One-Pan Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken fried rice made in one skillet with day-old rice, tender chicken, soft scrambled egg, and peas and carrots. An easy 30-minute takeout-style dinner.
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Chicken Fried Rice is the dinner that turns yesterday’s leftover rice into something my family actually competes over. Cold rice hits a hot skillet, chicken browns in the same pan, eggs get scrambled right alongside it, and about fifteen minutes later everyone’s eating.
Cold rice is the whole trick. Freshly cooked rice is full of steam and soft starch, so it clumps and goes gummy the second it meets oil. Rice that’s spent a night in the fridge has dried out and firmed up, and the grains stay separate enough to fry instead of steam. That’s the difference between fried rice and sad wet rice.
No leftover rice in the fridge? Cook a fresh batch, spread it in a thin layer on a sheet pan, and chill it uncovered for 30 minutes. It won’t be quite as dry as overnight rice, but it beats going in hot by a mile.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
- One pan, start to finish. Chicken, eggs, vegetables, and rice all cook in the same skillet, so there’s one thing to wash.
- A leftover rice rescue. Four cups of cold rice from a previous dinner turn into an entirely new meal.
- Ready in 30 minutes. Most of that is chopping. The cooking itself runs about 15 minutes once the pan is hot.
- Kids eat it without negotiating. Mild soy flavor, soft egg, and sweet peas and carrots make this an easy sell at the table.
Chicken Fried Rice Ingredients
Long-grain white rice, jasmine especially, fries up best because the grains stay distinct. Short and medium grain rice are bred to be sticky, which is great under a curry and works against you in a wok. Brown rice works fine and comes out chewier.
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice, cold
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 green onions, sliced
Recipe Variations
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts for a juicier bite; they need about the same time in the pan.
- Swap the peas and carrots for diced bell pepper, corn, or shredded cabbage, whatever needs using up in the crisper drawer.
- Add a swirl of sriracha or chili crisp at the end for grown-up bowls, and leave the kids’ portions plain.
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice
- Marinate the chicken: Toss the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the cornstarch until coated. Let it sit for 10 minutes while you prep everything else. That thin cornstarch coating is what keeps the pieces juicy over high heat.
- Break up the rice: Run damp fingers or a fork through the cold rice and separate any clumps. Rice that goes in the pan in lumps fries unevenly and stays cold in the middle.
- Scramble the eggs: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir for about 1 minute, until just set and still soft. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook the chicken: Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and spread the chicken in a single layer. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned on the outside and cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to the plate with the eggs.
- Cook the vegetables: Add the last 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onion for 2 minutes until it turns translucent. Stir in the peas and carrots and cook 2 minutes more, then add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Fry the rice: Add the rice and press it flat against the pan, then toss and repeat for 3-4 minutes until it’s heated through and a few grains start to toast at the edges. Keep the heat at medium-high the whole time.
- Season: Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce around the edge of the pan, then add the oyster sauce, salt, and white pepper. Toss for 1 minute until every grain picks up color.
- Finish and serve: Return the chicken and eggs to the pan and toss for 1 minute to warm through. Pull the pan off the heat, drizzle with the sesame oil, stir in the green onions, and your chicken fried rice is ready to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Do I Have to Use Day-Old Rice?
It makes the biggest difference of anything in this recipe. If you’re starting from scratch, cook the rice, spread it thin on a sheet pan, and chill it uncovered for at least 30 minutes so the surface dries out before it hits the oil.
Can I Use Rotisserie or Leftover Cooked Chicken?
Yes. Skip the marinade step and stir about 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken in with the rice near the end, just long enough to heat it through. Start the recipe at the egg step.
Why Did My Fried Rice Come out Soggy?
Usually one of three things: the rice was too fresh, the pan was too crowded, or the heat was too low. Fried rice needs a hot pan and enough room for moisture to evaporate instead of pooling.
Can I Make This without a Wok?
Absolutely. A large 12-inch skillet or a cast iron pan works well. What matters is surface area, so use the biggest pan you own and don’t pile the rice more than an inch deep.
Can I Double This, and What Goes Well with It?
Double it, but cook it in two batches. A crowded pan steams and you lose the whole point. Egg rolls, a smashed cucumber salad, or steamed edamame all round it out.
Cooking Tips
- Prep everything before the pan gets hot. This cooks fast, and there’s no time to mince garlic once the rice is in.
- Keep the heat at medium-high the whole way through. Turning it down is what turns fried rice back into steamed rice.
- Pour the soy sauce around the edge of the pan instead of dumping it in the middle. It hits the hot metal and cooks down as it runs in, rather than soaking one spot into a soggy patch.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Cool it down quickly and refrigerate within two hours; cooked rice left out at room temperature isn’t worth the risk.
To freeze: Fried rice freezes better than most leftovers. Portion it into freezer bags, press flat, and freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of oil for the best texture, or microwave covered with a damp paper towel to steam it back to life.
How to Serve Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken Fried Rice is a full dinner in one bowl, though a smashed cucumber salad or a plate of steamed edamame on the side makes it feel like a spread. It also makes a great base under a fried egg the next morning. This is one of the recipes in our easy weeknight dinner collection, and more takeout-style favorites like it are on the way.
Loved This Recipe?
Chicken Fried Rice is the one dinner that makes me glad I cooked too much rice the night before.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
One-Pan Chicken Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice cold
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Toss the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the cornstarch until coated. Let it sit for 10 minutes while you prep everything else. That thin cornstarch coating is what keeps the pieces juicy over high heat.
- Break up the rice: Run damp fingers or a fork through the cold rice and separate any clumps. Rice that goes in the pan in lumps fries unevenly and stays cold in the middle.
- Scramble the eggs: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir for about 1 minute, until just set and still soft. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook the chicken: Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and spread the chicken in a single layer. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned on the outside and cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to the plate with the eggs.
- Cook the vegetables: Add the last 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onion for 2 minutes until it turns translucent. Stir in the peas and carrots and cook 2 minutes more, then add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Fry the rice: Add the rice and press it flat against the pan, then toss and repeat for 3-4 minutes until it’s heated through and a few grains start to toast at the edges. Keep the heat at medium-high the whole time.
- Season: Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce around the edge of the pan, then add the oyster sauce, salt, and white pepper. Toss for 1 minute until every grain picks up color.
- Finish and serve: Return the chicken and eggs to the pan and toss for 1 minute to warm through. Pull the pan off the heat, drizzle with the sesame oil, stir in the green onions, and your chicken fried rice is ready to serve.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
