Homemade Chicken Fried Rice

Had a tough day? Fried rice doesn’t judge, it just soothes your soul. And let’s be honest, carbs make everything better! So, come on in for a warm cozy hug in homemade Chicken Fried Rice form. This 15-minute one-pot meal leaves you with minimal dishes and maximum joy!

Wooden spoon scooping chicken fried rice in a wok.

🥘 Ingredients for Chicken Fried Rice

Regular Soy Sauce: We want that salty goodness, so stick with regular soy sauce, not the light or low-sodium versions.
Dark Soy Sauce is all about giving a rich, golden color – not so much about the flavor. Technically, you can skip it, but your chicken fried rice will be pale without it.
Oyster Sauce is where the magic happens—sweet, salty, and a whole lot of umami! It’s an easy find at most Asian markets or even in the Asian section of your local grocery store
Shaoxing Wine is a Chinese cooking wine used in marinades, sauces, and for deglazing the wok at Chinese restaurants the secret to creating that restaurant-level flavor!
Sesame Oil adds that classic nutty flavor you know from Chinese takeout. Just a small drizzle is all you need—it’s potent stuff!
Cornstarch is a restaurant secret ingredient and key to tenderizing meat quickly and easily. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to prepping stir-fry meat any other way!

See recipe card for quantities.

What type of rice is best for making chicken fried rice?

Go for jasmine rice or long-grain rice! These types have that perfectly flaky texture you know and love from your favorite Chinese takeout. Avoid short or medium-grain rice—they’re stickier in consistency and tend to clump together when stir-frying.
If using freshly cooked rice, eliminate as much moisture as possible so your fried rice doesn’t turn mushy or soggy! Cook it with a little less water than usual so it comes out drier. Then, spread it onto a baking sheet to cool completely – you can even pop it in the fridge to speed it up!

🎥 Watch How to Make the Recipe

🔪 How to Make Chicken Fried Rice

This easy chicken fried rice is the ultimate beginner-friendly stir-fry—it’s basically impossible to mess up! Just have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go because this chicken fried rice comes together quickly. The last thing you want is frantically grabbing ingredients while your dinner withers away into burnt sadness.

We’re not serving dinner disasters tonight 🙂 Alright, let’s get cooking!

Fluffy eggs cooked in a wok with a wooden spoon.

Step 1: Cook Eggs. Heat a wok over medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of oil. Pour in your scrambled eggs, and once the edges start to set, gently push them towards the center. Keep repeating until the eggs are fluffy and fully cooked. Then, remove them from the wok and set them aside.

Diced chicken cooking in a wok with a wooden spoon.

Step 2: Cook Chicken. Drizzle a little more oil in the wok, then toss in the chicken. Let it cook in a single layer for about 20 seconds without touching it so it can get a nice sear. Flip and cook for a few more seconds until it’s done. Since it’s thinly sliced, it’ll cook fast, so stay close to avoid overcooking! Remove the chicken and set it aside.

Step 3: Cook Aromatics & Vegetables. If the wok looks dry, add a bit more oil and toss in the onions. Let them cook until they turn translucent, then add the garlic. Give it a few seconds—just enough for the garlic to get fragrant, but watch closely so it doesn’t burn.

Add the veggies and cook for 1-2 minutes, until they’re tender and any excess liquid has evaporated.

Fried rice cooking in wok with vegetables.

Step 4: Add Rice & Sauce: Toss in the rice and break up any clumps. Turn the heat to high, then pour the seasoning sauce around the edges of the wok to get that nice char. Toss everything together until the sauce is fully absorbed into the rice.

Spread it out into an even layer and let it sit for about 30 seconds to let those sugars caramelize.

Step 5: Add Eggs, Chicken, & Sesame Oil. Finally, toss the chicken and eggs back in, drizzle with sesame oil, and mix well. Turn off the heat, finish with green onions, give it a final toss, and dig in!

👩🏽‍🍳 Key Tips

Cut Ingredients Uniformly for Quick & Even Cooking: Chop your veggies and chicken into even pieces so your fried rice doesn’t end up with a mixture of hard raw and mushy overcooked ingredients in every bite lol.
Break Up Rice: Before tossing the rice into the wok, break up any clumps. You want every grain to get in on the action and soak up that delicious seasoning evenly!
Cook on High & on Large Cooking Surface: Moisture is the enemy of charred stir-fries! Cook on high heat and use the biggest wok or pan you have. Overcrowding leads to steaming, not searing, and you want smoky, seared, and charred flavors – not soggy sadness 🙁
Season Oil with Aromatics: Even though this is a simple chicken fried rice recipe, we’re layering flavor at every step—starting with the oil! Let the garlic and onion infuse the oil, but keep an eye out so they don’t burn. Burnt garlic is a kitchen party pooper, and trust, you don’t want to invite that flavor!
Create Restaurant-Quality Smoky Flavor: This little trick amplifies the flavor & is a complete game-changer! By pouring the sauce along the edges, the sugars caramelize and the soy sauce flavors intensify. It’s like leveling up your stir-fry without any extra effort.
Easy Glow-Ups: Feeling a little fancy? Top your chicken fried rice with a spicy drizzle of chili garlic oil, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, or some fresh cilantro!

Homemade chicken fried rice served on a white oval plate.

💭 Recipe FAQs

Store any leftover fried rice in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days (perfect for lunch meal preps!)

Reheat by stir-frying in a wok or pan with a splash of water or simply microwave until warm.

Yes! Just cook the rice with a little water so the rice comes out drier. That way it’s much easier to absorb the soy sauce and other liquid seasonings without turning your fried rice soggy or mushy! Once the rice is done cooking, spread it onto a baking sheet to cool completely before stir-frying.

Soy sauce is the base seasoning of fried rice. Additional seasonings can be added to enhance its flavor and color, like oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, MSG, and/or Shaoxing wine.

Yes, but a wok is best to create that signature “wok hei” smoky flavor. If you don’t have a wok, use the largest pan you have so the steam has plenty of space to escape. If your pan is overcrowded, it’ll create steam and too much moisture will make your fried rice soggy and mushy.

🍚 Craving More Fried Rice?

Meat & Seafood Lovers:

Stretch that steak into a cheap and filling one-pot meal with this easy Steak Fried Rice!
Transform leftover Char Siu Pork into the most flavorful Pork Fried Rice that’ll give your fave takeout a run for their money.
This Shrimp Fried Rice is when you’re bougie on a budget!

Spice Up Your Fried Rice Game:

This Kimchi Fried Rice is spicy, tangy, and what bacon-y fried rice dreams are made of!
Level up your leftovers with this Adobo Fried Rice made with juicy savory chicken and tender caramelized onions!
This Tuna Kimchi Fried Rice is packed with protein you can grab from your pantry!
Give your Egg Fried Rice a glow-up with this Easy Golden Fried Rice made of pantry staples!

Let’s get cooking!

Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!