Easy Chicken Fried Rice
The best ever and easy Chicken Fried Rice! This recipe contains a secret ingredient that brings lots of great flavors to this classic Asian dish. Stir fried rice with chicken, eggs and mixed vegetable is the perfect easy weeknight dinner.
We are all about a good fried rice recipe, and refused to settle for mediocre.
Similar to this popular Steak Fried Rice, prepare to sink your teeth into a truly flavorful fried rice that is better than takeout!
How to make The Best Chicken Fried Rice
Homemade fried rice is a super easy dish to make – toss leftover rice with seasoning and sauce, combine with veggies and egg pieces, and cook it using a wok or a skillet.
The execution is fairly simple, but I am excited to share a few tricks (and ingredients) to take fried rice from just okay to fantastic.
I have spent years trying figure out the secret behind making a good solid fried rice at home. I have made many, many plates and bowls of fried rice over the last decade and I am finally ready to share.
Warning: this is not just another fried rice recipe.
It is so good that after you have this you will never look at takeout fried rice the same way again.
And yes, it also happens to be easy.
You are looking at truly flavorful rice, seasoned chicken pieces, crunchy mixed vegetables and soft pieces of omelette mixed into it.
Okay…excuse me while I go grab a fork!
Tips and Tricks to making the best Chicken Fried Rice
- Use a skillet or wok that retains heat well.
- Cook on high heat!
- Use day-old rice because dryer rice works better for fried rice
- Set aside chicken after it is cooked and bring it back later to combine with rice to avoid drying out chicken
- The secret is in the seasoning, and the secret in the seasoning is this: chicken bouillon. It brings amazing flavors to the rice. I have use different chicken bouillon to make this but Better than Bouillon is one of my favorite chicken bouillons!
- Other seasoning and aromatics such as garlic, onions, and soy sauce are super important to bring flavor to this dish as well! Sesame oil is optional but definitely use it if you can find it!
What appliances do you need to make Chicken Fried Rice
Use either a wok or a non-stick skillet, along with a turner or spatula that can withstand heat. When picking a wok or skillet, make sure they
- retains heat well
- are large enough to freely move the items around so fried rice cooks evenly
Wok is traditionally what is used when making most Asian stir fry. I find that they are great, but not necessary for this recipe.
In fact, if you have a high quality skillet that does the above bullet points well, it works just as well. This is the non-stick skillet I have been using for years, and it works perfectly for this recipe!
Variations
One of the beauty of fried rice is its versatility. It’s a great way to bring together ingredients that you need to use up before its expiration date!
Here are different ways you can make this fried rice!
- Use cauliflower rice or brown rice instead of white rice for a healthier spin!
- Substitute chicken for beef, pork, shrimp or tofu.
- Use any type of veggies you have at hand. This is a great way to use vegetables that has been sitting in your fridge that you need to use asap.
- Make it spicy! Drizzle with sriracha when serving, or cook with red pepper flakes.
This is a simple, pantry-friendly meal that I think you and your family will love! 20 minutes, no frills, and SO MUCH YUM!
Give it a try and let me know what you think! And if you get creative, you know I want to hear all about your variations too!
DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍
Other Rice Recipe
Here are other delicious rice recipe!
- Steak Fried Rice
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- Easy Mixed Vegetable Rice
- Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
- One Pan Bake Lemon Chicken and Rice
- Italian Cabbage and Rice (by Christina’s Cucina)
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 3/4 lbs chicken breast ~1 large piece
- 1/4 salt
- vegetable or canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup diced white or yellow onion
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil optional
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetable
- 2 tbsp green onions sliced
Instructions
- Slice chicken into thin strips. Sprinkle with salt and rub it evenly all over chicken. Beat two eggs in a bowl.
- Heat skillet under medium heat. Add vegetable or canola oil to skillet. Once oil is heated, add eggs to skillet.
- When the bottom of the egg mixture is cooked, flip and cook the other side. Once eggs are no longer in liquid form, break it into small pieces. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Heat skillet under high heat. Add vegetable or canola oil to skillet. Add chicken pieces. Stir and flip occasionally until chicken is cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1-2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil to skillet. Once oil is heated, add diced onions and minced garlic.
- Once onions and garlic are fragrant (do not brown or burn), add cooked rice. Break apart rice if it is in chunks.
- Stir continuously for 30 seconds, then add chicken bouillon, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and frozen mixed veegtable. Stir continuously for a few minutes, or until everything is mixed well.
- Add chicken pieces and egg/omelette pieces that was previously set aside back into the skillet. Stir to combine.
- Remove from heat. Garnish with green onions.
- Serve and enjoy!
The “secret” ingredient- chicken bouillon was the game changer!! Thank you for sharing!!!
It truly is, isn’t it!! So glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it! 🙂
Do you dissolve the bouillon first?
You can if you want to but it should dissolve as you cook it. You can also break it into little pieces to make it easier to dissolve.
Could I substitute beef bouillon even with the chicken?
Yes! That should be fine!
Can I use chicken broth instead of the chicken bouillon cube? How much broth should I use?
I would not recommend chicken broth because the flavor is not concentrated in chicken broth and we do not want to add so much liquid to the fried rice. It just would not taste the same! 🙂
i just finished making the fabulous rice, the question is will it make it to the dinner table.it is now 11:26 am lol. Excellent !!! Will certainly make again
Hahaha! Love it! Glad you are enjoying it!
So yummy! Loved the easy to follow directions and video. Even my picky 2 year old was licking her plate and asking for more.
Yay!! I always love hearing that 🙂 Thanks for trying it!
I use this reciepe often, the only thing I do different is add crispy bits of bacon and then fry everything in the bacon grease. So yum. And also add cashews!!! Delicious!!
Oh yum!!! That sounds amazing!!!
This Chicken Fried Rice recipe is delicious! Very easy to make and my husband loved it! I took direction from other reviews and added more soy sauce, garlic powder and pepper. Thank you!
So glad you gave it a try! Thanks for sharing your modifications! 🙂
So delicious! My family loves this recipe!
So glad to hear that!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This recipes really really good. I’ve made it serval times, the problem is it never get to the meal time. Oh let’s have just a little bowl to taste…tasting till there is none left lol.
Love that, Marisa! Glad you have enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Can this be made ahead of time and reheated? If so, how do you recommend reheating?
Yes you can make it ahead of time and it reheats in the microwave really well!
Thanks! Making this today!
This was DELISH!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So yummy! Best fried rice ever!
I have to agree 🙂
Making this for a second time because it was a big hit with my husband and picky toddler! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you all are loving it! 🙂
What type/brand of rice do you use?
I like to use jasmine rice for fried rice, and don’t have a specific brand that I go for.
Do you cook the frozen veggies before adding them to the pan?
You do not have to as it should cook quickly after being added to the pan.
Deeeeelish!! For me, the game changer was the sesame oil! Hadn’t used it before but it left another layer of flavour! Husband gave it a thumbs up and asked for it with shrimp next time.👍
Yes! Love that nutty flavor of sesame oil! 🙂 Enjoy your fried rice with shrimp! That sounds amazing.
Does it still taste as well if you use freshly cooked rice instead of day old rice?
Your fried rice will be slightly wetter but it should still be fine. I just prefer it with old rice if possible. In a pinch, freshly cooked rice works too!