Easy Chicken Fried Rice

A quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice that tastes as authentic as takeout but is made with healthy oil, gluten-free soy sauce, and full of good-for-you vegetables!  This is the best Chinese-style fried rice recipe that your family is sure to love for an easy dinner tonight!

Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

Confession time… I make this chicken fried rice recipe AT LEAST every other week.

It is one of my #1 go-to healthy dinner recipes.

We always seem to have the necessary ingredients on hand… vegetables, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, eggs and rice.

(Check out these Sesame Noodles and this Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry for other recipes with these ingredients!)

Some weeks I do not have all of the veggies in this particular recipe, but that’s OK!– because you and I both have complete freedom to make this with whatever we have in our kitchen.  (Including a bag of frozen vegetables!)

How to Make

Making gluten-free fried rice is relatively easy and consists of a few steps:

1. Cook the white rice – It is best to use leftover instead of freshly cooked white rice.
   • Freshly cooked rice tends to clump together and does not crisp up as easily.
   • Also, white rice most resembles the authentic fried rice found in takeout recipes, but feel free to up the nutrition with a bit of brown rice, too!
2. Cube and cook the chicken – Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces to ensure it cooks up quickly.
3. Saute the vegetables – Bell peppers, carrots, onions, and peas are the vegetables in this fried rice recipe.
   • You can also opt to use a bag of frozen vegetables if that’s what you have.
4. Scramble the eggs – Use organic eggs if possible!
5. Add the sauce to the skillet or wok with the rice, stir-fry, and serve!

Ingredients

What exactly is in this chicken fried rice sauce that makes it taste like the best and most authentic kind would have in a Chinese restaurant?

I’m so glad you asked!

There are a few key components that you want to make sure do you not leave out:

• Soy sauce (gluten-free) or Tamari sauce – Both of these work equally and will impart the majority of the flavor found in this dish.
• Sesame oil (toasted) – Subtle but oh so very important.  Make sure you do not leave this out!
• Rice wine vinegar – Also, equally as subtle but just as important in the fried rice sauce.  This vinegar gives the dish a certain tang we all know and love.

What Type of Oil?

Both olive oil and avocado oil work well in this recipe.

Avocado oil has a higher smoke point than that of olive oil and will traditionally perform better when heated to high temperatures.

Wok or Skillet?

It is totally up to you and what you already have in your kitchen as to whether you use a wok or skillet for this chicken fried rice.

A few things to note:

• The eggs and rice tend to stick to certain skillets if you are not paying close attention and stirring continuously.
• You will want to use a relatively large wok or skillet, at least 12 inches, so you do not make a mess while stirring the fried rice.
• A ceramic wok would be my personal preference, with a large stainless steel skillet or wok and a large ceramic skillet being my second choices.
• Teflon coated skillets also work great, but are not quite as healthy for you.

Can I Make this Vegetarian or Vegan?

Yes!  You can absolutely make this fried rice recipe vegetarian or vegan, as well as gluten-free!

• To make this vegetarian: leave out the chicken.
• Make it vegan: Leave out the chicken and eggs and sub tofu.
• The recipe is already made gluten-free, but just make sure you grab gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari sauce!

Serve, Store and Reheat

When I worked as a dentist I would regularly meal prep this fried rice recipe for Cohl and I to eat for lunch during the week.  It reheats remarkably well and you can easily double up the recipe to make it last a few more days!

To store:  You can either divide this recipe into meal prep containers to grab-and-go throughout the week or refrigerate it in one big container to reheat for dinner.

Freezing: Place your leftover fried rice in a large plastic, airtight container or in a gallon-sized zip-top container.  Make sure you release as much air as you possibly can before placing in the freezer.

Reheating: This recipe reheats incredibly well in either a skillet (my personal preference!) or in the microwave.

How Long Will it Last?

Fried rice will last in the freezer for 3-4 months or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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4.25 from 16 votes

Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice

A quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe that tastes as authentic as takeout but is made with healthy oil, gluten-free soy sauce, and full of good-for-you vegetables!

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword chicken fried rice, chicken fried rice recipe, easy fried rice

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 5 servings

Calories 476 kcal

London Brazil

Ingredients

• ½ cup carrots finely diced
• 1 cup green bell pepper cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 cup sweet onion cut into ½-inch pieces
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil or avocado oil, divided
• 1 lb. chicken cut into ½-inch cubes
• 4 eggs whisked
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. salt to taste
• 4 cups cooked rice*
• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce gluten free, or Tamari
• 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil toasted
• ½ cup frozen peas
• Green onions optional
• See this recipe in Meal Plan #10

Instructions

1. In a large wok, or large skillet, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, bell peppers, onions and carrots. Saute for 3-5 minutes over medium heat.

2. Push vegetables to the side and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil into the skillet and place chicken in oil. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Mix with vegetables.

3. Whisk eggs together in a medium-sized bowl.  Either push all vegetables and chicken to one side, or remove and place on a separate plate. 

4. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in the spot you have cleared and add in eggs, salt and pepper. Scramble in that spot for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked. Once cooked, you can combine the eggs with the rest of the vegetable mixture.

5. Add in cooked rice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.  

6. If you like extra crispy fried rice, let rice sit over medium to medium-high heat for a full minute before mixing again. Rice likes to stick to the bottom of the pan so be sure to scrape all of the crispy goodness off of it! Repeat this process until to your desired crispiness.

7. Mix in frozen peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

8. Top fried rice with green onions to serve and enjoy!   See this recipe in Meal Plan #10.

Recipe Notes

• It is best to use leftover white rice instead of freshly cooked white rice.  Freshly cooked rice tends to clump together and does not crisp up as easily.
• Chicken fried rice will last in the freezer for 3-4 months or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 476 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 189mg63%

Sodium 1020mg44%

Potassium 628mg18%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 29g58%

Vitamin A 2575IU52%

Vitamin C 34mg41%

Calcium 60mg6%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Original chicken fried rice recipe image from 2016