This Easy Chicken Fried Rice is one of our favorites: It’s ready in just 30 minutes, full of healthy vegetables and kid-friendly, too.
Stir fry dinners are some of my absolute favorites when I need dinner on the table STAT: Quick, full of colorful vegetables and my kids love them. A total win!
This is one recipe I make pretty much weekly, with whatever we have on hand. Right now I especially love making it with frozen vegetable blends, I’ve added a few ideas for mixes that work well in the tips below.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
Vegetables and Chicken
If you learn how to make fried rice once, you can really make it any way you like: With different vegetables, a different protein – or even with noodles instead of rice!
Frozen vegetables: You can make this recipe with many frozen vegetable blends instead of chopping your own – stir fry mixes, onions and peppers or even basic mixed vegetables!
Rice
I generally find long grain rice works best to make fried rice.I’ll usually only have regular long grain rice on hand, but Basmati or Jasmin rice work even better and I use those when my husband overdid the grocery shopping again ?What you should avoid are starchy short grain rice varieties (like risotto rice or sushi rice) – they are too sticky for fried rice.
>> What can you use instead of rice? You can use cooked Ramen noodles, cooked rice noodles, even cooked spaghetti! in place of the rice. I hear Cauliflower rice works, too, but ahem… Not my cup of tea.
Oil
If you’re going for best, you’ll probably want to use toasted sesame oil. Now I’m not one to stock up on kitchen products I only use for a single dish, so peanut oil or any neutral vegetable oil works perfectly fine, too.
How to make Chicken Fried Rice
1) Brown chicken, then
2) add vegetables and sauté.
3) Stir in cooked rice, then
4) season with soy sauce and brown sugar (or maple syrup).
5) Push rice to side, then
6) pour beaten egg in middle.
7) Once just set, cut into pieces and
8) stir into rice with peas. Heat through.
Recipe tips
Dice everything fairly small: That counts for both the chicken and the vegetables. Not only will they cook faster, but I also prefer having everything bite-sized in fried rice.
Make sure to brown the chicken enough: The more nicely you brown it, the better the flavor of the finished dish will be!
Use cold rice: Either use day-old rice, or cook it fresh, rinse under cold water and then freeze while you’re cooking the rest of the dish.
Fried rice FAQs
A chicken stir fry with rice is quick and easy to whip up, especially if you have cooked rice on hand. But don’t worry, here’s my tips to make this with freshly cooked rice, too:
Cook the rice before you do anything else, then drain it and rinse it under cold water until cooled. Drain again well, then stick the rice in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Serving suggestions
A stir fry with chicken and vegetables really is a full meal – if you don’t have the time, it’s perfectly acceptable to serve it by itself, at least it is in my house.
If you do want to round out the meal, try spring rolls or fresh fruit (pineapple!) or a fruit salad with a light citrus dressing.
More quick dinners
For more easy chicken recipes, check out my collection here: Easy Chicken Recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Recipe details
Equipment
- wooden cooking spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large chicken breasts diced into bite-sized pieces; pat dry for best results
- 2 large onions peeled and diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled, trimmed and diced
- 1 red pepper cored and diced
- 3 cups cooked and chilled rice long grain is best; yield from 1 cup uncooked
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ cup frozen peas
- Sesame seeds and sliced green onion to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken on all sides, until browned.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the onions and carrots and cook until the onions turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the pepper and cook until softened.
- Cook the rice: Stir in the rice and cook until it's starting to brown. Stir in the soy sauce and maple syrup.
- Cook the egg: Push the fried rice to the side of the pan to make room in the middle. Add the beaten eggs and cook over medium-low heat until just set. Cut into pieces with a spatula and stir into the rice.
- Finish the dish: Add the peas, stir everything well and cook until they're hot.
- Serve: Serve immediately sprinkled with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if you like!
Mary says
The recipe looks good but I had a frustrating time with all the pop up ads on your page
Nora says
Mary, I’m sorry about your experience. There should be zero pop up ads on my blog (they are too annoying!), so I’ll try to get to the bottom of this ASAP. Thank you for your honest feedback, I appreciate it.
Sasha says
Loved this recipe! So simple and easy and i always have all the ingredients in my house for when I’m in a pinch!
Joan says
This recipe is fantastic! Thank you!
Ora says
It turned out great wish I would’ve added more eggs but it was good anyway!!!!
STEVE says
Hi it’s me Steve’s step daughter he made this for me, I love it, it’s so delicious..mmmmm..I can still taste the delicious flavour!
How could I ever thank you for this excellent recipe.
(It’s still his step daughter here I am writing this all my self with no help)
Shiloh age:8
Nora says
Hi Shiloh, I am so impressed by your writing skills! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe review, I appreciate it very much. And say hi to your step dad Steve from me – he picked a good recipe to make for you!
Terre says
I can’t believe how tasty it turned out. Its a keeper and was so very very easy to make.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Terre!
Jan Moore says
My young granddaughter cooked this as her first meal where she did everything but dice. I must admit I’m in love with the recipe and totally look forward to it, lol. I don’t know how many times I heard, “I know what I’m doing”, but as we sat down her brother said, “Where is the chicken”? It is very good. I recommend it to others with young cooks.
