An easy chicken fried rice recipe that is a sure-fire winner - every single time! You can use it as a base recipe to work of off on days you simply want to have one of those 'clean out the fridge' kind of dinners, or double up the quantity and make it as a part of your meal prep on the weekends. It's also always a popular potluck dish! Pairs really well with this pepper chicken as well as chicken 65!
Chicken Fried Rice (or any kind of fried rice actually) is one of those dishes that you can whip up without any particular recipe and with any ingredients you have on hand.
Okay not any any, but you get the idea.
Though more often than not, I stick to this recipe, or use this as a base for my creative variations, whether I am just cleaning out my fridge before grocery shopping, or cooking it in bulk as a part of my meal prep for the week, or for potluck parties.
I mean it doesn't matter so much when I am simply cleaning out the fridge to make a quick fix dinner, but especially for meal prepping and potluck parties, I prefer to work off a tried and tested recipe. And that's when this recipe for chicken fried rice comes in handy!
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Ingredients You Need
Ingredient notes
- Freshly cooked rice v/s leftover rice for fried rice - There are no two ways about the fact that leftover rice is always better to make fried rice, because it usually has dried out enough and has the right texture for fried rice. And this is especially great if you want to go on the clean-your-fridge kind of adventure.
That being said, if you are planning to cook rice specifically for fried rice, then it's best to cook it a little ahead of time, and let it dry out a bit, before using it for making fried rice. Though if you fail to plan ahead or the craving hits, then it's okay to use freshly cooked rice, so long as you let all the steam out, and let it cool completely before using it. - Ginger & Garlic - Freshly chopped ginger and garlic always tastes the best, but if you are short on time, you can substitute it with ginger garlic paste.
- Chicken - I have used rotisserie chicken, but you can use any kind you prefer. I often use any chicken I have on hand, even fried chicken, when I have extra pieces from making chicken 65. Though when I am using fried chicken, I add that in last.
- Vegetables - I have used carrots & capsicum/green peppers, because those are the veggies I almost always have on hand. But you can go with whatever you have available or prefer. But avoid replacing spring onions with regular onions.
- Sauces - The one thing I recommend not substituting are the sauces.
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice - Step by Step Recipe
I am using 5 cups of cooked rice for this recipe. If you are starting from raw rice, then cook 1 cup of raw rice, and dry it out a bit.
Pre-mixing Sauces
- I personally prefer to not add all the sauces at once, and add it in 2 parts..so as to ensure to flavor all the components well. And I suggest you do the same.
- But that’s why even before I begin putting together the fried rice, I divide the sauces in two bowls, which makes it easier later to just add it in, and not measure one by one.
- In the first bowl, I have ½ tablespoon each of all the sauces - soy sauce, chilli vinegar, chilli garlic sauce, oyster sauce, and chilli sauce or sriracha.
- And in the second bowl, I have 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce, and chilli sauce, and ½ tablespoon of chilli vinegar and oyster sauce.
- When that is done, it’s time to start making the fried rice.
Making Chicken Fried Rice
- In a wok, add 2 tablespoon oil, and lightly heat it up.
- Now add 2 tablespoon chopped ginger and 2 tablespoon chopped garlic, and lightly roast them for 2-3 minutes, till they start to change color.
- Add 1 chopped green chilli, and lightly roast it for 30 seconds.
- Then add the chopped vegetables ( ¼ cup of julienned carrots, ¼ cup of chopped capsicum, chopped spring onion whites from 5-7 stalks of spring onion), and roast them on medium high flame for 2-3 minutes, till they get lightly cooked.
- Now add in 1½ cups of cooked chicken (I usually use rotisserie chicken), and the first bowl of sauces containing ½ tablespoon each of soy sauce, chilli vinegar, chilli sauce, chilli garlic sauce & oyster sauce.
- Mix it all in, and saute for 2-3 minutes, till the chicken soaks in the sauces.
- While sauteeing veggies & chicken, simultaneously, in a bowl, break open one egg, and to it add ⅛ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, ⅛ teaspoon of turmeric powder, and mix it in. You can of-course choose to add more eggs. I often add upto 3 eggs, and spice it accordingly.
- Then in a small pan, lightly heat up ¾ tablespoon of oil, add the spiced egg mix, and cook it for 2-3 minutes, till it gets cooked through, and then break it into small pieces.
- When done, add the scrambled egg to the main wok, after the chicken and sauces, and mix it in.
Note: I have spiced and scrambled eggs separately, but you can scramble eggs in the main wok, just shifting the veggies and chicken to one side, and scrambling the eggs on the other side, and that will work too. I just prefer to do it separately.
- Now finally add in 5 cups of cooked rice, and the second bowl of sauces, containing 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce, chilli sauce, chilli garlic sauce, and ½ tablespoon each of chilli vinegar and oyster sauce, and ¾ teaspoon salt.
- Mix everything together, and cover & cook on medium flame for about 5 minutes, just until the rice gets lightly steamed and fluffs up a bit.
- Garnish with fresh chopped spring onion greens (from 5-7 stalks of spring onion).
Chicken Fried Rice is ready to serve!
What to Serve with Chicken Fried Rice
There are lots of things that you can pair with Fried Rice. Soups, appetizers, drinks etc.
Some of our favorite combinations are fried rice with this crispy chicken 65 or pepper chicken.
Meal Prep Chicken Fried Rice
If you like to meal prep over the weekend, then chicken fried rice is a great candidate for that. Just double up the quantity of the recipe (or more, depending on how much you need), and you can prep lunches for the work week.
Popular chicken recipes you may like..
