In this authentic Chicken Fried Rice recipe, you’ll learn:
- Stir fry secrets to creating flavorful, delicate, authentic Chinese fried rice. No gumminess, no soggy fried rice here!
- Simple marinade for any type of meat to add to fried rice.
- Fried rice variations – make your own family favorite!
- Shortcut to fried rice when you don’t have leftover rice.
Authentic Chinese fried rice is so easy to make….but so easy to get wrong. Oftentimes, those attempting fried rice without learning just a couple simple tricks will end up with a goopy, glue-y, heavy mess. I’ll show you the techniques for a restaurant-worthy, Chinese mom approved, Chicken Fried Rice.
How to make Chicken Fried Rice
What kind of rice?
Fried rice is made with leftover rice, that’s been refrigerated (though I’ll show you a shortcut later.) Leftover rice has had a chance to dry out a bit – which is a good thing – because we’re adding ingredients and liquids (soy sauce) that will add moisture back into the rice.
If you used freshly cooked, steaming hot rice – and added more liquids and ingredients, it becomes gummy and sticky.
You can use brown rice, jasmine rice (popular in SE Asia), short-grain rice (popular in Korea and Japan), basmati rice, multi-grain rice. It’s up to you – as long as it’s already cooked and previously refrigerated. When we cook rice, we’ll make a double batch, so that I have extra for fried rice later in the week.
Before you’re ready to make the fried rice, wet your hands and use your fingers to break up the rice grains – so that each rice grain is separate. You can do this with a fork, but it’s easier and faster to just use wet fingers to break up the clumps (rice doesn’t stick that well to wet hands.) If you don’t break up the clumps, you’ll have a really tough time in the wok, trying to break them up with a spatula.
Rice shortcut
Shortcut: If you’re hankering for some fried rice, but don’t have leftover rice, do this:
- Cook rice the normal way, but use 25% less water than normal. No need to be exact, just use a little less water.
- After rice cooked, open lid immediately, spread out on a baking sheet (or large plate/tray that will fit in freezer.) Let all the steam escape.
- Place baking sheet in the freezer, freeze for 30 minutes. Rice is now ready to use for fried rice. If rice completely frozen, you might have to let it sit out on counter for a bit to defrost.
The freezer will dry out the rice grains, just enough to make fried rice. It’s not as good as day-old rice, but it will work in a pinch.
Marinate the chicken
Marinate your meat, whether you use chicken breast, chicken thigh — or turkey, pork, beef, shrimp — in a little bit of soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. Optional is to use Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) in the marinade as well. You can marinate the chicken for as little as 5 minutes or up to overnight in refrigerator.
Just a half-pound of meat, cut in very small pieces, like the size of a small dice, will be enough to feed 4 people. We love using a little bit of meat to feed a lot of mouths in Chinese stir-fries!
Why use cornstarch? The cornstarch thickens up the soy sauce so that it clings to the the meat.
Shortcut: use ground chicken, turkey, pork or beef. No slicing needed!
Other ingredients for Chicken Fried Rice
What else do you have in your refrigerator or freezer? We like using frozen peas or frozen diced mixed vegetables (no need to defrost, just use straight from freezer), chopped green onion and eggs. You can use pretty much any vegetable you want:
- Diced: tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, shallots
- Leftover: cooked broccoli (just give it a rough chop)
- Minced garlic or grated fresh ginger
- Julienned and then roughly chopped: fresh carrots, broccoli stems (peel first), cabbage, Napa cabbage, kale
- Frozen: peas, diced vegetables
- Shortcut item: a bag of broccoli slaw mix
- Eggs
Have all your ingredients ready, at the stove. The stir-frying happens really fast!
Stir Frying Chicken Fried Rice
For the best fried rice, ingredients are added to the wok in batches, stir fried, then removed. They’ll be added back into the wok at a later time.
In this recipe, we’ll cook in this order:
- Scrambled eggs, then remove
- Chicken, then remove
- Rice, then add in the eggs, chicken and peas
Why cook things separately? Because I want my eggs to taste like eggs, and my chicken to be perfectly cooked. If you throw everything in the wok all at once, it will taste like a mish-mash of everything. Also, each ingredient has a different perfect cook time – the eggs will cook faster than the chicken – cooking each item separately ensures that nothing is under or over cooked.
First, the green onion and eggs. Swirl a little oil into a hot wok. Throw in the green onions, give it a quick stir for 10 seconds, then add in two eggs. Scramble and cooked just until set, about a minute. Then scoop out onto a plate. (in the photos, we didn’t use green onion.)
Give the wok a good wipe, no need to rinse.
If you’re using other fresh vegetables that need to be cooked, do that now. Hot wok + a little oil + vegetable. Stir fry until just cooked through.
Cook the chicken
Heat the wok over high heat. When very hot, swirl in cooking oil. When oil hot, add in the marinated chicken.
