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.
Yum. Thank you for a recipe that is now pa6rr part of our rotation
Great to hear it’s part of your regular rotation!
Fantastic! I added a pat of butter and it turned out great. Kids gobbled it up!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was fantastic!
A crowd pleaser! My boyfriend is pretty picky and he really liked this! My sister tells me it’s her new favorite dinner I’ve made. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was picky eater approved!
I just made this recipe and it is delicious! I used my giant wok so the only step I did differently was placed the cooked veggies in another bowl while I cooked the eggs in the wok. I just dumped them back in after my eggs were soft scrambled, gave it a quick mix, and continued with the recipe. The picky eater (me and son) and the eat everything (daughter and husband) all loved it! Will be making this again!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was a winner with the whole family!
This recipe came out perfectly and was so easy to make as long as you prep beforehand. The only things I deviated from was the garlic and veggies as I only had some minced garlic on hand and my veg mix contained peas, carrots, green beans and corn. It still came out super delicious and my husband loved it. This rice is a keeper!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you both loved it!
WOW. The fried rice turned up perfect. Cooking the chicken first and then cooking the rest of the ingredients in the same oil made a difference. Thanks for those step by step guide.
I can’t thank enough….
Please keep sharing your gifts !!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out perfectly for you!
Fast and easy and family approved! A definite repeat.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was family approved and will go on repeat!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’ve made it a couple times now and it never fails. My husband loves Fried Rice and this recipe is the one, again, Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love it and that it never fails!
I made the recipe. I would add salt to the ride or chicken when cooking or use regular soy soyÂ
Thanks for the 5 star review and many people feel there is enough salt in the soy sauce but of course, always season to your own taste preferences.
It was good but wayyy too much sesame oil in this recipe. I will have to alter this next time.Â
Are you sure you only put 2 tbsp? I don’t think that’s ‘wayyyy too much’ given how much food is absorbing it, but we all have different tastes.
Plain instructions for rice never turned out how I wanted. Dropped my ego, found this recipe and am so delighted! I find food to be such a delectable, important part of life when we have delicious, memorable dishes such as this! Thank you, Averie!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you are delighted to have found this recipe!
Pretty good stuff right here .
Thanks for the 5 star review!
Here’s your 5 star rating
Thank you!
No need for chinese take out! This is as good or better as what you’d get in that little paper container. Love, love, love it!
Thank you Mary and I am glad you loved this and think it’s as good or better than what they put in those little paper containers!
I made this the other night, and it was the best fried rice I ever tasted.
I don’t think you can go back to take out, once to try this. I didn’t add the salt ,and used low sodium soy sauce, and only used 2 TBS.
Thanks for posting a delicious recipe😃
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that it’s the best fried rice you’ve ever tasted!
Made this last night and it was a HUGE hit! So impressed with it that I will be using this website as my go-to when I want something different.Â
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was a huge hit and you’ll be using my site more!