Crispy Chicken Fried Rice (Print Version)

A satisfying fusion featuring savory minced chicken, crispy cabbage and carrots, and fragrant rice tossed with Asian seasonings for a complete one-pan meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1.1 lbs ground chicken
02 - 2 large eggs

→ Vegetables

03 - 3 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
04 - 1 cup carrots, julienned
05 - 1 cup bean sprouts, optional
06 - 4 green onions, sliced
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

→ Rice

09 - 3 cups cooked jasmine rice, cold and preferably day-old

→ Sauces and Seasonings

10 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
11 - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
12 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
13 - 0.5 teaspoon white pepper
14 - 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes, optional
15 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

→ Cooking Oils

16 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

→ Garnish

17 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
18 - Extra sliced green onions

# How to Make It:

01 - Slice vegetables, mince garlic and ginger, and ensure rice is cold and ready for cooking.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, breaking it up with a spatula, and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove chicken and set aside.
03 - Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan. Sauté garlic, ginger, and white parts of green onions for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add cabbage and carrots. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until tender but still crisp. Add bean sprouts if using and cook for 1 minute more.
05 - Push vegetables to the side of the pan. Crack eggs into the empty space, scramble until just set, then mix into the vegetables.
06 - Add cold rice and return cooked chicken to the pan. Stir everything together, breaking up any clumps of rice.
07 - Pour in soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, white pepper, and chili flakes. Toss everything well to combine and heat through, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
08 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Remove from heat. Garnish with sesame seeds and extra green onions before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's genuinely quick: Twenty minutes from chopping to serving means you can make this on a busy weeknight without sacrificing flavor.
  • One pan does all the work: Less cleanup than you'd expect for something this satisfying and restaurant-quality tasting.
  • The textures keep surprising you: Crispy cabbage, tender chicken, fluffy rice, and those little pops of sesame seed all happening in one forkful.
02 -
  • Day-old rice is absolutely essential: Fresh, warm rice will turn into a mushy, sticky mess no matter how careful you are; the cold rice grains separate and fry up crispy, and that's what makes this taste like restaurant fried rice instead of rice porridge.
  • High heat is your friend, but only after everything is prepped: Once you start cooking, the action moves fast, so having all your vegetables chopped and your rice ready means you can work with confident high heat without scrambling to keep up.
03 -
  • Use a wok if you have one, but a large skillet works just as well: The important thing is having enough surface area that your ingredients can spread out and make contact with the hot pan; a crowded pot creates steam instead of sear.
  • Don't skip the sesame oil at the end: That tiny amount of toasted sesame oil in the final toss is what transforms this from good fried rice into something that tastes like it came from a restaurant, so measure it properly and don't cut corners.
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