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Comes together so quickly with leftover rice! Made with chicken, eggs, vegetables and white or brown rice. SO GOOD.
We all need a good fried rice recipe in our arsenal. One we can pull out on a whim for those weeknight family meals when we have zero time and so many veggies to use up as well as that leftover rice you had no idea what you were going to do with.
Not to mention, for best results, we’ll want to use all the leftover rice. Please and thank you.
We prefer chicken thighs but breasts will work wonders here. And you can swap, omit or add as many veggies to your liking – broccoli, green beans, spinach, asparagus, cabbage, snow peas – we can really add all of the things here. Brown or white? Both work great. We’ve even used a mixture to make sure we had enough for the recipe.
Did you use up all of your leftover rice? No problem. Package pre-cooked rice is also a thing of beauty.
For variety, you can also make kimchi fried rice, pineapple fried rice, or sheet pan fried rice. They are all very solid choices, and on repeat rotations here in our household.
Chicken Fried Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
Hoisin sauce or fish sauce can be substituted.
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Freshly cooked rice is hot and sticky and has too much moisture, which can result in mushy, soggy fried rice. Leftover or day old rice is drier, resulting in a much better texture to work with and allowing the rice to crisp and toast very nicely.
You can still mimic day old rice with freshly cooked rice by cooking the rice with less water, and then letting it cool and dry out on a baking sheet – in an even layer – for a few hours.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers (for about one month) in individual freezer bags, reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- â…“ cup oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 (3.5-ounce) package shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and choppped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ cup frozen green peas
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 4 cups leftover white or brown rice
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Prevent your screen from going dark
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In a small bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes.
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Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
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Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes; set aside.
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Add onion, mushrooms and carrots to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
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Stir in garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Stir in green peas until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; set aside .
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Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and sesame oil over medium high heat.
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Spread rice in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes. Flip and spread in an even layer again, cooking for an additional 2 minutes.
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Push rice to one side of the skillet; add eggs to opposite side of the skillet, and cook, stirring often, until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, about 2-3 minutes.
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Stir in chicken, vegetables and oyster sauce mixture until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until flavors have blended, about 3-5 minutes.
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Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.