Chicken and Veg Fried Rice

Top view of a large wok filled with chicken fried rice ready to serve.

Chicken and Veg Fried Rice

Skip the take-out and make this Chicken Fried Rice at home! It’s the perfect mix of tender chicken, crisp veggies, slightly golden rice, and a savory sauce—especially delicious when you’ve got leftover rice waiting in the fridge.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 409kcal

Author Susie Weinrich

Equipment

large skillet or wok

Ingredients

½ - 1 lb chicken breast or thighs sliced thin and cut into ¼-½ inch pieces
2 ½ cups cooked long grain white rice cooled and refrigerated uncovered overnight on a sheet pan
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
¾ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. pepper
4 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil divided
2 eggs beaten
2 garlic cloves chopped
½ cup yellow or white onion chopped
½ cup carrot finely diced
¼ cup frozen peas defrosted completely
Handful bean sprouts (optional)
2 tsp. Shaoxing wine or cooking sherry
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. oyster sauce
⅓ cup scallions thinly sliced

Instructions

PREP

Once this recipe starts it goes quickly and you are cooking over high heat. I recommend chopping and measuring everything before getting started.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the soy sauce and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside
1 Tbsp. soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sugar
In another small bowl combine the kosher salt and pepper. Set aside
¾ tsp. kosher salt, ½ tsp. pepper
Beat the 2 eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and set aside.
2 eggs
Put the frozen peas in a bowl of hot water to defrost, drain before adding to the fried rice.

CHICKEN AND EGGS

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the chicken pieces and cook until they are cooked through, remove to a plate and set aside.
½ - 1 lb chicken breast or thighs
Turn the heat up to high. Add another 1 Tablespoon oil to the empty skillet. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the 2 beaten eggs and allow to sit in the oil for 15 seconds. They should puff up.
Then lightly stir to scramble – remove from the heat before fully cooked and place on a plate and set aside.

FRIED RICE

Wipe out the skillet or wok and place back on high heat. Add in 1 Tbsp. oil. Once hot add in the onion and carrot. Sauté for 2 minutes until the onion starts to become translucent (stir constantly as it can burn easily).
½ cup yellow or white onion, ½ cup carrot
Add in the chopped garlic and saute for 15 seconds.
2 garlic cloves
Add in 1 more Tbsp. oil and add the cold rice. Press the rice down into a single layer and allow to cook undisturbed for 30 seconds – 1 min
2 ½ cups cooked long grain white rice
Stir rice mixture and add the lightly scrambled egg and cooked chicken back in.
Push ingredients to the center of the pan and pour the soy sauce mixture around the edge. Toss ingredients together.
Add in the salt-pepper mixture, defrosted peas and a handful of bean sprouts. Toss together and push mixture to the center of the pan again.
¼ cup frozen peas, Handful bean sprouts
Deglaze the pan by pouring the 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine around the edge of the mixture. Then stir together.
2 tsp. Shaoxing wine
Remove from heat and add in the toasted sesame oil, oyster sauce and sliced scallions. Toss and serve immediately.
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp. oyster sauce, ⅓ cup scallions

Notes

Use long grain white rice or a combination of 2 parts long grain white rice to 1 part jasmine rice for the most authentic blend
Wash rice in a fine mesh sieve before cooking – this removes the surface starch for a less sticky rice –you don’t want sticky clumps of rice when making fried rice or the rice will steam vs. fry and it will be soggy. The more individual grains of rice you have the better it will fry. Break up large clumps before adding to the pan.
Cold rice is necessary for fried rice. Use day old rice that has been refrigerated or make cooked rice - cool to room temperature and then spread it out on a large sheet pan, breaking up large clumps into more individual grains. Refrigerate overnight uncovered so that the grains of rice can “dry” out making for a crispier fried rice.
You want to dehydrate the rice so it absorbs the flavors while frying but does not become soggy or steam vs. fry.
For fried rice made at home it is best to cook everything separately and then bring it all together at the end. This ensures that every ingredient is cooked properly since home cooktops do not have the same high heat level that restaurants do.
For soy sauce – Kikkomans or other standard store brands can be used…however if you can find the following brands they will have a more “authentic” taste: Pearl River Bridge or Lee Kum Kee.
Have all of your ingredients measured out and prepared before cooking as the “stir fry” cooking process goes very fast.

Nutrition