Chicken Fried Rice (Restaurant Style)
Restaurant-style chicken fried rice made with cold rice, chicken, eggs, vegetables, soy sauce and simple seasonings. Ready in 30 minutes with step-by-step photos and video.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 343kcal
Equipment
- Wok or Heavy-bottomed pan
Ingredients
To marinate chicken
- 150 g boneless and skinless chicken breast cut into small cubes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder Substitute: black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
For scrambled eggs
- 2 eggs
- Salt & pepper to taste
Make a sauce mix
- 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon tomato sauce (or ketchup) optional, check notes.
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled, or 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (Or use Maggi chicken or veg cubes)
For chicken fried rice
- 2 tablespoon oil, divided
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 capsicum chopped
- 3 cups of cooked, cold rice (preferably day-old rice)
- 2 tablespoon spring onion greens
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with salt, white pepper, vinegar, and dark soy sauce. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Keep aside.
- Prepare the fried rice sauce by mixing dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, white pepper, chicken bouillon cube/powder, and optional tomato sauce.
- Scramble the eggs in 2 teaspoons of hot oil until light and fluffy. Remove and set aside.
- Add 2 teaspoons of oil, cook the marinated chicken until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, stir-fry garlic, ginger, onion, carrot, and capsicum until slightly tender but still crisp.
- Add cold cooked rice and stir-fry for a minute. Gently toss to avoid breaking the rice.
- Add the fried rice sauce and toss well to coat the rice.
- Add the cooked chicken and scrambled eggs. Toss everything together.
- Finish with spring onion greens and give it one final toss.
Notes
- Use day-old rice: Cold, day-old rice is firmer and less sticky, so the grains are more likely to stay separate while stir-frying. Freshly cooked rice can easily turn soft and mushy.
- Using Fresh Rice? If using fresh rice, cook it slightly firm, spread it on a large tray to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Tomato sauce: I use Maggi hot & sweet tomato chilli sauce for a slight sweet and spicy tomato flavour. It is optional. If using regular tomato ketchup instead, add a little red chilli sauce to bring back the heat.
- Prep everything first: Keep the chopped vegetables, eggs, cooked rice, sauces, and seasonings ready before you start. Fried rice cooks quickly on high heat, so there's little time to stop and look for ingredients.
- Use a hot wok & high heat: A hot wok helps cook the ingredients quickly and gives fried rice that restaurant-style texture.
- Stir-fry quickly: Keep tossing and stirring the ingredients over high heat. This helps cook everything evenly while keeping the rice grains separate.
- Use soy sauce sparingly: Soy sauce adds a savory flavor, but too much can make the fried rice dark and overpower the other flavors. Use just enough for a balanced taste.
- MSG (Optional): Add ½ teaspoon MSG if you like. I skipped it when testing this recipe, and the fried rice still tasted great.
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 552mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg