This easy chicken fried rice recipe is a quick, family friendly dinner that comes together with minimal fuss making it perfect for busy weeknights. Made with simple, budget friendly ingredients, this chicken fried rice is one of my go-to meals when I need something fast that still tastes amazing. It also reheats beautifully, making it a great choice for meal prep or lunch the next day.
This chicken fried rice has been in my weekly dinner rotation for years (well before I started Eight Forest Lane!). I grew up eating homemade fried rice because it was a low cost, family friendly meal my parents could make from whatever we had on hand. Later, during my university days, I perfected my own version as a way to stretch my budget until payday.
These days, it is the recipe I turn to when the fridge is looking a little empty and I need a reliable dairy free dinner idea. There is always chicken in the freezer, rice in the pantry, and a bag of frozen vegetables ready to go. It is one of those simple and comforting meals that always hits the spot.
You can serve this easy chicken fried rice as a main meal which is what I normally do, or it can be a side dish if you like. It is also a fantastic option to bring to a potluck or family gathering since it feeds a crowd and can be made ahead of time.
Why You Will Love This Chicken Fried Rice
- Quick and easy – Dinner is done in under 30 minutes.
- Budget friendly – Uses affordable ingredients you probably already have.
- Perfect for meal prep – Leftovers store and reheat perfectly.
- Versatile – Swap the vegetables or protein to suit what you have.
Key Ingredients
You’ll only need a few ingredients to make this easy chicken fried rice for dinner, most of which shouldn’t require a special trip to the grocery store.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- White rice – Long grain white rice works best. For the best texture, use cold, day-old rice that has been stored in the fridge.
- Chicken – I always use thigh for this recipe as it’s so tender and has a lot more flavour.
- Garlic – To flavour the chicken and give our dish a strong flavour base.
- Soy sauce – This is going to flavour our rice.
- Mirin – while this is optional, this is a pantry staple for me as I use it all the time whenever I make teriyaki sauce. It really just elevates the flavour of the chicken taking it more to what you would expect from takeaway.
- Sesame oil – again optional but just a little bit adds so much extra flavour to the rice and really makes it delicious.
- Eggs – To make our omelette. I recommend cooking the egg separately first as written in this recipe, that way you get nice pieces of egg in each bite.
- Bacon – I like to use good quality bacon for maximum flavour and crispness to add texture to the rice. You can also substitute ham here as well which I usually do around Christmas time when dealing with all the leftovers.
- Vegetables – I use a combination of frozen carrots, corn and peas which you can buy in the freezer section of the supermarket saving prep time. But this recipe is pretty forgiving so use whatever vegetables you have.
⏱️Time Saving Tip! Grab a pack of microwave rice from the supermarket and use it straight from the packet (do not heat it first). It is dry enough to give you that perfect fried texture.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this recipe you’ll need to start with cooked and cooled rice. You can do this the day before and pop it in a container in the fridge until your ready to use. You can also do it the day of and just spread it out on a baking tray in the fridge to cool quicker.
👉Tip! The key to make this recipe really simple is to prep and organise all of the ingredients before you start cooking.
Step 1: Add the chicken to a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, crushed garlic, and mirin. Mix together and set aside while you do the next couple of steps. This is going to make sure we have really tender, flavourful chicken in this rice.
Step 2: Start by making your omelette. Whisk together the eggs with a little bit of water and add to a hot frying pan or wok with a little bit of canola oil. Spread the egg out so it evenly covers the base of the pan and reduce the heat. Let the omelette cook until the top has set and then gently flip over. It doesn’t matter if you break the omelette as we’re going to cut it up anyway. Transfer to a board, slice into strips, and set aside.
Step 3: In the pan you just cooked the omelette, add the diced bacon. Cook until crispy and then remove the bacon from the pan onto a plate lined with paper towel to drain the excess fat.
Step 4: Turn the heat to high and add the chicken that’s been marinating and cook through. Add in your frozen vegetables and cook for another minute or two until they are soft.
Step 5: Add the sliced omelette, cooked bacon and cooked rice to the wok with the remaining soy sauce and start to mix through. You want to toss the rice, bringing the bottom to the top to ensure that all rice is evenly mixed through and you don’t get any burned bits on the bottom.
The rice will be done when it’s starting to look brown from the soy sauce and the pan (you don’t want any white grains left).
Step 6: Top the fried rice with sliced spring onions and serve immediately!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I love this recipe to make and then reheat later. It’s one of those recipes that doesn’t change the flavour or texture at all by doing so. If I’m serving it on the same day, I’ll keep it in the wok and then just put it back on the stove and give it another mix up to heat through.
You could simply leave out the chicken and bacon for a vegetarian option and increase the amount of vegetables, however to make vegan you’ll also need to omit the egg which will leave this recipe a bit plain. Instead, I’d suggest making my turmeric fried rice.
Yes! This chicken fried rice stores really well in both the fridge and the freezer making it a great option for meal prep. In an airtight container it will last up to 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Just make sure to reheat only once and do so until steaming due to the chicken and the rice.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More takeaway style dinner ideas:
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Honey Soy Chicken
15 Minute Garlic Prawn Noodles
Cashew Chicken and Broccoli
Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 500 grams chicken thigh diced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin optional
For the fried rice:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil for cooking
- 2 eggs
- 200 grams bacon diced
- 2 cups frozen vegetables diced peas carrot corn
- 3 cups cooked white rice cold
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 spring onions sliced
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken, soy sauce, garlic, and mirin. Set aside for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of canola oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok over high heat. Whisk eggs with 2 tablespoons water, pour into the hot pan, and swirl to coat. Reduce heat slightly and cook until just set on top. Either carefully flip or fold in half. Transfer to a board, slice into strips, and set aside.
- Add bacon to the same pan and cook until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Pour off most of the fat, leaving about 1 teaspoon in the pan for flavour.
- Add the chicken to the wok increasing the heat to high, and stir fry chicken until cooked through. Add the frozen mixed vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- =Add the rice, cooked bacon, and omelette strips to the pan. Pour over remaining soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes until the rice is hot and changes colour. Serve immediately topped with sliced spring onions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This recipe was originally published in 2021 but has been updated in 2025 with new photos and more helpful information.
sherry says
looks delicious. I have been watching a youtuber channel called Uncle Roger lately. He is a comedian who pretends to be an old Chinese man. he talks about fried rice all the time. so funny! so it was funny to see your recipe…