Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice — One-skillet, ready in 20 minutes, and you’ll never want takeout again after tasting how good homemade is!! Way more flavor, not greasy, and loads of juicy chicken!!
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Easiest Fried Rice Recipe with Chicken
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make fried rice, this recipe will help you in no time! It’s an easy, one-skillet recipe that’s ready in 20 minutes and better than takeout. You’ll never be tempted again to eat rice from a flimsy white takeout container after trying homemade.
The chicken is moist and juicy and there are green onions, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce for layers of flavor. My favorites are the bits of scrambled eggs. Fried rice just isn’t fried rice without those coveted bits of eggs that I go searching for and devour those little treasures first.
It’s such an easy and healthy weeknight dinner you can whip up in no time and the leftovers are great for lunches!
Chicken Fried Rice Ingredients
For this straightforward chicken fried rice recipe, you’ll need:
- Vegetable oil (or another neutral oil like canola oil)
- Sesame oil
- Chicken breasts
- Frozen peas and carrots
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Eggs
- Cooked white rice (use pre-cooked rice packets if you’re in a rush)
- Soy sauce (I use low-sodium soy sauce)
- Salt and pepper (to taste, optional)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice
This truly is the BEST fried rice. It’s a straightforward recipe that uses simple ingredients and is easy to customize depending on what you have on hand (more on that in a bit!).
Here are the basic recipe steps:
- Add the oils and diced chicken to a large skillet (or wok, if you’re lucky enough to own one!). Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken to a plate while you stir-fry the veggies.
- To the same skillet, add the peas, carrots, and green onions. Once softened, add the garlic.
- Push the veggies to one side of the skillet, and scramble the eggs on the other side.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, followed by the cooked rice.
- Drizzle everything with soy sauce and cook until everything is heated through.
Recipe Tips
To save time if you don’t have leftover rice on hand or don’t want to cook a batch, use two pouches of ready-to-serve rice. Works like a charm.
If cooking the rice yourself, I highly recommend making it the day before or adding slightly less water than you normally would. You want the rice to be a little dry so it soaks up the soy sauce (but not crunchy, though!). That’s why day-old rice works perfectly for stir-frying!
I don’t even bother thawing the frozen peas and carrot blend that’s mixed into the rice. You can add the veggies straight to the skillet!
Recipe Variations to Try
Chicken stir-fried rice is a great clean out the fridge meal. Here are some fried rice variations you can try:
- Swap the chicken: Use chicken thighs, ground chicken, or ground turkey instead. Or, use a different protein entirely (see the related recipes linked below the recipe card for all of my fried rice recipes!).
- Use different vegetables: I used a frozen vegetable blend for ease, but you can also shred fresh carrots yourself, finely chop onions, etc. to add to the pan. Pretty much anything will work! Chop fresh veggies into bite-sized pieces, and remember that different veggies have different cook times, so adjust the recipe as needed.
- Use a different rice or grain: I use a white long-grain rice to keep this recipe as close to the takeout version as possible, but brown rice or another grain like quinoa would also work.
- Make it vegetarian: Omit the chicken entirely or replace with firm tofu (smoked tofu would be great here!).
- Make it gluten-free: Swap the soy sauce for a gluten-free soy sauce or use tamari sauce instead.
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Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- ¾ to 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas and diced carrots blend, I don’t thaw and use straight from the freezer
- 3 green onions, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 cups cooked rice, I use white, long-grain or brown may be substituted. To save time use two 8.8-ounce pouches cooked and ready-to-serve rice
- 3 to 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- salt and pepper, optional and to taste
Instructions
- To a large non-stick skillet or wok, add the oils, chicken, and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, flipping intermittently so all sides cook evenly. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts and sizes of pieces.
- Remove chicken with a slotted spoon (allow oils and cooking juices from chicken to remain in skillet) and place chicken on a plate; set aside.
- Add the peas, carrots, green onions, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften, stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stir intermittently.
- Push vegetables to one side of the skillet, add the eggs to the other side, and cook to scramble, stirring as necessary.
- Add the chicken, rice, evenly drizzle with soy sauce, optional salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until chicken is reheated through.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Homemade Fried Rice Recipes:
15-Minute Sheet Pan Chicken Fried Rice – Easy HEALTHIER “fried rice” that’s actually baked and not fried!! Full of authentic flavor and ready faster than you can call for takeout!!
