Easy Fried Rice

If you’ve ever wondered how to make fried rice, this recipe is all you need to have on hand. It features all the fried rice staples, such as chicken, stir-fry-ready veggies and a sauce made with soy sauce, chicken broth, pepper and ginger that adds the best texture and taste to this rice dish. Crispy bacon and fried eggs add the final touch, resulting in a mouthwatering homemade fried rice dish that’ll satisfy your take-out cravings—especially when it’s served alongside other homemade Chinese take-out favorites!

Easy Fried Rice Ingredients

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• Eggs: You’ll scramble the eggs with salt and oil before stirring them into the wok at the end, resulting in a fantastic egg scramble that doesn’t clump together.
• Canola oil: A mild olive oil works fine here if you’d prefer, but canola oil is a lighter, tasteless oil that’s ideal for fried rice.
• Cooked rice: Day-old rice is the best choice here, as long as it’s medium or long grain white rice.
• Stir-fry vegetable blend: Look for a prepackaged frozen stir-fry-ready blend, or cut your own fresh veggies (favorites include red and yellow bell peppers, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, broccoli and baby corn).
• Green onions: Freshly chopped green onions add a nice crunch.
• Garlic: Aromatic minced garlic is added for extra flavor.
• Chicken: Leftover or precooked chicken is quickest.
• Soy sauce: This traditional umami sauce is necessary to create the flavors in fried rice.
• Chicken broth: Premade chicken broth is the easiest timesaver here.
• Ginger: Ground ginger is used to add a warm, lightly peppery sweetness to the sauce.
• Bacon: Cook the bacon and save the grease if you’d like, using it in place of the canola oil to cook the eggs.

Directions

Step 1: Scramble the eggs

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In a small bowl, combine the eggs and salt, whisking thoroughly to combine them. In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, scramble the eggs in 1 teaspoon of the oil, breaking the eggs into small pieces. Remove them from the skillet and set them aside.

Step 2: Stir-fry the rice and vegetables

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Add the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons canola oil to the skillet. Stir-fry the rice over medium-high heat for five minutes, then add the vegetables, onions and garlic. Continue to stir-fry, mixing well, for an additional five minutes. Add the chicken, and stir-fry until the meat is heated through, three to five minutes.

Step 3: Make the sauce

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In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, broth, pepper and ginger. Add the sauce to the rice mixture, stirring to coat.

Step 4: Add the bacon and eggs

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Finally, add the cooked and crumbled bacon and fold in the eggs, stirring gently but thoroughly to combine. Heat through completely, until your stir-fry is sizzling and ready to serve.

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Easy Fried Rice Variations

• Use shrimp instead: Easily turn this dish into shrimp fried rice by swapping the chicken for shrimp.
• Make it with pork: There are a variety of ways to make easy fried rice, and pork fried rice is one of the options.
• Get inspired: Korean inspired, that is, thanks to our delicious recipe for kimchi fried rice.

How to Store Easy Fried Rice

Store any leftover fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge (or, if you’re using take-out leftovers, just pop it back in the white boxes you brought the rice home in).

How long does easy fried rice last?

While we doubt they’ll last this long in your fridge (this recipe is too tasty!), you can keep any leftovers in the fridge for three to four days. Vegetarian fried rice can last longer, but do note that the longer you store leftovers, the more dried out they become. To avoid too-dry fried rice, rewarm it using a tablespoon or two of water per cup of rice.

Easy Fried Rice Tips

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Should I use freshly cooked rice or leftover rice?

Leftover rice really is the best option here. In fact, freshly cooked rice is moist and sticky, whereas leftover rice is drier and has the optimal texture for making this fried dish.

What type of rice should I use for this easy fried rice recipe?

While day-old rice is best, what type of rice matters too. If you have any leftover rice in those little white boxes from Chinese takeout, use them—this is the perfect dish to use that up. Typically, Chinese restaurants use jasmine rice or another medium or long grain rice. As it turns out, medium grain white rice is the best, because it has a mild flavor and it typically doesn’t clump together when you’re frying it up in the pan.

What else should I serve with fried rice?

Fried rice is a Chinese dish, so ideally, serve other Chinese food favorites alongside it. Some particularly notable recipes include honey walnut shrimp and homemade pork dumplings.