Can you make chicken fried rice with fresh rice?

Fresh cooked rice is not ideal for making chicken fried rice. The presence of moisture in the freshly cooked warm rice grains make it difficult to stir-fry. Your fried rice will come out soggy and mushy as it will steam instead of fry in the wok. Cooked day-old chilled rice is best for making fried rice as it will be dry enough to stir-fry after a night in the fridge.

Can you make chicken fried rice with basmati rice?

Any long grain rice is great for making chicken fried rice including white or brown rice basmati and Thai jasmine rice. For this chicken tikka fried rice, I like to use Lundberg brown basmati rice which I cook the day before.

Is biryani fried rice?

Biryani is different from fried rice as it is cooked in layers and at a lower heat. Par-cooked rice is used in biryani along with par-cooked meat and vegetables. They are cooked separately then layered with sauce over ‘dum’ (slow fire or low heat) until the rice grains absorb the sauce and finish cooking. Fried rice is made with cooked chilled rice and cooked over high heat. The process for making fried rice is much quicker and less tedious than making biryani.

The color comes from using red or orange food coloring in either powdered or liquid form. Adding the coloring has no effect on the flavor so I chose to leave it out in this recipe. If you would like the chicken tikka to have a red or light orange color, feel free to add ¼ teaspoon of an orange-red food coloring powder such as the one from Busch’s brand or 1-2 drops of red or orange liquid food coloring.

Chicken Tikka Fried Rice

Name: Chicken Tikka Fried Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian-inspired
Ingredients: 250 grams / 9 ounces Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – cut into bite-sized pieces; 50 grams / ≈ 2.5 TBSP Fat Free Greek Style Yogurt (or use Greek yogurt or any plain thick yogurt); 10 grams / ½ TBSP Ginger Garlic Paste (see note 1 for substitutes); 7.5ml / ½ TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice; ½ TSP Kosher Salt; ½ TSP Garam Masala (store-bought or homemade garam masala); ½ TSP Coriander Powder; ½ TSP ground Cumin; ⅛ – ¼ TSP ground Cayenne (optional – to taste – or use paprika or Kashmiri chili powder for a milder flavor); ½ TSP Turmeric Powder; 1 TSP Olive Oil (or any other neutral cooking oil); 100 grams / 3.5 ounces uncooked Brown Basmati Rice (I used Lundberg brand, you’ll need 1.5 cups leftover cooked long grain white or brown rice) – cooked the day before preferably and chilled (note 2); 100 grams / ½ medium Red Onion – finely chopped; 100 grams / ½ medium Red Bell Pepper (or use any color) – diced; 15 grams / 3 Garlic cloves – minced; 8 grams / 1 TBSP minced Ginger; 10 – 35 grams / 2 – 9 pieces Fresh Red Chilies, to taste (note 3*) – finely chopped; 140 grams / 1 medium Garden Tomato – deseeded, finely chopped; 4 grams / 2 sprigs fresh Coriander (Cilantro) – chopped; 100 grams / ≈ ¾ cup frozen Green Garden Peas – thawed; ½ TBSP Olive Oil; ½ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste; ½ TSP Garam Masala; ½ TSP Coriander Powder; ½ TSP ground Cumin; ⅛ TSP ground Black Pepper; ⅛ – ¼ TSP ground Cayenne (optional – to taste – or use paprika or Kashmiri chili powder); ¼ TSP ground Cinnamon; ½ TSP Turmeric Powder; 7.5ml / ½ TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

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Tender beautifully spiced chicken tikka pieces get tossed with veggies, spices and aromatic basmati rice in this easy to make Chicken Tikka Fried Rice. It’s ready in 35 minutes, full of big and bold flavors and guaranteed to please your tastebuds!

Author: Lavina
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 2 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stir-fry
Cuisine: Indian-inspired

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken Tikka Marinade:

250 grams / 9 ounces Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – cut into bite-sized pieces
50 grams / ≈ 2.5 TBSP Fat Free Greek Style Yogurt (or use Greek yogurt or any plain thick yogurt)
10 grams / ½ TBSP Ginger Garlic Paste (see note 1 for substitutes)
7.5ml / ½ TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
½ TSP Kosher Salt
½ TSP Garam Masala (store-bought or homemade garam masala)
½ TSP Coriander Powder
½ TSP ground Cumin
⅛ – ¼ TSP ground Cayenne (optional – to taste – or use paprika or Kashmiri chili powder for a milder flavor)
½ TSP Turmeric Powder
1 TSP Olive Oil (or any other neutral cooking oil)

