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My go-to when I don’t feel like cooking? This easy chicken fried rice! I grab leftover rice and chicken, toss it all in a pan, and boom, dinner is ready in minutes. The best part? My kids devour it!
A Reader’s Review
Such a perfect recipe! I use leftover chicken AND rice, so with the frozen mixed veggies this comes together incredibly quickly! My husband and one daughter have both said they could eat this 3x a week – and thats a glowing compliment…believe me!
– Carrie
All the Reasons This Never Fails Me
- Meal Prep Magic: Tastes just as good the next day, making leftovers something to look forward to.
- One-Pan Wonder: Everything cooks in a single skillet, so there’s less mess, and cleanup is a breeze!
- Protein-Packed Upgrade: While I love my classic fried rice recipe, this one gets a protein boost from juicy chicken that makes it even more satisfying.
- Family Favorite: Even picky eaters can’t resist the savory combo of chicken, veggies, and rice.
Ingredients Needed
- Protein: Mix up your protein with ham, shrimp, or bacon.
- Low Carb: For a low-carb version of fried rice, try using cauliflower.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add other favorite vegetables to enhance this recipe. Broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, or water chestnuts work great.
- Soy Sauce: Regular or low-sodium soy sauce both work. You can add more at the end if you want a bolder flavor.
How To Make Chicken Fried Rice
You only need one pan and a few basic ingredients. This chicken fried rice comes together fast and makes the best use of leftovers. Want to try something quicker? Make this air fryer fried rice!
- Cook the Chicken: Add vegetable oil and soy sauce to a large skillet or wok and heat over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces, and cook until lightly browned and cooked throughout, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the Vegetables: Add sesame oil, diced white onion, and thawed frozen peas and carrots to the pan and fry until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Scramble the Egg: Slide the vegetables to the sides and then add the lightly beaten eggs to the other side of the pan. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables.
- Add the Rice and Serve: Add cooked white rice and the cooked chicken to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Add soy sauce and stir until combined and heated throughout. Top with sliced green onions, and fresh cracked black pepper if desired, and serve warm.
Alyssa’s Pro Tip
High Heat: Cooking chicken fried rice over high heat is best for fried rice. It helps brown the rice and vegetables evenly. Avoid letting the rice steam or clump together by stirring frequently.
Tips For the Best Fried Rice
- Use Cold Rice: Leftover white, long grain or brown rice from the fridge is ideal, firmer grains = better texture for your chicken fried rice.
- Too Fresh? Chill It: You can cook rice fresh, then spread it on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes, or pop it in the freezer for 10–15 minutes to cool it down fast.
- Shortcut: Use pre-cooked, ready rice to save even more time.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Fried Rice
- How long does fried rice last? Stored right in an airtight container, it stays fresh for 5–7 days in the fridge.
- Can you freeze it? Absolutely! Seal it up in an airtight container or ziplock, throw it in the freezer, and you’re good to go!
- Can you reheat it? Yep! Stovetop or microwave works best—just don’t reheat it more than once.
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Equipment
- Large Skillet or Wok
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 pound chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup diced white onion about 1 small onion
- 1 cup thawed frozen peas and carrots
- 2 lightly beaten large eggs
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions optional garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to a large skillet or wok and heat over medium heat. Add 1 pound chicken cut into bite-sized pieces and cook until lightly browned and cooked throughout, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 cup diced white onion, and 1 cup thawed frozen peas and carrots to the pan and fry until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Slide the vegetables to the sides and add 2 lightly beaten large eggs to the other side of the pan. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables.
- Add 3 cups cooked rice and the cooked chicken to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Add 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce and stir until combined and heated throughout. Top with 2 tablespoons sliced green onions, if desired, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Updated May 28, 2025
Leftover Instructions: Fried rice lasts 5–7 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container, and it freezes great, too—just seal it up and toss it in the freezer. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, but only once.
Nutrition
Calories: 225kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 17gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 474mgPotassium: 327mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1754IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
My 4yo asked me this morning to pack him chicken fried rice for lunch today. This recipe came up, and literally 20 minutes later I had chicken fried rice to be proud of. So good, I’m making another batch for the family dinner tonight!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been trying for years to make the perfect fried rice, and kept screwing it up. I think this is about as close as I will ever get unless I marry a Chinese woman. The only thing I did differently is I used a pound of shrimp instead of chicken. I cheated a little and bought the pre-cooked shrimp which I marinated in a store-bought Sesame Garlic sauce. Absolutely incredible!
This is a great recipe. It is on the “keep” list for my family. My son wants it on the lunch box rotation 🙂
I used leftover rotisserie chicken that I had in fridge. It worked well and used up leftovers 🙂
I’m sure if I make the chicken specifically for fried rice, it will even be better.
Thanks so much for sharing.
This was amazing!!! 5 stars all the way. Made it just as stated on the website. What type of soy sauce is best to use? I used a regular store brand and it turned out more of a dark brown them the light brown as seen in the picture and in the resteraunts. Still tasted yummy, just wondering what the difference is.
We made this last night and let me say my taste buds were in heaven. I buy chicken in bulk when it’s on sale and can it (in pint jars) and it was perfect for this recipe because the chicken shreds so easily. It also cut a lot of the prep work out. It was so fast and easy. It really only took as long as the rice cooker takes to cook the rice. We are definitely going to be making this again.
Making this tonight! I am going to use chicken I marinated over night in Italian dressing and soy sauce!! Sounds weird but it is sooooo good and tender!! I cook it in my cast iron pan ( the chicken that is), and I think it will really compliment this dish!!!!!!
Oh, and I cooked my rice in tumeric…. I have the rice cooling now, it will have cooled four hours…..
hey, can you tell me some kind of measurements you used so i can try this. its sounds delicious .
I had left over chicken I used it. The fried rice was dry and didn’t hsve much flavor. What could I use for more flavor?
wow this looks so good. I WILL MAKE THIS FOR SUPPER TONIGHT!!!
i’m excited. i’ve always bought fried rice. today i will try to make it on my own.
My secret ingredient. On top of the soy sauce, take a pinch or two of chinese 5 spice and put it into the fried rice about the same time you mix in soy sauce.
It is a small extra that makes a huge difference in the end.
made this last night it turned out great. I baked the chicken with garlic and teriyaki sauce, then shredded it. I doubled it and it was barely enough! will definitely make it again.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ve shared w/friends on Facebook. I agree to slow cook the chicken. It come out so tender and juicy.
Do you have an approximate calorie count and/or nutritional values for this dish?
It was great btw! We loved it!
I made this for dinner this week. It was delicious! And so easy to make. I wish I had doubled it because now it’s all gone and I want more.
Thank you so very much for posting this fabulous recipe!!!!!! Everyone in my family loved it. It truly is way better than takeout even my kids said so 🙂
Hi,
Your time for this recipe seems a bit off. If the name of the dish is “chicken fried rice” then the recipe should include the time to make the chicken, right? I notice your suggested method for cooking chicken takes 4-5 hrs in a slow cooker.. so, that is a bit more than the 40 minutes listed on the recipe.
Thanks!
If you excluded the slow cooker method of cooking the rice it really is 40min or less. I used my WOK to cook the chicken pieces but you could even use a cast iron grill on your stovetop or even your outdoor grill (weather permitting). My assumption is that the author used a slow cooker to save time by putting on the chicken before work or while running errands. This makes it easy to just throw the rest together for a quick dinner.
This is my first recipe from this website and my husband was floored at how good it tasted – much better than takeout! I can’t wait to try more of Alyssa’s recipes.