Pineapple Fried Rice – A Hawaiian-inspired shrimp fried rice recipe that’s EASY, ready in minutes, and has so much authentic flavor!! A family favorite that’s better-than-takeout!!
Shrimp Fried Rice — There’s garlic, ginger, green onions, sesame oil, and soy sauce for layers of flavor while peas, carrots, corn, and bits of egg add texture!
Skinny Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry — Even people who don’t like cauliflower will be amazed at how authentic and DELICIOUS this SKINNY version of chicken fried rice tastes!
Beef Fried Rice — This better-than-takeout beef fried rice is EASY, ready in 20 MINUTES, and made in ONE skillet! Everyone loves the big juicy strips of steak and perfectly fried rice that’s speckled with bits of onions, peas, carrots, and scrambled eggs.
This was so good! I’m in the 1st trimester of pregnancy and having horrible nausea. Fried rice was the only thing that sounded good and boy was it amazing! Thank you so much for this easy recipe. And for something this mama can actual eat!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that this sounded like the only thing that you wanted and that it hit the spot! I had horribleeeeee nausea, I can relate, my daughter is 16 and just reading your comment, I was just transported back 16 1/2 years. I feel for you. It DOES get better. But I remember the white carbs diet very, very well.
I made your Chicken Fried Rice recipe and my family LOVED it! Will go into my recipe rotation for sure! Thanks for sharing!
I made your Chicken Fried Rice recipe and my family LOVED it! Will go into my recipe rotation for sure! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you and your family loved it and it’s going into your rotation!
IDK why I’ve felt intimidated about making this. I can cook anything, but homemade Chinese food just gives me pause. That does it, I’m making it tomorrow. The recipe looks easy to follow, and the reviews are excellent. Wish me luck!
IDK why I’ve felt intimidated about making this. I can cook anything, but homemade Chinese food just gives me pause. That does it, I’m making it tomorrow. The recipe looks easy to follow, and the reviews are excellent. Wish me luck!
Definitely don’t be intimidated and hope it turned out great for you!
So easy to prepare. I have made this several times – my husband and I just love it. It has been added to our Dinner Rotation.
So easy to prepare. I have made this several times – my husband and I just love it. It has been added to our Dinner Rotation.
I am glad it’s easy and that you’ve made it several times and it’s in your dinner rotation!
Absolutely delicious and super easy! Comes out perfect every time and I’ve made this a lot! I think maybe I’ll try the sheet pan way next time but it will be hard to change since this one is perfect. Thank you!!
Absolutely delicious and super easy! Comes out perfect every time and I’ve made this a lot! I think maybe I’ll try the sheet pan way next time but it will be hard to change since this one is perfect. Thank you!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was delicious and super easy!
This was so delicious, my husband and daughter loved it! so quick, easy and healthy. I had frozen leftover white rice in the freezer, defrosted it and added to this dish. will be making this again, especially for a weeknight quick dinner.
This was so delicious, my husband and daughter loved it! so quick, easy and healthy. I had frozen leftover white rice in the freezer, defrosted it and added to this dish. will be making this again, especially for a weeknight quick dinner.
I’m glad you all loved this and will make it again especially when you need a quick weeknight dinner!
It’s simple, quick, and inexpensive to make, and it tastes delicious!
My husband and I enjoy it.
It’s simple, quick, and inexpensive to make, and it tastes delicious!
My husband and I enjoy it.
It’s simple, quick, and inexpensive to make, and it tastes delicious!
My husband and I enjoy it.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad you both enjoy it!
I just made this. My husband is getting home late tonight… I ate SO much of this rice, because I could not stop myself; that I had to make another batch within an hour to make sure there was enought for him. I typically make him 2 meals- one for now, one for lunch tomorrow. I guarantee he is going to ask me to have this in the fridge at all times. He loves leftover Chinese. Eats the rice for days. This was so delicious. I have never posted a comment on a recipe. Delicious. Can’t believe I made it
I just made this. My husband is getting home late tonight… I ate SO much of this rice, because I could not stop myself; that I had to make another batch within an hour to make sure there was enought for him. I typically make him 2 meals- one for now, one for lunch tomorrow. I guarantee he is going to ask me to have this in the fridge at all times. He loves leftover Chinese. Eats the rice for days. This was so delicious. I have never posted a comment on a recipe. Delicious. Can’t believe I made it
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it was so good you had to make another batch quickly for your husband before he got home! And that’s great you know this will become a staple in your home! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, too!