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.
Thanks for the recipe. It was my first time ever making fried rice. Had to improvise ran out if soy… so Worcestershire sauce it was.. also added some chili powder and peppers for a bit of spice. Came out pretty darn good if I do say say myself as well the girlfriend liked it. Thanks.
Glad that your improv’ing worked out well and that you both enjoyed the recipe!
I am trying to save this to Pinterest but I do not see a link. Could you possibly add one?
On the top left corner of all photos, there is a red Pinterest button, just click that on the photo you wish to save.
I love your receipts I am also doing them here at home
My sister and mom gave this recipe a nine out of ten! It was quite the hit!! The chicken part of the recipe was amazing–it tasted just like how it is in restaurant, but with high quality breast chicken! Yum yum!
To make it a bit healthier than the restaurant version, I used reduced sodium soy sauce, organic unrefined sesame oil, and organic brown basmati rice.
I also added green onion to the recipe, and in the future, I might add bean sprouts and mushrooms!
Thanks a lot for the recipe!
Can you use fresh carrots and dice them and still use frozen peas? And also is a 10 inch nonstick skillet fine for this fried rice?
I think everything you mentioned sounds fine.
I simmered fresh, diced carrots for 3-5 minutes, al dente. Removed from heat, added the frozen peas (corn?) to thaw and partially cook them. Meanwhile, continued main dish. Drained peas and carrots. Added to main dish per recipe. Worked perfectly. Veggies were firm and not mushy. Note, I used leftover corn on the cob instead of frozen corn, yum!
Glad it turned out great for you!
I tried this recipe today and it turned out amazing!! Even my mom loved it and she is not very easy to please! Instead of the frozen peas and carrots I used frozen mixed vegetables and I added a little bit of sriracha at the end because it adds that kick. All in all, the rice were delicious and didn’t take more than 30 minutes to make.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Can I use oyster sauce for this fried rice?
I’m sure you could weave it into the recipe although I haven’t personally tried.
Can`t wait ti try this!
My family loves this recipe. I use your recipe and substitute riced cauliflower. It’s soooo good!
That’s great that you loved it with cauliflower rice!
Thank you for sharing this recipe – it is absolutely delicious !
Thanks for making it so soon after I posted it! Glad you loved it!
How many calories are in this dish?
I don’t know but you can find online calculators that you can plug the data into.
I made this and it was good and pretty easy. I don’t like microwave rice and always make mine in a rice cooker. Unfortunately, I mis-read the recipe. I measured 4 cups of uncooked Jasmine rice, cooked it in the rice cooker, and added it all to the other ingredients. Since rice swells up when cooked, I had too much rice. It was still good, just too much rice in proportion to the other ingredients. Totally my own fault!
Thanks for trying the recipe.
Is olive oil a suitable substitute?
It doesn’t have the same smoke point as canola or veg oil and I would use those if possible.
Do I use both parts of the green onion? Top and bottom? I’m new to cooking and I’m not sure what to do.
Yes both green and white.
This was an awesome quick answer to take-out and way better. Cook/prep took me 1/2 hour. I added traditional mixed froze veggies (corn, string bean, peas, carrots) and used 1/2 brown rice 1/2 jasmine. Note – when I do this again (and I will!) I would microwave the pre-cooked rice in the pouch per instructions first and then put in wok. I also added some pickled ginger and mixed it in at the end. Delicious. (We may make a longer version and marinate the chicken first) But this was a great, quick dinner for three with a leftovers portion. Love it!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Do you use toasted sesame oil?
I have used both sesame oil and toasted sesame oil in this recipe – either are fine.
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! The only thing I did different was to add a chopped onion to the pan with the chicken. The sesame oil was a great addition, and the frozen peas and carrots a great time saver. I think this cost about $5-$6 to make, so this was a wonderful, cheap, healthy meal that tasted better than takeout and fed all three of us easily. Thanks much!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And yes, love it when you can make an inexpensive meal that tastes better than takeout and is healthier!