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.
Love this with cut up water Chesnuts and mushrooms
I love the sound of both of those additions!
I added water chestnuts for a little crunch! Soooo good!!
Thanks for the 5 star review! I love water chestnuts for their crunch!
I just made this and wanted you to know how much we enjoyed it! I used two pouches of quick cooking brown rice and had most of a whole rotisserie chicken which I cut into cubes. In addition to the green onion I added a diced white onion. This made a very delicious dinner and I agree; much better than take–out!! Thanks for an easy, yummy recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved it!
So here’s what you need to do for this. Be generous adding some chili garlic sauce, and some soy sauce. Let it cook at med high undisturbed so it maybe gets crunchy on the bottom. Then put it in the bowl, and dump a scrambled raw egg in immediately.
I made the chicken fried rice without the soy sauce; instead I used the chicken fried rice season package
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it came out great for you!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! It made a ton of food and i’m looking forward to having it at work the next few days. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved it and have leftovers!
I made this recipe months ago. Family loved it and I’m making it tonight. Wouldn’t change a thing. It’s delicious!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it’s a family hit and you wouldn’t change a thing!
I made this exactly as recipe, and it is the best fried rice I have ever had. Thanks so much for this recipe.
I’m so glad that you loved it and it’s the best fried rice you’ve ever had!
Great recipe! Really is better than take-out! Made this tonight again. One of my hubby’s favorite recipes! Easy and delicious!
Thanks for LMK that it’s one of your hubby’s faves and that you agree it really is better than takeout!
Love this recipe and have experimented with it. It’s not as quick but I marinade chicken for a couple hours in soy sauce, bit of fish sauce and sesame oil, tbsn of grated ginger. I also add ginger along with the garlic in pan and unsalted cashews crushed up a bit. Yum!
Your marinade sounds fabulous and I can imagine how much flavor it would add!
COULD I ADMIT THE CANOLA OIL ALLTOGETHER AND ONLY USE EXTRA SESAME OIL?
Probably will be fine.
this is AMAZING – doesn’t make you feel like ass like some Chinese does
Thank you and I agree!
I don’t know if I messed this up but is it suppose to take like the restaurant version or more healthy? Also, my rice didn’t come out brown. Maybe more soy sauce?
I think both – similar to a restaurant version AND healthier since it’s not drowning in oil. If your rice wasn’t brown then yes probably adding more soy sauce is necessary. All ingredients, etc. vary so always add to taste.
I made this recipe today I was so very busy all day making cookies for Christmas this recipe was so easy and it truly was better than any chicken fried rice takeout. Thanks so much
So glad this recipe came in handy after a long baking day and that you think it’s better than any takeout!
Hi! Loved this recipe. Do you know the nutrition facts? Thanks
There is a big NUTRITION INFORMATION bubble underneath the recipe area. Keep in mind, it’s a computer generated program, it’s an approximation, not an exact science.
Another winner – thanks. I actually used pork because it was what I had defrosted. Followed everything else and it was wonderful . I was hoping for leftovers for lunch, but we ate it all ?
Haha that’s funny! Glad you loved it and that the pork worked out great!