (or leftover rice) – so make it the day before and store in the refrigerator – this helps dry the rice out and prevents it from being too sticky.
- Chili Garlic Sauce: HERE is the chili garlic sauce I use – it is SO good and I use it in so many of my recipes!
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