Easy Chicken Fried Rice

White plate with chicken fried rice topped with sliced scallions.

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This easy chicken fried rice recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes and is the perfect dinner to use up leftovers! Minimal prep but packed with so much flavor. You can easily vary and add extra veggies and more to make this a family favorite dinner!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time22

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

3 large eggs whisked
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sesame oil separated
1 onion small diced
4 c cooked rice
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce more as needed
3-4 garlic cloves minced
2 c frozen peas and carrots or frozen mixed veggies
2 c cooked chicken we use rotisserie chicken
½ tsp red chili flakes
½ tsp pepper
Salt to taste
chopped green onions optional, for serving

Instructions

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet (about 12 inches) or wok over medium-high heat. Add the whisked eggs and scramble, stirring regularly. When the eggs are cooked, transfer them to a plate and set aside.
Add 1 Tbsp sesame oil to the pan and allow it to get hot. Add in onion and sauté for about 3-5 minutes or until onions start to become translucent.
Add in the rice and break down any large chunks. Pour the soy sauce and other tablespoon of sesame oil over the rice and toss together. Press the mixture down into the pan and allow it to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the rice has time to crisp up a bit.
Once the rice is to your liking, add in the chicken, peas and carrots, garlic, pepper, crushed red pepper and stir to combine. Add salt as desired. Heat until the chicken, peas and carrots are hot.
Remove from heat and stir in the scrambled eggs. Add more soy sauce or sesame oil if rice becomes too dry, add anymore seasoning as desired and then serve! Top with chopped green onions and a drizzle of sriracha.

Notes

Storage: Store any leftover fried rice in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Sprinkle a little water over it before reheating. You can freeze this recipe in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Different types of rice will absorb liquid in different amounts. Make sure you have some extra soy sauce and sesame oil around to add in as you are cooking if the rice absorbs too much of it while cooking. I like to add an extra tablespoon or two of soy sauce first and then a touch of sesame oil if I still think it needs more moisture so as not to make the dish too salty.

If you want to use fresh carrots and chop them up, sauté them with the onions. This will allow them to soften up more versus adding them in the end.

Make sure your pan is big enough. We use a 12 inch sauté pan I have linked below and it is the perfect size. A 10 inch skillet may work but it would be pretty full and may make stirring a bit challenging.

Nutrition