Use your spatula to spread out the chicken into a single layer in the wok. Use all that surface area! Keeping the chicken in a single layer helps the chicken caramelize and cook nicely. Crowded chicken will result in little browning – the chicken will end up “steaming” instead of browning. Once it’s in the wok, just leave it alone and give it time and space to brown.
Resist the temptation to mess with the chicken – just leave it alone. When you move the chicken around too much, it won’t have time to brown.
Take a peek under piece of chicken. Browned? Now flip, stir and toss!
Then spread out on wok again. Let’s let the other sides of the chicken brown.
Once chicken is nearly cooked through, turn off heat and remove chicken. If the chicken is only 80% of the way cooked through, that’s perfect. We’ll add the chicken back into the wok later to finish cooking. It’s important that you don’t overcook the meat.
Add the rice
Wipe the wok clean, if desired. Heat the wok again, on high and swirl a little more cooking oil in the wok. When hot, add in the rice.
Spread it all around the surface area of the wok, Use all that space! Spreading out the rice will help each grain of rice heat up all the way through. Just let it sit in the wok, undisturbed for a bit. If you keep stirring and tossing the rice, it won’t have a chance to heat through. And, you’ll be breaking the delicate grains of rice, releasing more starch, making a gummy mess. So, it’s best to just let it be for a minute. Then, toss, stir and spread out again to warm through.
Finally, it’s time to add back in the ingredients. Add the chicken:
scrambled eggs:
Frozen peas (they’re still frozen, but will defrost perfectly at the end.)
Give it a toss:
Season with the soy sauce, black pepper and a little oyster sauce, if desired. Oyster sauce will add a little sweet/savory flavor to the fried rice. Personally, I love adding fish sauce, in addition to the soy sauce. It adds a ton of umami flavor without weighing down the fried rice.
Toss, spread the chicken fried rice out over the surface of the wok. The egg will finish setting, the chicken will finish cooking, the peas will defrost, and the liquid seasoning will help re-steam the rice. Toss again, spread out again. This action will also help the fried rice cook/heat through evenly.
Once the chicken fried rice is hot – it’s done!
More Chinese Rice Recipes
Cauliflower Fried “Rice” with Chicken Recipe
Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe
Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound chicken meat small dice (or use lean ground chicken)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce divided
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry - optional
- 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
- 1 stalk green onion chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 cups leftover rice grains separated (use wet fingers)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- cooking oil canola, peanut, vegetable
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the chicken, just 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine and sesame oil. Stir and let marinate while you proceed to next step.
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat. When hot, swirl in about 2 teaspoons of cooking oil. Add in the green onion. Stir fry for 10 seconds. Add in egg and scramble briskly until the egg is just barely set. Remove egg to plate. Wipe wok clean.
- Return wok to stove, turn heat to high. When hot, swirl in a little more cooking oil. Add in the marinated chicken and spread out all over the surface of the wok in single layer. Let cook for 1 minute, undisturbed. Flip and toss, spread out again and let cook for another minute. By now, the chicken should be NEARLY cooked through (depends on how big your chicken pieces are). Remove chicken from wok and set aside.
- Return wok to high heat. When hot, swirl in a little more cooking oil, about 1 tablespoon. Add in the rice. Spread out over surface of wok and let cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Flip and toss, spread out again, let cook for 1 minute.
- Add back into the wok, the chicken and eggs. Add in the frozen peas. Give it a good toss. Add in the remaining soy sauce, oyster sauce (or fish sauce) and freshly ground black pepper. Toss again and spread rice out over surface of wok. Let cook, 1 minute. Toss very well, spread out and cook for an additional minute. Taste the fried rice, and adjust with more soy sauce, if desired. Fried rice is ready when each grain of rice is heated through and hot, and the chicken is cooked through.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Great Recipe! Easy and delicious!
I couldn’t believe how easy this was! I love chicken fried rice when I go out for Chinese but I never tried to make it at home because I didn’t think I could come close to restaurant quality. Boy am I happy to be wrong! I will be making this all the time, it was so good!
I had a friend from Nepal, and this is the recipe she gave me also. We’ve loved it for years!
This recipe had a lot to live up to, as tonight I needed a lot of things.
Bland enough for me, exciting enough for my adventurous family. Doesn’t take too much time or energy. Needed to make enough for the big eaters, but also have enough veg to be good fuel.
This lived up to all my standards. Everyone liked it, it took 35 minutes start to finish, and was easy for me to modify as needed.
(Didn’t have rice wine, oyster sauce, or green onion. Subbed rice vinegar, sugar, and fish sauce)
Would make again, and happily!
