Chicken Fried Rice {better than take-out!}

Skip the take-out and make this easy chicken fried rice at home. It’s a simple weeknight dinner that’s so budget friendly, and it’s a real crowd-pleaser!

My family is in a season of life where we hardly ever eat a meal in a restaurant. I don’t even know what the cool places are anymore. Is anybody feeling me on this?!

We have two small children, and household expenses are as tight as ever. So we avoid restaurants for practical reasons.

But there is no need for us to be deprived of our favorite restaurant dishes!

Heck, some are even better made at home. I would put this chicken fried rice into that category. When you make it yourself, you can use really great quality ingredients.

I used white jasmine rice here because it is my husband and son’s favorite, but feel free to use brown rice. I have done that many times before, and it is equally delicious.

I make my chicken fried rice with leftover rice. If you are making rice just for this recipe, I’d suggest doing it ahead of time and putting it in the fridge to cool. It just makes the texture of the fried rice better.

Also, can we just talk about sesame oil for a second? Where has this stuff been all my life?! I am using the toasted sesame oil from Trader Joe’s. It is perfection!👌🏻

It gives the chicken fried rice this awesome, authentic flavor. It is what my fried rice has been missing all along.

And let’s talk about butter. You can totally make this recipe with canola oil instead, but let me highly recommend butter!

If you’ve ever been to one of those Japanese steakhouses where they cook in front of you, this will come as no shock to you. There is a reason they use butter. It is truly better.

And I am not using a stick of it a la Paula Deen.😉 I used two tablespoons for the whole dish, which is plenty in my opinion.

Other Copycat Recipes You May Like

I am obsessed with re-creating my favorite restaurant meals in my own kitchen. Here are some of my best copycat recipes.

• Greek Pasta with Chicken (Taziki’s Friday Special)
• Greek Red Wine Vinaigrette (Better than Zoe’s)
• Creamy Jalapeno (Chuy’s Copycat Recipe)
• Epic Beef Nachos Supreme (Better than Taco Bell)
• Greek Salad with chicken (Zoe’s Copycat)
• Copycat Newk’s Favorite Salad
• Chicken Burrito Bowls (Better than Chipotle)
• Copycat Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
• Greek Potato Salad (Zoe’s Copycat)

Tools Used to Make This Recipe

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.

• Large skillet or Wok
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons

Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

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3.9 from 124 votes

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Chicken Fried Rice

Skip the take-out and make this easy chicken fried rice at home. It's a simple weeknight dinner that's so budget friendly, and it's a real crowd-pleaser!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword chicken fried rice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 376 kcal

Author Marjorie @ APinchOfHealthy.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked jasmine rice preferably left over rice. Brown rice is fine too
• 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 Tablespoons butter divided
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 2 green onions chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add 1/2 Tablespoon butter to the pan.
3. Add the chicken, salt and pepper generously, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 6 - 7 minutes.
4. Put the cooked chicken on a clean plate, and set aside.
5. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan.
6. Cook the onions, carrots and peas until tender, about 4 minutes.
7. Add the garlic and cook one more minute.
8. Push the veggies aside, and scramble the eggs on the empty side of the pan.
9. Stir everything together, and add the last 1/2 tablespoon butter to the pan.
10. Add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and chicken and combine.
11. Allow the rice to "fry" and get a little toasty by leaving it alone for a minute.
12. Stir everything up, and allow the rice to sort of crisp up again.
13. Turn off the heat, and add the sesame oil.
14. Stir to combine.
15. Serve immediately.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

 

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Fried Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 376 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13g 20%

Saturated Fat 5g 25%

Cholesterol 133mg 44%

Sodium 658mg 27%

Potassium 445mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 42g 14%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 1g

Protein 20g 40%

Vitamin A 107.1%

Vitamin C 11.1%

Calcium 5.1%

Iron 9.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.