Description
Chicken fried rice is the dish that turns leftover rice and a few basic ingredients into something people genuinely crave. The secret is day-old rice, a screaming-hot wok, and not touching it long enough to let the grains crisp and char slightly. Every Chinese takeout joint does this in ninety seconds — you can do it at home in about fifteen minutes if you stop stirring so much.
Ingredients
Units
- 3 cups cooked jasmine rice, day-old and cold
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Break up the cold rice with your hands so there are no clumps. This is the most important prep step.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until smoking. Season the chicken with salt and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to the wok. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble quickly, breaking them into small curds. Remove and set aside with the chicken.
- Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the wok over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and green onion whites. Stir-fry 20 seconds.
- Add the cold rice and spread it in an even layer. Let it sit without stirring for 60 seconds to crisp on the bottom. Toss and repeat two or three times.
- Add the peas and carrots and toss for 1 minute. Return the chicken and eggs to the wok.
- Drizzle the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil around the edges of the wok. Toss everything together. Season with white pepper.
- Garnish with green onion greens and serve immediately.
Notes
- Day-old refrigerated rice is non-negotiable — freshly cooked rice is too wet and will steam into mush instead of frying crisp.
- The wok must be smoking hot before the rice goes in. If your pan is not hot enough, you are making steamed rice with soy sauce, not fried rice.
- Soy sauce goes around the edges of the wok, not directly on the rice. It hits the hot metal first and caramelizes, which deepens the flavor dramatically.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 820
- Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 48
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 26
- Cholesterol: 165