⭐️ Restaurant Style Chicken Lollipop
⭐️ Chicken Keema Recipe (Dry Version)
⭐️ Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast
⭐️ Spicy Kolhapuri Chicken Curry
⭐️ Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback ? in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I'd really appreciate it. ❤️
Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe (Perfect for Meal Prep)
Ingredients
- 5 cup cooked rice *see notes
- 2¾ tablespoon oil divided
- 2 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 chopped green chilli
- ¼ cup julienned carrots
- ¼ cup chopped capsicum
- 1 bunch spring onion (5-7 stalks in a bunch) chopped, and divided by whites & greens
- 1½ cups shredded chicken rotisserie or any other kind *see notes
- 1½ tablespoon soy sauce divided
- 1½ tablespoon chilli garlic sauce divided
- 1½ tablespoon chilli sauce / sriracha divided
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce divided
- 1 tablespoon chilli vinegar divided
- 1 egg
- ¾-1 teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
Instructions
- In a wok, add 2 tablespoon oil, and lightly heat it up.
- Now add 2 tablespoon chopped ginger and 2 tablespoon chopped garlic, and lightly roast them for 2-3 minutes, till they start to change color.
- Add 1 chopped green chilli, and lightly roast it for 30 seconds.
- Then add the chopped vegetables ( ¼ cup of julienned carrots, ¼ cup of chopped capsicum, chopped spring onion whites from 5-7 stalks of spring onion), and roast them on medium high flame for 2-3 minutes, till they get lightly cooked.
- Now add in 1½ cups of cooked chicken (I usually use rotisserie chicken), and half of the sauces - ½ tablespoon each of soy sauce, chilli vinegar, chilli sauce, chilli garlic sauce & oyster sauce (I always pre-mix the sauces in a bowl before I start making the fried rice), mix it all in, and saute for 2-3 minutes, till the chicken soaks in the sauces.
- While sauteeing veggies & chicken, simultaneously, in a bowl, break open 1 egg, and to it add ⅛ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, ⅛ teaspoon of turmeric powder, and mix it in.
- Then in a small pan, lightly heat up ¾ tablespoon of oil, add the spiced egg mix, and cook it for 2-3 minutes, till it gets cooked through, and then break it into small pieces.
- When done, add the scrambled egg to the main wok, after the chicken and sauces, and mix it in.
- Now finally add in 5 cups of cooked rice, rest of the sauces (1 tablespoon each of soy sauce, chilli sauce, chilli garlic sauce, and ½ tablespoon each of chilli vinegar and oyster sauce), and ¾ teaspoon salt.
- Mix everything together, and cover & cook on medium flame for about 5 minutes, just until the rice gets lightly steamed and fluffs up a bit.
- Garnish with fresh chopped spring onion greens (from 5-7 stalks of spring onion).
Notes
- Rice - You can use fresh or leftover rice. I have used leftover rice for this recipe. You can use fresh rice too, just ensure to dry it out a bit. 1 cup of raw rice will give you about 5 cups of cooked rice, which is the quantity I have used in this recipe.
- Ginger Garlic - Freshly chopped ginger and garlic always tastes the best, but if you are short on time, you can substitute it with ginger garlic paste. Use 1-2 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste instead of 2 tablespoon each of chopped ginger and garlic stated in the recipe.
- Vegetables - I have used carrots & capsicum/green peppers, because those are the veggies I almost always have on hand. But you can go with whatever you have available or prefer. But avoid replacing spring onions with regular onions.
- Chicken - I have used rotisserie chicken, but you can use any kind you prefer. I often use any chicken I have on hand, even fried chicken, when I have extra pieces from making chicken 65. Though when I am using fried chicken, I add that in last.
- Egg - I have spiced and scrambled eggs separately, but you can scramble eggs in the main wok, and that will work too. I just prefer to do it separately.
- Sauces - I always pre-measure and mix the sauces in 2 different bowls before starting to make fried rice. And I suggest you do it too, to save the hassle of measuring and adding sauces while putting together the fried rice.
Recipe Variations: Fried Rice is a very versatile dish. You can choose to add whatever you have available or prefer, and substitute anything that you either don't have or are not fond of. You can make this recipe just using veggies, just eggs, just chicken, or any combination you prefer. Just adjust the amount of other ingredients and sauces accordingly. The one thing I strongly recommend not substituting are the sauces.
Nutrition
Video Recipe
This recipe was first published in 2019, and has been republished with updated instructions, notes & tips, step images, as well as video in Feb 2022.
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Rajlakshmi says
I love fried rice. My mom used to make this for breakfast with vegetables, but no chicken. We even used to take it in our tiffin. This is another delicious recipe I got to try.
Shantala's Kitchen says
Yeah this is perfect to take for lunches. Hope you try and love it as much as we do. 🙂
Soumya says
Ohhhh I love fried rice with a nice stir fry next to it! This one looks so delicious, Shantala!
The recipe sounds simple too, I'll be trying this when I visit my mom's next. Thank you for the recipe!
LoveOfSpice says
I am so glad you like it! I hope you get to try it and love it as much as we do!
Damyanti Biswas says
This one is a grand idea for leftovers!
LoveOfSpice says
Yep! Every single time I want to use up leftovers to clean out my fridge, fried rice is my go-to dish!
Rachna says
My recipe is pretty much similar though I use leftover grilled/tandoori chicken. I also almost always use leftover rice. So good in lunchboxes too.
LoveOfSpice says
Yeah, I use most kinds of chicken in this -baked/grilled/ pan fried. Though the oven baked one is the one I usually have on hand, so it's what I use most of the time.
And yes!! This is one of my favorite work lunches!