Chicken fried rice recipe with step by step photos. Easy, flavorful & restaurant style chicken fried rice with soft, tender & succulent pieces of chicken. This recipe is one of the best you can make at home under 15 minutes if you have the precooked rice ready.
Most of us love the chicken fried rice from Chinese restaurants & take outs. This detailed post will help you make the best chicken fried rice that is full of flavors & deliciousness.
It is highly impossible to replicate the flavors of Chinese foods made in restaurants as they use a Chinese wok. Using a carbon steel wok on a large burner would typically emit a smoky aroma to the fried rice.
A regular pan can never bring in such flavors. Over the years I have found that using a carbon steel wok or cast iron pan can bring similar flavors to some extent but not the same. So if you have a carbon steel wok, cast iron skillet or a pan do use it.
Chicken fried rice is made differently in each place and region. Here are some tips to help you choose your ingredients.
Tips to make chicken fried rice
Rice
- Always use al dente cooked non sticky & non mushy rice to make fried rice.
- You can choose medium to long grain rice that suit your taste. I personally prefer basmati rice.
- Ensure the rice is cooled completely before using it in the recipe. We do not eat leftover, stale or refrigerated rice at home so I cook the rice one hour ahead of making the fried rice. Cool it completely and use.
- You can cook the rice in a cooker, pot or instant pot. I personally prefer cooking it in a large pot with surplus water.
- When the rice is cooked al dente I drain the rice to a colander and cover it quickly. This helps the rice to fluff up well and prevent drying up.
- Some restaurants use broth to cook the rice as it flavors up the fried rice. If you have it then cook the rice in broth.
Chicken
- Chop the chicken to small cubes or pieces. This helps it to get cooked well while frying it. Large chunks of chicken usually turn harder and rubbery as they need to be cooked for longer.
- I use raw chicken to make the fried rice. However you can also use precooked or boiled chicken.
Egg or corn starch
- Usually restaurants coat the chicken either with egg or corn starch before frying. Both these ingredients help the chicken to remain moist & juicy preventing it from turning rubbery or chewy.
- I personally do not prefer both so I brine the chicken in buttermilk for 4 hours to overnight before making the fried rice. But my family loves the egg coated chicken as it flavors up the fried rice. In this post I have used egg but given the substitutions.
Sauce
- Soya sauce is the key ingredient to make a flavorful fried rice. To spice up the chicken fried rice, I sometimes use schezwan sauce or sriracha. So you can throw in your favorite sauces to add flavor and taste.
- Sometimes I skip all the sauces and use egg to flavor up the dish. For the heat I use green chilies and pepper.
Veggies
- Scallions or spring onions: We love our chicken fried rice with lots of green onions as they add nutrition, flavor & taste. You can also skip and just use regular onions if you do not have spring onions.
- Bell peppers is another veggie you can use generously.
For more nutrition you can also add carrots, peas, corn & mushrooms if you like. These are the veggies I do not use in a chicken fried rice.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken fried rice is amazing on its own and does not need any sides. Veg manchurian, chicken manchurian or gobi manchurian go well as sides.
You can also serve this with vegetable soup, clear soup or chicken soup.
More Indo-Chinese recipes
Veg fried rice
Chilli chicken
Schezwan chicken
Egg fried rice
Preparation for Chicken fried rice
1. Wash rice in lot of water and soak for 20 mins. Drain off and cook in 3 to 4 cups water. When the rice is cooked al dente, drain it to a colander.
The rice must be firm and almost cooked but not mushy. Cover and rest for a while. Fluff up with a fork and cool completely.
2. Meanwhile prepare the veggies and garlic. You can also use green chilies for extra heat.
3. Ensure your chicken is cut to bite sized pieces. Add pepper, salt and 2 tbsps egg white. Instead of egg you can also add ¾ tbsp corn starch or corn flour. Mix this up well.
How to make chicken fried rice
4. Pour 1.5 tbsps oil to a hot wok or pan. When the oil turns hot, add the chicken. Stir fry for 3 to 4 mins stirring often. If the egg sticks to your pan, just scrape off with the spatula.
5. You can check if the chicken is cooked at this stage. Mine gets done under 4 mins. Push the chicken to one side of the pan. Then beat the rest of the egg and pour it.
6. Scramble it and fry until the egg is cooked through yet soft. Do not overcook. Remove it to a plate.
7. Pour another half tbsp oil and fry the garlic on the highest flame.
8. Then add spring onion whites, chilles (optional) and bell peppers. Stir fry for 1 to 2 mins.
9. Add the rice, soya sauce and pepper. You can also add your favorite sauces. Stir fry for a minute.
10. Add the chicken and the egg. Taste and add more salt or sauce at this stage.
11. Fry until the rice turns hot. Add spring onion greens.
Serve chicken fried rice hot.
Related Recipes
Chicken fried rice
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 3 cups cooked rice (or ½ cup uncooked rice)
- salt as needed
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce organic (adjust to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed pepper (or pepper)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 to 2 green chilies (optional) or any hot sauce as desired
veggies
- 2 sprigs scallions or spring onions or 1 small onion (greens & whites separated)
- ¼ to ½ cup bell peppers chopped
For the chicken
- 150 grams chicken chopped to bite size
- 1 egg or ¾ tbsp corn starch or brine (refer notes)
- ½ teaspoon soya sauce
- 1 large pinch salt
- 1 large pinch crushed pepper (or powder)
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash rice at least twice and cook it al dente (firm & not mushy).
- Drain to a colander and cool it completely.
- Do not add hot rice to the wok while making chicken fried rice, it makes the rice mushy.
- Add chicken, a pinch of salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of egg white to a bowl.