I love this recipe. I enjoy this version of Chicken fried rice. Add a little basil and some Jalapeno for a little more flavor. Yummy
Hey, friend. Really long time no comment! I was searching for a simple marinade for my chicken and came across this post and your tip for the shortcut for rice. It worked beautifully—thank you! Hope you’re well! —Hal (fka The Common Culinarian, now just @halbieky on the ‘gram)
yeah see this is how to make a nice plate of fried rice , I try so many times to get my rice perfect from the start but not easy every time , this recipe is awesome , it turned out great and will be my go to favorite every time I have fried rice , thanks .
just made this with boneless pork chops t hat I cut up, my son and myself loved it did use white onion and garlic
Made this last night and it was amazing!
Hi. I made this and it was perfect!!! Love your recipes. Duke is beautiful. I have a Duke but he is a Yorkie.
Thanks for the tips! Made this tonight and it was delicious. For me, adding garlic and a bit of ginger was a must. Next time I’ll probably need to reduce the rice a bit so it fits better (or cook it in batches), but definitely tastes real close to the fried rice at one of my favorite takeout places.
FINALLY! A fried rice recipe that tastes BETTER than takeaway!
This recipe is perfection! I added a small amount of chopped garlic and ginger but otherwise followed it to the letter. I’m so pleased, THANK YOU!
Thank you for teaching me your fried rice method! I made some alterations to your recipe to suit what I had on hand and it turned out amazing! For starters I did not have sesame oil, corn starch, or rice wine/dry sherry so I used olive oil, arrow root powder, and merlot. I used liquid aminos in place of soy sauce. And I do not have oyster or fish sauce either, so since you said oyster adds a little sweetness I added a little coconut sugar. I also had a freezer full of different veggies which worked out perfectly. While it may not be authentic I did follow all of your tips. Thank you again!
Thank you so much Minnie!!! jaden
yum!!
uh….what about the onion? Nowhere does your recipe mention it
You’re right! Recipe fixed. Thanks Bob.
I have been craving REAL and GOOD fried rice and came across your recipe and I just want to say thank you!!! This is the best fried rice I have EVER had I followed your recipe but added in alot of other veggies and shrimp. even my 6 year old kept saying mommy this is amazing lol and had 2 helpings himself and cleaned his plate! So that’s kid tested and kid approved this will definitely be the one and only fried rice recipe I ever cook! Thanks again for a delicious dinner
Thank you so much Amber! Please tell your son hello for me and that I’m so happy he loves fried rice! -jaden
Thank you for the recipe, just like Aqui Yau’s cooking.
Oh. My. Heavens!!!! This was exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been trying to master chicken fried rice and I can officially say I was successful. I think marinating the chicken, and adding rice wine to it did the trick. Rice was also super moist. Perfect texture and flavor! Thanks so much for sharing a recipe that has various shortcuts and options. ❤️ Now excuse me, I need to go refill my bowl. 🙂
Thanks so much Amanda!!!! jaden
Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe. I cheated and used boil in the bag rice then the 30 minute freeze method. I thought all the separate cooking of the ingredients seemed overkill but I did it anyway. The payback was when my kids ate it and said it was better than takeaway. My son would say that regardless but my daughter is a much tougher critic yet she had three helpings and said it was the best ever – and chicken fried rice is her favourite takeaway! Anyway, a happy audience is the best feeling in the world!!! Thanks again!
Thank you so much Grant!
Tried, was so delicious
just sayin’
this has become the comfort food at our house for young and old
the little tricks regarding fried rice
and the simple prep of the chicken
makes it a delight
thank you
This is the best fried rice recipe ever! Other recipes I’ve tried lacked flavor or the texture was off. Cooking the ingredients separately is genius. I love how I can use organic ingredients so it’s healthier than your typical takeout. A real winner!
Have never been successful with my fried rice – cant wait to try this recipe. Especially thanks for the tips, I’m sure they’ll help.
I am going to try this recipe with brown rice. Will let you know how it turns out!
“Very well explain,Was very helpfull”
This has become a family favorite. I added more veggies and garlic and saved one of the tbsp.Will definitely make this again. My mom and brother loved it.
My younger son can live on this chicken fried rice. I add many vegetables to make it healthier.
Jaden you cook this “chicken fried rice” even better than Chinese cook. The final picture really make me hungry!
Keep your Awesome working.
Love your bowls! One of my favorite fried rice tricks I learned here in China is making a donut-shaped hole in your rice that’s in your wok, and then cracking your eggs directly into it. Saves a ton of time, as the Chinese don’t beat the eggs fully before adding to the rice.
Hi Jaden,
Great recipe and instructions. Cooking and trying different things is my passion. I’m working on setting up my own site.
My friends 6 yr old said she wouldn’t like it….to her mums amazement she had two bowls and announced it was the best!! (left off the onions)
There was no glugginess and a clean beautiful taste treat.
