Chicken Fried Rice – Restaurant Quality! (VIDEO)
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Make restaurant quality Chicken Fried Rice while keeping it quick, easy, and super customizable to your preferences!
Watch the Chicken Fried Rice Recipe Video Below!
A Note from CJ
Chinese takeout at home!
You won’t need to order Chicken Fried Rice once you make my recipe at home! Pair it with your favorites like Chow Mein, Orange Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Egg Rolls, Beef and Broccoli, Sesame Chicken or Black Pepper Chicken!
If you love fried rice, try Shrimp Fried Rice, Egg Fried Rice, Mushroom Fried Rice , Thai Fried Rice, Din Tai Fung Fried Rice, Spam Fried Rice, or Kimchi Fried Rice!
Hands down better than the restaurants!
Ingredient Tips
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- chicken – I use thinly sliced chicken breast in this recipe but you can also use chicken thigh.
- Shaoxing wine – If you don’t have it, you can substitute with mirin, sherry, or even chicken broth.
- rice – I recommend long grain white rice for this recipe due to the lower moisture content. Do not use freshly steamed rice! Too much moisture in the rice will make your fried rice soggy and mushy.
- carrots, peas – Most restaurants use carrots and peas; you can use whatever you have on hand or prefer.
- MSG – I like to use MSG in moderation as an optional flavor enhancer.
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice
Marinate Chicken – Slice the chicken breast into thin 1/2″ pieces and place in a bowl. Add the soy sauce, shaoxing wine, white pepper, sesame oil, salt and cornstarch mix until combined. Marinate for 15 minutes.
Prepare Ingredients – Chop the onion, carrots, scallions, and garlic. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside with the chopped vegetables and peas. Prepare soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, salt, and msg next to your pan for easy access.
Cook Chicken – Over high heat in a large wok or pan, add 2 tbsp of oil until just smoking and cook the chicken breast for 2-3 minutes until just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Cook Vegetables and Eggs – Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil, then add the garlic, onion, and scallion whites and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the carrots and peas and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes until the carrot is tender. Push the vegetables to the side, then add 1/2 tbsp of oil to the bare side of the pan and fry the eggs until 80% cooked through. Fold the eggs into the vegetables.
Add Rice, Season, and Add Back Chicken – Immediately add your day-old rice and mix to combine with the eggs and vegetables for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are dry. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar, msg, and salt to taste. Fry over high heat for 3-4 minutes or until everything is well incorporated and the rice is relatively dry. Add back the chicken and scallion greens and cook for another minute. Serve and enjoy!
EXPERT TIPS
CJ’s Recipe & Storage Tips
- The best part about this dish is that you can use any vegetables you like! The key tip is to chop them up in similar sizes to ensure they cook evenly. Other vegetables I’ve used include corn, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage
- Avoid crowding your wok/pan – crowding can lead to your Chicken Fried Rice not cooking thoroughly and becoming mushy. If you think your dish will be crowded, use a larger wok/pan OR cook in batches.
- You can store this in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I like to quickly reheat it in the microwave or on the stove in a nonstick pan.
If you tried this Chicken Fried Rice or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Chicken Fried Rice (VIDEO)
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into 1/2" thick, 1 inch long slices
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Vegetables, Seasoning, Oil & Rice
- 1 onion, small, chopped
- 2 carrots, medium, chopped
- 4 scallions, chopped, with greens & white separated
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup peas
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp msg, optional
- 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided (avocado, canola, or vegetable is best)
- 3 cups cooked white rice, dried out in the fridge for at least overnight
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast into thin 1/2" pieces and place in a bowl. Add the soy sauce, shaoxing wine, white pepper, sesame oil, salt and cornstarch mix until combined. Marinate for 15 minutes.
- Chop the onion, carrots, scallions, and garlic. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside with the chopped vegetables and peas. Prepare soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, salt, and msg next to your pan for easy access.
- Over high heat in a large wok or pan, add 2 tbsp of oil until just smoking and cook the chicken breast for 2-3 minutes until just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil, then add the garlic, onion, and scallion whites and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the carrots and peas and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes until the carrot is tender.
- Push the vegetables to the side, then add 1/2 tbsp of oil to the bare side of the pan and fry the eggs until 80% cooked through. Fold the eggs into the vegetables.
- Immediately add your day-old rice and mix to combine with the eggs and vegetables for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are dry. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar, msg, and salt to taste. Fry over high heat for 3-4 minutes or until everything is well incorporated and the rice is relatively dry.
- Add back the chicken and scallion greens and cook for another minute. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The best part about this dish is that you can use any vegetables you like! The key tip is to chop them up in similar sizes to ensure they cook evenly. Other vegetables I’ve used include corn, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage
- If you cannot use a wok, you can use a large pan, cast iron, or even a Dutch oven.
- Avoid crowding your pan – crowding can lead to your Chicken Fried Rice not cooking thoroughly and becoming mushy. If you think your dish will be crowded, use a larger pan, cast iron, or Dutch oven, OR cook in batches.
- You can store this in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I like to quickly reheat it in the microwave or on the stove in a nonstick pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Chicken Fried Rice recipe was originally published in November 2023, and updated in February 2026.
The chicken marinade made this recipe all the better! Thanks for giving substitutions for some of the items – I subbed in chicken thighs and mirin for the shaoxing wine. I’ve tried other stir fry recipes on the net before, and I am familiar with you from your Insta page, so when I was looking up a stir fry recipe tonight and your site came up, I knew this was gonna be good! It did not disappoint, so it’s going into my “tried and true” recipe folder. Thanks CJ!
Hands down better than the restaurants!
excellent recipe! very tasty and reminds me perfectly of fried rice from my childhood…thank you cj.eats!
~sheb4r
Thank you so much for sharing your Chinese Fried Rice! All the ingredients were available at my grocery store and the recipe was easy to follow. Because of you, my family and I enjoy cooking and eating this meal at home! And we are able to enjoy eating it more often too!
I am so thankful for this recipe! I had no idea how easy it was to make fried rice and this turned out SO GOOD! I think I’ve made it 5 or 6 times now!
Email: vanessita.castaneda@gmail.com
IG: @ball.of.contradictions
My family loves when i make this for dinner! Even my picky eater loves it!
IG @ilianaballester
Crazy how much of a difference adding in the Shaoxing wine makes! Amazing recipe
Seriously, the best chicken fried rice of your LIFE! Thank you, CJ for your expert tips – they (and your method) made all the difference. For the most authentic flavour one doesn’t have to look any further than CJeatsrecipes. Sensational!
That is the HUGEST compliment, thank you so much Di!
Level up your fried rice recipe!!