- You can also simply replace the egg with corn starch. Mix together and set aside.
How to make chicken fried rice
- Pour 1½ tablespoon oil to a hot wok or pan.
- When the oil turns hot, transfer the chicken to the pan.
- Stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked through.
- Move the chicken aside in the pan. Then beat the remaining egg and pour it.
- Scramble & cook the egg completely until it is firm but still soft.
- Remove the chicken & egg to a plate.
- Wipe off the wok or pan with a kitchen tissue.
- Pour another half tbsp oil to the same pan.
- Add garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add spring onion whites or scallions, chilies (optional) bell peppers and toss on a highest heat just for 2 mins.
- The bell peppers must be crunchy and not soft.
- Transfer the rice, pepper powder and pour soya sauce along with any other sauce you desire.
- Mix and fry on the highest flame for a minute.
- Then add the chicken and egg.
- Continue to fry until the rice turns hot. This takes just a minute or two.
- Check salt and add more if needed. Over frying will make the chicken fried rice hard.
- Serve chicken fried rice hot.
Notes
- Please use salt with caution. Most sauces are already salted.
- For best results I cook my rice with very little salt, then add a bit to the chicken. Lastly adjust while frying the rice.
- You can add any hot sauce for the extra heat. Adding 1 to 2 green chilies along with onions will add heat to your chicken fried rice.
- You can skip egg & corn starch from the recipe and just brine the chicken at least for 4 hours in ¾ cup of buttermilk. Drain and use it here. This keeps the chicken tender.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Hi Swasthi I have been following your recipes (my fav is Bambinoupma) ever since I learnt cooking in 2018.
I love this recipe, I want to ask- can liquid smoke be used to get the restaurant wok flavor,..? Thanks so much !
Hi Tanya
So happy to know! Thank you! Yes you can use. But I haven’t tried myself as liquid smoke may cause some health problems. A more natural way to get the same smoky flavor is to smoke your chicken for a while before cooking. I have shown the smoking on my dal tadka recipe here. For intense smoky flavor you can smoke the raw meat for upto 5 to 7 minutes. Hope this helps.
I love trying our ur receipes. Thank you for simple and tasty recipes. I even more appreciated the cooking pictures. Sad to see they are not shown any more ?
Loved it !
Thank you
Welcome!
Really very easy and stunningly delicious recipe, thanks a lot for sharing ?
i made the fried rice , added veggies to it carrot, beans and capsicum.
it was delicious, it an addition to my regular dishes.
loved it
I’m going to try this recipe this weekend but I have a question. You say you brine your chicken in buttermilk for four hours. I always thought brine meant it included salt yet your recipe did not include it in the brining process. A little confusing. Thanks.
Hi Madhav
Yes you are right. But buttermilk alone can tenderize the chicken. You can add a pinch if you prefer.
Tried the fried rice it was yum …my whole family likes it ??Thank you ??
Great! You are welcome! Glad to know your family liked it.
Clear instructions!
Thank you!
VERYGOOD
Thank you
My 12 year old sends his thanks for this yummy fried rice recipe. No more restaurant fried rice for him.
Hi Shivani!
You are welcome. So glad he liked it!
Thank you!
Hi Swasthi,
Truly fantastic chicken fried rice. I made this with some left overs and it turned out very good. I added some sriracha and also some all spice powder following your suggestion on chicken noodles recipe. Oh yes! This was the best. You made our Sunday meal special with chicken popcorn and chicken fried rice. Thank you. Much appreciated for your fabulous work.
I made this chicken fried rice for the first time in my life and Guess what? It was amazing….. My husband and the gals loved it like mad … everyone was like ?. No one knows that you were behind this awesome food. Thank you so much Swasthi. ? ?
Hi Bhanu,
You are welcome. So happy to know your family loved it. Thank you so much for the comment.
🙂
Awesome recipe , mouth watering , I like eating chicken
Thank you so much!
This chicken fried rice recipe is amazing!YUMMY, YUMMY,YUMMY!Thank you for all ur recipes!Its very helpful for me as I’m a beginner in cooking Asian food.
Very nice reciepe chicken friedrice swathi….keep going on.best wishes..delicious..
Thank you
I want to know what is the brand name of chilly sauce you used and from where did you buy?Did you use sesame oil or olive oil?
Hi,
You can use any hot sauce and any oil.
I tried this recipe a few weeks ago and my whole family loved it, it was a hit, very flavourful and delicious! Will make again today 🙂
Thanks for trying Halimah
Hi iam sutharshan from batticaloa I like the way you describe the recipes.it’s nice and easy it turned out good.really well thanks
Welcome Sutharshan
Glad to know it turned out good.
thanks for sharing the outcome
I tried this recipe with some modifications because my sister doesn’t like bellpeppers and hot food: I used an American-style BBQ sauce (1 Tbsp) with a little bit of chili paste and a bit less vinegar because BBQ already has some; instead of bellpeppers, I used 2 zucchini and one carrot, I also added some ginger with the garlic. Otherwise I followed the template. The meat was tender and flavorful, the rice was good with the onion flavor and I’m sure that with the original ingredients it would have been even better. Is there any dish to make my sister like bellpeppers? She is an adult now but still has a child’s palate, there are many veggies she won’t eat and that makes me sad (and more constrained in the kitchen). Maybe I should just let it go. Sorry for all the talk.
Hi Didina
Thanks for the comment. Glad to know you made it delicious. You can check this collection of bell pepper recipes, she may like something from that. You can try the cheese capsicum toast, she may like it. Sorry for taking so long to reply your comment.
🙂
Good Recipe
Thank you
nice chicken fried rice
Thanks