Beautiful….thank you
Gary
Like your tip of cooking ingredients separate and adding less water to rice. I am from Hawaii and have some pinterest boards ~some on 50 State Island Dishes.
Please check out my pins. “FOOD- xxxxx” We are a mixing pot of people and foods. https://www.pinterest.com/hulainwa/boards/
mahalo!
Thanks, Jaden for the post. I love fried rice. Now, I can step up my fried rice to a higher standard. Thanks, again.
Your fried rice looks amazing. I love your details and tips, and look forward to using them to hopefully perfect my fried rice recipe!
Thank you again. This recipe looks easy to make and delicious.
What if I garnish it with some scallions?
Thanks again.
Perfect 🙂
Is there a wok that you recommend for an induction stovetop?
hmmm, yummieeee. i like this food. in my country very famous this call “Nasi Goreng” 😀
I have electric ceramic stovetop. Same recommendation. Your thoughts Jaden?
Hi Cheri – the IMUSA wok would work great on ceramic. Smooth surface so it won’t scratch the cooktop.
Great directions….Even though I’ve been making fried rice for years your instructions make a lot of sense…Hopefully my fried rice now will even be better…thanks
Hi Jaden…..what are your thoughts on using leftover pork shoulder roast or Char Siu in fried rice? Would you still suggest a light marinade?
RF
Robin – Char Siu would be perfect – if it’s already marinated and cooked, I would add in the cooked, diced meat same time as I add the egg. If the cooked pork needed just a little more flavor, I would give it a few splashes of soy sauce and a tiny bit of sesame oil. Heat wok to high, swirl in a bit of cooking oil. When hot, add pork and let sear for just a few seconds on each side. Then remove. So, instead of cooking the pork, you’re just searing it and using the soy sauce to help you caramelize.
That is so helpful for using pre-cooked meat! Thanks Jaden!
Thank you for the heads up on the wok — I’ve been wanting one for a long time. I think I’ll go on Amazon and put it on my wish list. The recipe looks and sounds delicious – we’ve been making fried rice of a long time but we are going to do your method. Thank you for sharing, Jaden!!
Great tutorial Jaden! Instructions are clear, pictures are great and I love that you tell us WHY each action is important. Hmmm, now I’m hungry for fried rice!
Do you happen to have a wok you would recommend over all others? I’m really in the market to get a new one so was curious. 🙂
Unfortunately there are quite a few reviews on this IMUSA one that the coating starts to come off after just a few uses, so I’m hesitant to go with that one…
Hi Ashley – My tried and true wok is the Anolon wok – I highly recommend this one. Do you have a gas, electric or induction stovetop?
I have a similar question as Ashley and my stovetop is induction, so I can’t use the aluminum wok that I received as a wedding present. Do you have any recommendations for me? Thank you!
Jaden — Could you confirm whether the wok is IMUSA or Joyce Chen? I do not see any light cast iron woks on IMUSA’s website.
Hi Bill – It’s IMUSA: http://www.imusausa.com/portfolio-items/light-weight-cast-iron-wok/
For some reason, it’s not listed in the drop down menu for woks. But, it’s sold at JC Penny and Target.
Jaden — thank you for the link — I suspect thetwo brands come out of the same factory with different colored handles! I just ordered one thru Target (one line only) at the price you mentioned. JCP current has them on sale with and additional 20% off coupon (thru the 9th) — ends up just over $30 — In my case – Target is 1 mile away vs JCP at 10.
Re Ashley:
Jaden states re the wok: “The outer surface is coated, so it won’t scratch your counters or electric stovetop. The inside is lightweight cast iron,has a coating on the outside and that the inside needs to be seasoned.”
The wok appears to be the Joyce Chen 23-0001 wok available from Amazon — the interior is “pre-seasoned” which needs to be seasoned and kept oiled.
Here is a link with a lot of wok info:
http://foodal.com/kitchen/pots-pots-skillets-guides-reviews/guides/how-to-choose-the-best-wok/
This fried rice and chicken just looks smashingly delicious! Mouth-watering to the extreme. Peas are my favorite add-on for fried rice. They add just the right pop of green. Plus, I do love the scrambled egg aspect. Tasty. I don’t like going out for Chinese fried rice because the fast-food joints LOAD it up in oil. Yuck. Our premier grocery store makes a nice variety, but it’s $10 bucks a pound. That’s highway robbery right there. So making it at home sounds like a fantastic idea to me! Thanks.
The beautiful thing about fried rice is you can add what you want. I used to love takeout, but with Jaden’s recipe, you can make it taste just like takeout but improvise on the veggies. I often put shitake mushrooms in along with peas. tomorrow I have chopped napa cabbage that I will be adding. This recipe is so authentic that it is easy enough to add extra veggies – cabbage, spinach, carrot dice……and still have a takeout quality fried rice………I would much rather make it myself…….