Put your leftover roast chicken to good use and make this delicious Leftover Chicken Fried Rice! This classic Chinese style recipe is very easy, delicious and takes just 20 minutes to make.
Don’t you just love a roast chicken dinner on a Sunday? I most certainly do!
I have to admit that I look forward to the leftover chicken almost as much as the roast dinner!
There are so many different ways you use up leftover chicken – sometimes I’ll throw some in this crustless quiche, or I’ll make a creamy chicken and broccoli pie which I could quite happily eat every day!
But the most requested, most popular recipe that uses up the remains of a roast chicken in my house is my husband’s favourite chicken fried rice.
My husband used to be the chief fried rice cook in my kitchen – but I decided to have a go at making it one day.
And guess what he said? “That’s much better than mine – you’re going to have to make it all the time now.”
Damn it!!
So don’t leave those chicken leftovers sitting unused in the fridge – make this simple but delicious fried rice for a quick, economical mid week meal!
my tips for making the best chicken fried rice
A simple tip, but make sure your pan is nice and hot before you add your ingredients.
Frying the chicken at the start rather than adding it near the end and heating through gives amazing flavour to the fried rice. The chicken turns beautifully golden, crispy and I’ve burned my mouth several times because I can’t resist sneaking some straight out of the pan! Adding a few shakes of soy sauce to the chicken will give it that Chinese takeaway style flavour.
how to make leftover chicken fried rice
(ingredient amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
- The first step to making chicken fried rice is, of course cold cooked rice! You’ll need about 400g rice for 4 people.
- I usually make the rice a few hours before I need it – after cooking, drain the rice and try to get it as dry as possible Then spread the rice out evenly on a baking dish or tray to cool. As soon as the rice is cold, place in the fridge.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable or sunflower oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, add the shredded chicken pieces and fry until the chicken is golden and starting to crisp up – about 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
- Pour 2 beaten eggs into the pan and cook until scrambled. Remove from the pan.
- Add the cooked rice to the pan and stir fry for about 5 minutes before adding peas, sweetcorn (defrosted in boiling water and drained well if frozen), sliced spring onions and scrambled egg, along with a little soy sauce
- When everything is piping hot, golden and crispy, remove from the heat and serve. I like my fried rice with lots of spicy Sriracha!
This chicken and egg fried rice recipe is quick and easy to make, better for you than takeaway and is so much cheaper! So what are you waiting for? I hope you love this fried rice recipe as much as we do!
More delicious chicken recipes…
Chicken Milanese with spaghetti
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
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Did you take a photo of your fried rice? I would love to see it! Tag me on Instagram #sweetsavouryblog
Leftover Chicken Fried Rice
Put your roast chicken leftovers to good use and make this Leftover Chicken Fried Rice! This classic Chinese recipe is easy, delicious and is ready in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable or Sunflower Oil
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 400G Cold Cooked Long Grain Rice
- 250g Leftover Roast Chicken, cut into small pieces
- 4-5 Spring Onions, sliced
- 50G Frozen Peas, defrosted by pouring over boiling water and leaving for a few minutes (drain well before adding to the rice)
- 50G Sweetcorn, Frozen or Canned
- 25g Mushrooms, sliced thinly (optional)
- 1-2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce, or to taste
- Sriracha or Chilli Sauce for Serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large wok. Pour in the beaten eggs and cook, stirring, until scrambled. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the chicken, add a few shakes of soy sauce and fry for about 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is starting to turn golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the cooked rice to the pan and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add a few shakes of soy sauce and add the peas, sweetcorn, mushrooms if using, spring onions, egg and the chicken.
- Stir fry until the rice is starting to turn golden and crispy and everything is piping hot. Remove from the heat and serve with chilli or soy sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 677mgCarbohydrates: 38gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 23g
Is it 400g of cooked rice so weighs 400g once cooked? Or 400g dried rice then cooked??
It’s 400g rice before cooked x
Fantastic, loosly followed recipie and it turned out perfect, did add a splash of sesame oil before stirfrying rice.
Definitely tasty as takeaway chicken stirfry rice without the greasiness.
Interested in trying with other vege and even a little ginger.
So glad you liked it! It’s a really adaptable recipe, I change it up depending on what I have to use up in the fridge π
I made this using a pack of microwave rice – just stir fried it instead – I also sprinkled a little Chinese 5 spice on the chicken before frying it. This is a very versatile recipe and a great way to use up leftovers.
Great, glad you liked it!
I love the practicality and simplicity of this recipe! We added garlic to onions and cooked the rice in some chicken stock for added flavour.
sounds great! Glad you enjoy it π