Nora Rusev says
Oh Jan, your comment made me smile! How precious. Í’m glad you enjoyed cooking this with your granddaughter, thank you so much for sharing – I appreciate it very much.
Lauren says
Loved this recipe! Easy to do and very delicious I really don’t like left over rice but this recipe gives my 1 day old rice a new taste which makes my tummy happy.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Lauren!
Analia Rousseau says
If I use all frozen vegetables when do I add them to the recipe?
Nora Rusev says
When I make this with all frozen vegetables, I add them after I brown the chicken. I’m a stickler when it comes to food hygiene and I always want my frozen produce well-cooked, so I stir-fry it for at least 8-10 minutes until fully cooked before continuing with the recipe (if using a blend with larger chunks like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower… things like peas and corn are much quicker to heat through and will not take quite as long). Hope that helps!
Barb says
Very good and so easy.
Shirley says
This sounds amazing! But I was wondering if you think using shrimp would also work good in this?
Nora Rusev says
Absolutely!
Kara says
All of my food stuck horribly to my pan. (It’ll be a nightmare to get out. ??♀️) What did I do wrong?
Nora Rusev says
Kara this happened to me before when I didn’t use enough oil, or when the rice was too “starchy”/still hot/overcooked. If you feel like your rice has a lot of starchy residue on the outside, definitely rinse it under cold water before adding to the pan. Do not skimp on oil. If possible, use a nonstick pan (I never do and it works out just fine with enough oil/properly cooked and cooled rice). Hope that helps!
Nancy says
Hi! This look delish– when you throw the rice in, is it already cooked right or are you cooking it then?
Nora Rusev says
Hi Nancy, if you read the instructions closely, you’ll see that the recipe calls for cooked and cooled rice. Hope that helps.
Angie says
I made this tonight and my family loved it. Thank you for a very quick , simple and tasty recipe.
Madi says
If using ramen noodles do you cook them then cool down to and would you add the seasoning or just use the noodles
Nora Rusev says
Madi, I would definitely cook them, but I don’t think they need to be cooled down like the rice. And whatever you prefer re: the seasoning – maybe use a little less soy sauce if you plan to add it!
Jenny says
I only have canned peas on hand, not frozen. Will the canned ones work?
Nora Rusev says
Jenny, if you add them right at the end just to heat them through, that should work. I wouldn’t put them in earlier as they would just fall apart and turn into mush.
Bunz says
Simple and delicious! I added a little bit of minced garlic.
M says
This recipe is so easy and tasted great the first time that I tried it!!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear!
Sarah says
I just wanted to say how nice it is to find a recipe website where the blog posts actually include HELPFUL information instead of just a long story to fill the word count. Such useful tips… thank you!
Nora Rusev says
Thank you so much for that comment, Sarah. I have decided to make 2020 the year of user experience on my blog, and I’m currently working on updating all my recipe posts to have the recipe right at the top, and actually useful information in the post alongside the instructions vs just random stories. It’s not easy to go against the grain (and it obviously makes a lot less money because you don’t have to scroll past a million ads), but comments like yours confirm my decision to think of my readers first, and money/internet fame (haha) second. So again, thank you!
Judy Ray says
I loved this chicken fried rice. The only item I added was a small amount of chilies sauce. My family likes a little heat with their oriental dishes. 30 minutes and done perfect for a busy day!
Nora says
That sounds amazing with the chilies sauce, Judy! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you for taking the time to leave a review – I appreciate it.
Ginny says
A lil bit of ginger….voila
Autumn says
Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s so easy and one stop meal. My only change: I often use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. I almost always have one hanging around in the freezer. It makes a supper quick weekday meal. And easy enough for my teenagers to follow
Nora says
Such a great idea with the frozen veggies, Autumn! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Vanessa Pagan says
Oh, this was an amazing find!! So simple!! I actually only had 1 cup of rice left in my pantry, but I live alone, so this is perfect. Super delicious, and the rice in the freezer trick?? Genius!! It was perfect by the time I had everything else sauteed/cooked!! Thank you for this! Very happy tummy here…!
Nora says
I’m so glad to hear this, Vanessa! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – I appreciate it 🙂
Dee says
Is egg an ingredient? Or optional? It’s not in the ingredient list or instructions. Just checking I haven’t missed something? ?
Nora says
Hi Dee, wow, the eggs got totally left out ? I updated the recipe to include them! Sorry about that!
Alyssa says
Just made this tonight and it was delish! Only changes I made were using 3 chicken breasts (because I was lazy and didn’t want to store the remaining one in the package) and chilled brown rice I made earlier in the day in the Instant Pot. YUM!!
Nora says
That sounds AWESOME, Alyssa! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate it!
Gnyce says
Glad i watched the vid of you making it or else id forget the egg ☺
Nora says
Hehe, I don’t know how many times I accidentally forgot to add something to a recipe! Glad the video helped you out 🙂
Albert Bevia says
Loving your go-to stir-fry recipe, it looks so amazing, yeah sometimes I am just to tired to create and look up new recipes, nothing better than a classic than you can whip up in a flash, great post
Nora says
Agreed! Thanks, Albert!