How to Make Tasty Chicken Fried Rice at Home

A Dish That Feels Like Home

Chicken fried rice is that one dish everyone likes. It’s easy to cook, needs simple things from your kitchen, and gives you a full stomach and heart. You can eat it for lunch, dinner, or even pack it for the office or school. The best part? You can make it your style. Some add more veggies, some keep it plain. But once you taste the homemade one, you will not want to order from the hotel again.

This is not a hotel-style dish with too much sauce. This is just a basic home-style chicken fried rice that is full of taste, not too oily, and makes you smile after each bite.

What All You Need – Ingredients

Make sure rice is already cooked and cold. Hot or fresh rice will make the dish soggy and sticky. So always use leftover rice or cool it down before using.

Ingredients List:

• 2 cups cooked rice (cold or leftover)

• 1 cup small chicken pieces (boiled or fried)

• 2 eggs (optional but makes it soft and tasty)

• ½ cup chopped onion

• ½ cup chopped carrot

• ½ cup chopped capsicum

• 2 chopped green chilies (as per taste)

• 1 tablespoon garlic (finely chopped)

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon vinegar

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• Salt as per taste

• 2 tablespoons oil

• Spring onion for garnishing (if available)

Steps to Make It – Directions

1. First of all, keep everything ready before you start cooking. This dish cooks fast, so if you waste time chopping during cooking, the rice may burn or get soggy.
2. Now, take a big pan or kadai and heat oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and fry for a few seconds till a nice smell comes. Then add onion and green chilies and cook till the onion gets soft.
3. After that, add carrot and capsicum. You can also add beans or cabbage if you like. Cook all vegetables for 2–3 minutes. Don’t overcook, let them stay a little crunchy.
4. If using eggs, now break both eggs directly in the pan and mix well with the veggies. Keep stirring so it doesn’t stick. Cook till the egg becomes dry and is mixed fully.
5. Now add chicken pieces. If your chicken is raw, fry it before starting, and then add it. Here we are using already-cooked chicken, so we just mix it with veggies and eggs.
6. After the chicken mixes well, add cooked rice. Try to break the rice gently with a spoon if it is stuck together. Mix everything slowly so the rice does not break too much.
7. Now add soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, and salt. Keep mixing till rice is fully brown and looks shiny. Cook for 4–5 minutes on medium flame.
8. Once done, taste a spoonful. If needed, you can add a little more soy sauce or salt. Turn off the flame. Now, sprinkle spring onion on top if you have it. Your simple chicken fried rice is ready to serve.

Why Homemade is Better

Hotel or street fried rice may look fancy, but most of the time, they add too much oil or MSG powder which is not good for daily eating. When you make it at home, you know what goes in. You can reduce salt, use clean chicken, avoid too much oil, and add more veggies if you want.

Also, it is cheaper and faster to make at home. If you already have boiled rice and cooked chicken, the whole dish takes just 10–15 minutes. You can also use leftover rice and turn it into a yummy dinner or lunch.

Extra Tips for Better Taste

One small trick is to use cold rice. If you use hot rice, it becomes sticky, and you don’t get that fried taste. Also,o use a big open pan so you can stir properly.

Always keep the flame medium to high so rice gets a little crispy. Don’t keep it on low heat for long, or it becomes soft and mushy.

If you want spicy, you can add red chili sauce or crushed dry red chilies while frying. If cooking for kids, skip green chili and use only black pepper.

Use fresh garlic if possible. Garlic is the soul of fried rice, it brings that real taste. Try not to use garlic paste or dry powder.

You can also add a spoonful of butter at the end for more richness, especially if making for special guests or a family dinner.

What to Eat With It?

Chicken fried rice is mostly a full meal. But if you want to serve something extra, then you can make simple veg or chicken manchurian. Some people also eat it with ketchup or chili sauce.

You can also serve it with salad or curd if you want a desi touch. Or keep it simple and just enjoy it hot straight from the pan.