Schezwan chicken fried rice is a spicy Indo-Chinese dish made with rice tossed with stir-fried chicken, veggies, and flavorful Schezwan sauce, soy sauce, and pepper. One-pan recipe, ready in 30 minutes for a quick and easy meal.
Here’s an easy, step-by-step recipe with a quick video tutorial that shows you how to make this restaurant-style spicy chicken fried rice at home. Love Indo-Chinese recipes? Check out this Dragon Chicken, Chicken Shashlik, and Egg Hakka Noodles.
Featured Comment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I tried this chicken Schezwan fried rice, and it was absolutely delicious. The spices are just right. Made it with your homemade Schezwan sauce. Thanks for sharing. I highly recommend everyone to give this a try.”- Rax
🔍 Quick Look: Schezwan Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 25 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~316 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Marinate chicken → scramble eggs → cook chicken → sauté garlic & ginger → add veggies → stir-fry rice → mix in Schezwan sauce → toss & serve.
- 🌶️ Spice Level: Medium to hot (depends on the amount of Schezwan sauce)
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Spicy, garlicky, and tangy with a smoky kick.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy-Medium, great for a quick weeknight dinner
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Disclaimer: AI summaries may contain errors. Please check the original Schezwan Chicken Fried Rice recipe for accurate steps.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy & versatile: make it with chicken, shrimp, paneer, tofu, or eggs.
- Pantry-friendly: needs just rice, Schezwan sauce, soy sauce, and vinegar.
- No wok needed: a large skillet, frying pan, or kadhai works just as well.
- Quick & satisfying: Ready in 30 minutes with leftover rice, perfect for busy nights.
- Homemade flavor: even the Schezwan sauce can be made at home. Adjust the spice by adding more or less Schezwan sauce. Recipe in notes.
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Scehzwan Fried Rice Ingredients
👉 See the recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients, quantities, and a printable version.
- Rice: I used long-grain basmati rice to make this spicy fried rice recipe. Long-grain basmati or jasmine rice gives a fluffy texture. Use leftover rice for the best texture. Avoid sticky or any rice that tends to become mushy after cooking, not ideal for stir fry.
- Protein: Boneless, skinless chicken breast and eggs work best, but thighs, tenders, or shrimp are great alternatives for stir-fries.
- Schezwan Sauce: The star ingredient that adds heat, red color, and flavor to fried rice. Use either store-bought or homemade. I used homemade schezwan sauce.
- Soy Sauce: A mix of dark and light soy adds depth, but regular soy sauce works too.
How To Make Schezwan Chicken Fried Rice
How to Cook Rice for Fried Rice
Leftover or day-old rice works best, but if you don’t have any, you can cook fresh rice. Skip this step if you already have rice ready.
Step 1: Cook the Rice: Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear. Soak it for 30 minutes, then drain. Boil 4-5 cups of water, add 1 teaspoon of salt, add the rice, and cook until al dente (image 1). Drain, spread on a big plate or a wide tray to cool for 15 minutes (image 2), then refrigerate for 2 hours. Cold rice is best for stir-fries.
Prep Ingredients for Stir-Fry
Step 2: Chop the vegetables and aromatics: Chop them fine in uniform sizes for quick and even cooking.
Step 3: Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, salt, pepper, and vinegar, and let it sit to absorb the flavors (image 3).
Step 4: Whisk the eggs: In a separate bowl, whisk 2 eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper (image 4).
Stir-Frying Rice with Chicken and Vegetables
Step 7: Scramble the Eggs: Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan or wok over medium-low heat. Pour in the egg mixture and scramble it until cooked (image 5). Don’t overcook it. Set the scrambled eggs aside.
Step 8: Cook the Chicken: Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan or wok over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken, stir-fry, and cook it until it's browned and cooked through (image 6). Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
Step 9: Sauté the Aromatics: Add another 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Once hot, add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Then, add the onions and stir-fry them until they turn light golden brown (image 7).
Step 10: Add the Veggies: Add vegetables to the pan and stir fry them until they are slightly soft but still have a bit of a crunch (image 8).
Step 11: Fry the Rice: Now for the fun part. Add the cooled rice to the pan, stir to combine with the vegetables. Stir gently to combine everything without breaking the rice. Stir-fry the rice for about 2 minutes (image 9).
Step 12: Add the Schezwan sauce & combine: Pour in the Schezwan sauce, soy sauce, and pepper (image 10). Stir-fry everything together and cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 13: Toss everything together: Finally, add the cooked chicken and scrambled eggs back to the pan (image 11). Toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt, pepper, or Schezwan sauce, if desired. Garnish with spring onion greens (image 12) and serve it hot, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Prepare in advance: Have everything ready before you start: chopped veggies, cold rice, sauces, spices, cubed chicken, and beaten eggs. Stir-frying is quick, and you don’t want to search for ingredients around while your food burns.
- High heat: Cooking on high heat is the secret to that restaurant-style flavor. It keeps the rice fluffy, gives the veggies and chicken a perfect sear, and adds a smoky touch, just like we did in this street-style egg fried rice recipe.
- Cold rice: For perfect fried rice, use rice that isn’t mushy or sticky. Leftover chilled rice works best, but you can also use freshly cooked rice, just cook it al dente and chill for at least 2 hours so the grains stay separate while stir-frying.
Recipe FAQs
This spicy Schezwan fried rice pairs best with saucy dishes like chicken Manchurian gravy, crispy and saucy gobi manchurian, chicken 65 gravy, or Chilli chicken gravy.
You can also serve it with crispy starters such as homemade chicken popcorn, crispy chicken pakora, or chicken fritters.
To balance the spice, add a light side like fresh cucumber salad, Greek yogurt coleslaw, macaroni salad, or chicken mayo salad.
Ingredients: 20 red chilies, ¼ cup oil, 2 tablespoon chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped ginger, 7 Sichuan peppercorns (crushed), 1 small onion, salt to taste, ½ teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoon ketchup, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
Method: To make Schezwan sauce, soak deseeded, dried red chilies in hot water for 30 minutes, then grind them with a little water into a fine paste. Heat ¼ cup of oil in a pan, sauté garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then add onions and cook until light golden. Mix in the chili paste and cook, adding a splash of water if it sticks. Cover and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil separates. Add salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup, and cook until the sauce thickens, leaving the sides of the pan. Let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Here's the recipe video for homemade Szechuan sauce.
Yes, Schezwan fried rice is spicy, flavored with Schezwan sauce made from red chilies and garlic. You can reduce the amount of sauce for less heat or increase it for more, while soy sauce and vinegar balance the flavor. Try my restaurant-style chicken fried rice for a mild flavor.
Yes, you can make it without chicken. Skip the chicken and replace it with paneer, tofu, or extra vegetables. You can also skip the eggs if you prefer, but I highly recommend adding paneer or tofu along with vegetables for the best flavor and texture.
Recipe Card
Schezwan Chicken Fried Rice
Equipment
- 1 A wide pan/wok/skillet
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Basmati rice or Jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
Marinate the chicken
- 300 grams boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce light or regular
- 1 teaspoon white or black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
For scrambled eggs
- 2 eggs
- a pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon white or black pepper
To make chicken schezwan fried rice
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- ½ cup finely chopped onions
- ¼ cup finely chopped carrots
- ¼ cup finely chopped bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped cabbage
- ¼ cup finely chopped beans
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon schezwan sauce Homemade sauce recipe included in the recipe card notes at the end.
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce (I used combination of 1 teaspoon dark and 1 teaspoon light soy sauce)
- ½ teaspoon white or black pepper
Instructions
Preparations
- Cook rice: Leftover or day-old rice works best, but if you don’t have any, you can cook fresh rice. To cook rice - Rinse and soak rice 30 minutes. Boil with4-5 cups of water with 1 teaspoon salt. Once the water boils, add the rice. Cook the rice until al dente.
- Cool rice: Drain the water and immediately spread the rice on a wide plate or tray to cool down to room temperature for 15 minutes. Then, for best results, refrigerate the rice for 2 hours. Bonus Tip: It is an important step as the cold, dry rice fries better.
- Prep Ingredients: Chop the vegetables and aromatics: Chop them fine in uniform sizes for quick and even cooking.
- Marinate the chicken: In a bowl, mix the chicken with soy sauce, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Let the chicken sit in this marinade for a while (marinating) to absorb the flavors.
- Whisk the eggs: In another bowl, whisk together 2 eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Making Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
- Scramble the eggs: Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan or wok over medium-low heat. Pour in the egg mixture and scramble it until cooked. Don’t overcook it. Set the scrambled eggs aside.
- Cook the chicken: Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan or wok over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken, stir and cook it until it's browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add another 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Once hot, add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Then, add the onions and stir-fry them until they turn light golden brown.
- Add the veggies: Add vegetables to the pan and cook them until they are slightly soft but still have a bit of a crunch.
- Fry the rice: Add the cooled rice to the pan. Stir gently to combine everything without breaking the rice. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the sauce & combine: Pour in the Schezwan sauce, soy sauce, and pepper. Stir-fry everything together and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the cooked chicken and scrambled eggs back to the pan.
- Toss everything together until well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt, pepper, or Schezwan sauce, if desired. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve it hot and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Prep in advance: Chop veggies, cube chicken, cook rice, beat eggs, and keep sauces/spices ready. Stir-frying is quick, so have everything on hand.
- High heat: It gives fried rice that restaurant-style flavor, keeps rice from turning mushy, and adds a smoky sear to veggies and chicken.
- Use cold rice: Leftover rice works best, but if using freshly cooked rice, cook it al dente and chill for at least 2 hours so that the grains stay separate while frying.
- Homemade Schezwan sauce: Find the full recipe in our Recipe FAQs or watch the video for homemade Szechwan sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Rax
I tried this Schezwan chicken fried rice and it was absolutely delicious. The spices are just right. Made it with your homemade Schezwan sauce. thanks for sharing. I highly recommend everyone to give this a try.
Preeti
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Schezwan chicken fried rice and that the homemade sauce worked out so well for you. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback and for the recommendation. It means a lot!