Easy Chicken Fried Rice
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Easy Chicken Fried Rice makes for one easy yet tasty and satisfying meal. Juicy and tender chicken, soft, tender peas and carrots, jasmine rice and those scrambled eggs. All topped with an amazing sauce you won’t get enough of! Better than take-out, you will find yourself making this fried rice over and over again.
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
One of my go-to dishes for any day of the week is this Easy Chicken Fried Rice. It’s so easy and quick to make. Always comes in handy for those nights I need to throw a quick dinner together. Love making as make-ahead lunches at the beginning of the week as part of my meal-prep too.
Aside from how easy and convenient this dish is, what I really love about it is how complete it is. Loaded with veggies, complex carbs, so much protein and even essential vitamins and minerals. Super healthy and nutrient-dense dish.
This recipe packs some serious flavor. Made with juicy and tender chicken, soft, tender peas and carrots, jasmine rice and those scrambled eggs. All topped with an amazing sauce you won’t get enough of! Easy Chicken Fried Rice makes for one easy yet tasty and satisfying meal. Better than take-out, you will find yourself making this fried rice over and over again.
Why use leftover rice for fried rice?
Using cold leftover rice for your fried rice will give you better results as supposed to using warm freshly made rice. As rice gets cold in the fridge overnight it firms up. This makes it easier for the rice to break up and separate. Warm rice will end up getting mushy when you mix it with all the other ingredients.
Tips for making a good fried rice:
- Use leftover rice- As stated above, cold leftover rice is firm making it easier to break up and separate. Warm rice will get mushy while being stirred.
- Use medium or long grain rice- Medium or long grain rice such as jasmine rice, are fluffy and sturdy. They don’t clump up or get mushy as short grain rice tends to do.
- Add seasoning at the end- If you have seasoned or salted your leftover rice, it’s best to add salt at the end. You don’t want to over season your fried rice.
- Use wok or large skillet- The secret to making a good fried rice is using a well heated large pan such as a wok or cast iron skillet. This will ensure that your ingredients won’t stick to the surface and you will have enough room to stir everything.
- Prep all ingredients first- This is an important tip you definitely want to follow. Once you start cooking everything and stir frying, it goes by pretty quick. You want to have all your ingredients prepped so that they are ready to add to your pan as you go.
What you need to make it:
Ingredients:
- Chicken Thighs
- Carrots
- Frozen Peas
- Garlic
- Green Onions
- Coconut Aminos
- Sesame Oil
- Eggs
- Pink Sea Salt
- Ginger
- Rice Vinegar
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Leftover Cooked Rice
Equipment:
- Large Cast Iron Skillet or Wok
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
How to make Easy Chicken Fried Rice:
- Start by prepping veggies and aromatics; Peel and dice carrots. Measure out 1 cup frozen peas. Mince or press garlic. Thinly slice green onion. Peel and grate ginger. Set all prepped ingredients to the side.
- In a small bowl whisk together coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, green onion, ginger, pink sea salt, and rice vinegar. Set to the side.
- Whisk together eggs and set to the side. Dab dry chicken thighs with a paper towel. Cut chicken thighs into bite sized cubes. At this point you may sprinkle them with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you wish for more seasoning. Just keep in mind the sauce has salt too and if you’re using leftover rice that may be seasoned too. You don’t want to over season your fried rice.
- Use 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to grease your skillet or wok. Bring to a medium-high heat. Add chicken bites and cook through until they are golden brown. About 7-8 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and set to the side.
- Use a damp paper towel and wipe your skillet. Drizzle the other tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat again. Toss in carrots and stir fry until they are soften. About 3-4 minutes. Once the carrots are soft, toss frozen peas and stir with cooked carrots.
- Pour in whisked eggs and scramble together with carrots and peas. They will cook quick, about 2-3 minutes. Once eggs are cooked through and completely scrambled, add cooked chicken back to skillet and stir together with carrots, peas and eggs.
- Stir in rice working through any clumps. Pour sauce over rice and continue stir frying for another minute or two. Turn heat off and remove rice from stovetop. Garnish with more green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool off and keep refrigerated for up to 3-5 days if using for meal prep.
Meal Prepping it:
This Easy Chicken Fried Rice is perfect for meal prep. It comes together very quickly and doesn’t require many ingredients. This dish is great to make ahead for lunches throughout the week. Make it for dinner and have leftovers for a ready to serve dinner the next day.
How to store fried rice?
Keep your fried rice in Tupperware that is tightly sealed. Keep refrigerated for up to 3-5 days.
Did you like this Easy Chicken Fried Rice recipe? You may also like these other fried rice recipes:
You may also like these other chicken recipes:
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Easy Chicken Fried Rice makes for one easy yet tasty and satisfying meal. Juicy and tender chicken, soft, tender peas and carrots, jasmine rice and those scrambled eggs. All topped with an amazing sauce you won't get enough of! Better than take-out, you will find yourself making this fried rice over and over again.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
- 2 large carrots
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 green onions
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp pink sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 3 cups cooked rice
Instructions
Start by prepping veggies and aromatics; Peel and dice carrots. Measure out 1 cup frozen peas. Mince or press garlic. Thinly slice green onion. Peel and grate ginger. Set all prepped ingredients to the side.
In a small bowl whisk together coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, green onion, ginger, pink sea salt, and rice vinegar. Set to the side.
Whisk together eggs and set to the side. Dab dry chicken thighs with a paper towel. Cut chicken thighs into bite sized cubes. At this point you may sprinkle them with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you wish for more seasoning. Just keep in mind the sauce has salt too and if you're using leftover rice that may be seasoned too. You don't want to over season your fried rice.
Use 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to grease your skillet or wok. Bring to a medium-high heat. Add chicken bites and cook through until they are golden brown. About 7-8 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and set to the side.
Use a damp paper towel and wipe your skillet. Drizzle the other tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat again. Toss in carrots and stir fry until they are soften. About 3-4 minutes. Once the carrots are soft, toss frozen peas and stir with cooked carrots.
Pour in whisked eggs and scramble together with carrots and peas. They will cook quick, about 2-3 minutes. Once eggs are cooked through and completely scrambled, add cooked chicken back to skillet and stir together with carrots, peas and eggs.
Stir in rice working through any clumps. Pour sauce over rice and continue stir frying for another minute or two. Turn heat off and remove rice from stovetop. Garnish with more green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Serve immediately or allow to cool off and keep refrigerated for up to 3-5 days if using for meal prep.
Recipe Notes
Tips for making a good fried rice:
- Use leftover rice- As stated above, cold leftover rice is firm making it easier to break up and separate. Warm rice will get mushy while being stirred.
- Use medium or long grain rice- Medium or long grain rice such as jasmine rice, are fluffy and sturdy. They don’t clump up or get mushy as short grain rice tends to do.
- Add seasoning at the end- If you have seasoned or salted your leftover rice, it’s best to add salt at the end. You don’t want to over season your fried rice.
- Use wok or large skillet- The secret to making a good fried rice is using a well heated large pan such as a wok or cast iron skillet. This will ensure that your ingredients won’t stick to the surface and you will have enough room to stir everything.
- Prep all ingredients first- This is an important tip you definitely want to follow. Once you start cooking everything and stir frying, it goes by pretty quick. You want to have all your ingredients prepped so that they are ready to add to your pan as you go.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
