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.
Just made this for the family tonight…love it!The only thing wrong is that I need a Wok!!!!I made this in a very large iron skillet and the taste is fantastic but not big enough…thank you so much for a lovely recipe that we will definitely be trying again😍
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you loved it! I agree a wok would be handy
Yum
Thanks!
Amazing recipe! My children loved it too!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad your kids loved it too!
I needed a quick, cheap, decently healthy recipe that my kids would eat during the week when I don’t have a lot of time to cook. This worked out beautifully. All three of them loved it and asked if we could have it again tomorrow.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a big hit with your kids!
I needed a quick, cheap, decently healthy recipe that my kids would eat during the week when I don’t have a lot of time to cook. This worked out beautifully. All three of them loved it and asked if we could have it again tomorrow.
New family favorite! I added a bag of riced cauliflower, a small can of mini corn, and a tsp of ginger paste to the original recipe on my second time making it. Family loves both so it’s nice to know I have options, depending on my available time! Super yummy! Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad the baby corn, riced cauli, and ginger paste were great additions! They sound tasty and glad your family loves the recipe both ways!
Thank you so very much for this delicious recipe!
You’re welcome and thanks for the 5 star review!
First pregnancy craving I’ve had. I’m so glad I used this recipe so I can make it again and again
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this satisfies your craving!
I’m excited to try this tonight and as we all know it’s best to use day old rice so it won’t get mushy on you sadly I have none prepared, but my question is because I’ve never used the premade packets of rice do I need to microwave it first and then add it to the pan as directed or add it to the pan straight from the packaging? I’ve never tasted nor cooked with cooked rice in the packets so I don’t know what I’m working with.
I usually cook the packets for 90 seconds before adding them to the recipe.
I want to make this tomorrow but just want to check is the sesame oil normal or toasted? Also I only want to make two portions so should I just halve the ingredients. Thanks
toasted
yes halve if that’s what you want – but just make the full recipe is my suggestion and freeze the leftovers because it freezes great
love
I love chicken fried rice. So glad I found this recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love the recipe!
Title says it all. Absolutely amazing. Tried multiple recipes but this is the superior one.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you feel my recipe is superior to the others recipes you’ve tried!
This is the best! I have made this multiple times now at my husband’s request!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s the best for you and you’ve made it multiple times already!
I made this yesterday and we had no leftovers! Everyone loved it and requested it again today. The only changes I made: added 4 TBS of coconut amino’s plus 1 TBS of reg soy sauce and subbed jasmine rice for white. It’s AMAZING! I doubt we’ll have leftovers again! Great simple delicious recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad to hear it turned out amazing!
TASTES AWESOME. I haven’t even made it yet.
Excellent!
Hi this is John
Thanks for your delicious recipe… And you write well.
Thanks for the 5 star review and the compliment on my writing.