Chicken Fried Rice {Easy Fakeaway}

Name: Chicken Fried Rice {Easy Fakeaway}
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 300 g Rice; 1 tsp Olive oil; 1 Onion (Finely chopped); 350 g Chicken breasts (2 large fillets) (Cut into small 2cm pieces); 3 Carrots (300g) (Chopped); 2 Cloves of garlic (Crushed); 1 tbsp Ginger; 1 tbsp Chinese five spice; 200 g Frozen peas; 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp Oyster sauce; 4 Eggs; Spring onions (scallion) (Sliced); Red chilli (Finely chopped)

This Chicken Fried Rice recipe is surely the PERFECT weekend fakeaway? Not only is it totally delicious and satisfying, it’s also relatively cheap to make AND healthy!

And when it comes to weekend cooking, what can be better than a recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to cook? No need to order a takeaway… just one pan, loads of flavour and a few hungry mouths to feed. Dinner, done. ✅

Colourful bowl on table filled with Egg Fried Rice with Chicken dish

The takeaway vibes from this homemade Chicken Fried Rice recipe are unreal, but it’s actually a pretty light dish, with a couple of portions of vegetables, and is obviously much cheaper (and probably quicker).

At the time of writing, it comes in at just £1.01 per portion, and aside from the rice cooking, you’re looking at about 15 minutes of effort – I think I can just about manage that, even if it’s midweek!

And did I mention, this is all made in a single pan or wok? Making it an ideal, easy one pan meal too.

Why you’ll love this Chicken Fried Rice recipe

⭐️ Better than takeout fried rice

⭐️ Budget-friendly and healthy

⭐️ So easy to throw together

vegetables, chicken and rice mixed together to make a egg chicken fried rice meal.

How we came up with this recipe

Chinese Chicken Fried Rice originates all the way back to the 589-618 AD Sui dynasty, but this style of cooking is now a staple recipe in many other countries around the world, from Asia to the Americas, Europe to Africa.

The combination of meat (or seafood), rice, veggies and egg, have evolved into many different styles of dishes, but for this recipe we’re going for the unmistakable Chinese-style flavours, because if it’s the UK’s favourite takeaway (according to YouGov research), why the heck not?!

This is my interpretation from egg fried rice with chicken recipes I have eaten and loved, bearing in mind convenience, flavour, cost and availability of ingredients.

If it’s Chinese-style fakeaway recipes all made in one pan or the slow cooker you’re after for ultimate hands-off effort, try my Beef and Broccoli, Sweet and Sour Chicken or Beef Stir Fry too.

Notes on Ingredients for Chicken Fried Rice

Onion, carrots, garlic and ginger – You can use fresh or frozen, pre-chopped for this
Chicken breasts – I use chicken breast for this as it has a good consistency, but thigh would be fine too. You may just have to slightly adjust your cooking times (cook them a little slower and longer) and be aware that the meat will feel softer. You could always use leftover roast chicken for this too

How to make Chicken Fried Rice

Put your rice on to cook and prepare and chop all of the ingredients while it’s cooking.
Heat the oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed frying pan, then add your onions, chicken, carrots, garlic, ginger and five spice over a high heat for 5 minutes.
Pour in the cooked, drained rice and peas, soy sauce and oyster sauce and fry for another 5 minutes.
Make room in the pan and add your whisked eggs, stirring until cooked through. Give everything a cook stir, mixing the egg through, then sprinkle with spring onion and chillies.

Substitutions

Microwaveable rice – If you want to make this even easier, you can take the cheat’s option by making this recipe with ready-made packet rice if you prefer. It might not have that ultra fresh taste and it won’t be as economical, but it will be delicious and super easy
Beef – You can make this in a similar way using beef mince too. See how in my Beef Fried Rice recipe

Storing and reheating leftover Chicken Fried Rice

In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Just be sure to follow cooked rice food safety guidelines (i.e. do not leave it hanging about at room temperature, cool it very quickly and then reheat fully until piping hot before serving).

In the freezer You can freeze this, however sometimes rice dishes are not at their best afterwards. Just wait until it’s totally cold and then put it into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the microwave or or the hob. It may need a little extra water.

Top tip

If you don’t have a pan or wok big enough to do it all together

If your pan isn’t very big, I would suggest pan frying the eggs BEFORE cooking everything else, because doing them while your rice is also in the pan relies on having space to do so.

So, while your rice is simmering but before you start cooking your chicken and veggies, do the eggs then instead.

Heat the oil, pour in the whisked eggs and let them fry, stirring them a bit, until they are solid. Remove from the pan and then add them back into your fried rice at the same stage as you would have cooked them in the pan.

FAQs

Is Chicken Fried Rice healthy?

To say this tastes so flipping good, rest assured that this is a lighter recipe than a takeaway would usually be. It also includes plenty of fresh veggies and protein. One portion is roughly a little over 500 calories.

What chicken is best for Fried Rice?

I use chicken breast for this as it has a good consistency, but thigh would be fine too. You may just have to slightly adjust your cooking times (cook them a little slower and longer) and be aware that the meat will feel softer.

What to serve with Chicken Fried Rice?

This fakeaway fried rice is a full meal in itself, so you could have a bowl on its own or with some sides like prawn crackers or Chinese curry sauce.

If you want to stretch it further though, you could serve alongside a salad, or double-carb with Homemade Chips.

You could also dish it up as part of a banquet-style dinner with Slow Cooker Chicken Satay or Sticky Beef Mince Stir Fry.

Can you recommend a good pan to make this in?

I would recommend a large wok or one-pan pan. Read my review of the best family-friendly large pans for one pot meals.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).

(Just a note to say, the video for this recipe was sponsored by a brand but for the sake of clarity, this post is not! Thanks as always for your support.)