Quick skillet meals are my favorite and this easy Chicken Fried Rice recipe is requested weekly at my house! It’s made with tender chicken, sautéed veggies, and the rice is seasoned perfectly with a simple, yet flavorful sauce. It’s a simple meal that stretches and makes a lot, which is perfect because we always go back for seconds!
Better Than Takeout Chicken Fried Rice
This is one of the first recipes that I ever published on this site. And over the years, I've fine-tuned it to make it the best chicken fried rice recipe, in my humble opinion😊. It’s easy to make, has lots of flavor, and tastes way better than takeout! If you love quick skillet meals like this, then definitely check out my ground turkey green bean stir fry and my 20-minute egg roll in a bowl recipe next!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients I use to make chicken fried rice:
- Chicken Breasts: You’ll want 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Make sure they are small breasts that equal roughly 1-1.25 lbs. If you use too much chicken then you may need to add more seasoning and sauce. And of course you can use boneless chicken thighs instead.
- Rice: White or brown rice will both work for this recipe. However, it must be leftover cold rice. I’ll share more on that below.
- Veggies & Eggs: I keep this recipe simple with just onion, carrots, peas, and garlic. Using frozen diced carrots & peas saves time! And you’ll need 2 or 3 large eggs. Or leave the eggs out all together. It will still be delish!
- The Sauce: Most people just season their chicken fried rice with soy sauce, but I like to mix in some hoisin sauce and toasted sesame oil to give it extra flavor.
Fresh Rice vs Day Old Rice
For this recipe, you definitely want to use cold, day-old rice for the best results! Leftover rice (preferably chilled for at least 24 hours) is perfect for making fried rice because it holds its texture and doesn't become mushy when it’s cooked compared to freshly made rice. I make my rice in the instant pot the day before, let it cool, then add it to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 1-2 days. Then it's ready to go the next day when it's time to make this chicken fried rice!
How To Cook Chicken Fried Rice
Cook the chicken in a large skillet, then remove to a separate plate and set aside.
Sauté the onion and vegetables until they are tender, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Push the veggies to the side, then scramble and cook the eggs in the skillet.
Add the cooked, day-old rice to the skillet and mix with the vegetables. Spread the rice out and let it pan-fry, stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and pour in the sauce. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Cook for a couple more minutes then remove the skillet from the heat. Top with sliced green onions!
Important Tip!
Don’t overcook the chicken! Since the chicken is already cut up in small bite-sized pieces, it will only take roughly 6 minutes to cook (about 2-3 min per side). Removing the chicken promptly keeps it nice and tender.😉
Easy Recipe Substitutions
- Rotisserie Chicken: If you really want to save time you can buy a rotisserie chicken to use instead of cooking chicken breast pieces. Just make sure you shred the rotisserie chicken into small bite size pieces.
- Brown Rice: I've made chicken fried rice with brown rice several times and trust me it tastes just as good. You’ll still want to make sure it’s day-old cooked brown rice that has been chilled in the fridge preferably overnight.
- Oyster Sauce: You can swap out the hoisin sauce for oyster sauce if you prefer. I personally like the taste of hoisin sauce better.
- Mix-and-match the veggies: Fried rice is very versatile, so use whichever diced veggies you prefer. You can add bell peppers, mushrooms, corn, chopped broccoli, or even frozen cut green beans!
Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
Sauce
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Chicken Fried Rice
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons cooking oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas and carrots
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
- 3 cups cooked and chilled day-old white rice
- 3 green onions, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by making the sauce. In a small bowl mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and toasted sesame oil together until well combined. Set aside.
- Slice the chicken breasts into strips, then cut the strips into small bite-sized pieces. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil over the chicken, then season with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Toss the chicken until every piece is seasoned.
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat with 1 ½ tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for roughly 3 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook. Remove the chicken to a separate plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and add the onions and frozen vegetables. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and sauté another 1 minute.
- Now push the vegetables to one side of the skillet. Add ½ tablespoon of cooking oil and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble and cook the eggs until they are set. Mix the eggs in with the vegetables.
- Next add in the butter and the cooked rice to the skillet. Break up any big chunks of rice with your wooden spoon. Mix the rice in with the vegetables and eggs and pan-fry for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and pour the sauce over top. Mix everything together well making sure all of the rice is coated in the sauce. Cook for 2 more minutes then turn the heat off. Top with sliced green onions and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in December 2020. It has been completely updated and refreshed with new photos and information.
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