For the Chicken Tikka Fried Rice:

100 grams / 3.5 ounces uncooked Brown Basmati Rice (I used Lundberg brand, you’ll need 1.5 cups leftover cooked long grain white or brown rice) – cooked the day before preferably and chilled (note 2)
100 grams / ½ medium Red Onion – finely chopped
100 grams / ½ medium Red Bell Pepper (or use any color) – diced
15 grams / 3 Garlic cloves – minced
8 grams / 1 TBSP minced Ginger
10 – 35 grams / 2 – 9 pieces Fresh Red Chilies, to taste (note 3*) – finely chopped
140 grams / 1 medium Garden Tomato – deseeded, finely chopped
4 grams / 2 sprigs fresh Coriander (Cilantro) – chopped
100 grams / ≈ ¾ cup frozen Green Garden Peas – thawed
½ TBSP Olive Oil
½ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
½ TSP Garam Masala
½ TSP Coriander Powder
½ TSP ground Cumin
⅛ TSP ground Black Pepper
⅛ – ¼ TSP ground Cayenne (optional – to taste – or use paprika or Kashmiri chili powder)
¼ TSP ground Cinnamon
½ TSP Turmeric Powder
7.5ml / ½ TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
To Serve (optional): More chopped fresh coriander, hard boiled eggs, sliced cucumber, plain yogurt, raita, creamy cilantro mint sauce, cooling cucumber and mint yogurt sauce, etc.

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Instructions

Prep:

Marinate the chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to a medium bowl. Add the ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, kosher salt, garam masala, coriander powder, ground cumin, ground cayenne and turmeric powder. Mix well to coat and aside to marinate while you prepare the fresh ingredients. (Pro-tip: For more flavor, marinate the day before and cover and refrigerate.)
Cook the rice: Preferably the day before, cook the brown basmati rice according to package instructions. Place in an airtight sealed container and in the fridge once cooled. Note: If you are preparing the rice on the day of making the fried rice, spread the cooked rice on a baking tray and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will help dry up some of the moisture before you make the fried rice.
Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop the red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, ginger, red chilies, tomato and coriander as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Measure out the green peas and thaw by heating in the microwave on high for 30-40 seconds.

For the Chicken Tikka Fried Rice:

Cook the chicken: Heat 1 TSP olive oil in a large nonstick wok or deep heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the marinated chicken and spread the pieces out in the wok. Cook for 4-6 minutes, turning the pieces and sautéing occasionally until just cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
Sauté the onion, bell pepper and aromatics: Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and bell pepper. Sauté for a minute until starting to soften. Then add the ginger, garlic, red chilies and stir-fry to combine until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes and peas: Add the tomatoes and green peas. Stir-fry for 30 seconds to combine.
Add the spices and seasonings: Add the kosher salt, garam masala, coriander powder, ground cumin, ground black pepper, ground cayenne, ground cinnamon and turmeric powder. Mix well to combine until evenly combined.
Add the rice and chicken: Add the rice and mix well to combine until every grain is evenly coated with the spices. Then add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Stir through the coriander and lemon juice: Stir through the chopped coriander and lemon juice. Switch off the heat.
To Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and garnish with more chopped coriander. Serve with hard boiled eggs, sliced cucumber and plain yogurt if desired.

Lundberg Organic California Brown Basmati Rice

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Notes

Ginger Garlic Paste. This is a jarred blend of ginger and garlic paste which is commonly used in Indian home cooking for convenience. It’s available at Indian grocery stores and online. Feel free to use any garlic paste and ginger paste from a mainstream supermarket. Substitute with finely minced fresh ginger and garlic if unavailable.
Rice. You’ll need about 1.5 cups of cooked long grain rice and can use either white or brown rice. I used basmati brown rice here, but white basmati or Thai jasmine brown or white rice will all work. Uncooked rice weight for basmati brown rice is provided (100 grams / 3.5 ounces)
Fresh Red Chilies. Adjust the quantity based on your heat level preference and how hot the type of red chilies you’re using are. You can also use hot green chilies instead which are more commonly used in Indian cooking.
Storing and reheating leftovers. This fried rice will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days if stored properly in a sealed airtight container. Reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring once in between, until hot throughout.
Meal prep option. Double the ingredients by clicking ‘2x’ at the top of the recipe card to make four servings. Cook as directed for the fried rice but if serving with a hard-boiled egg, hold off on boiling them or boil and store with the shell on in a separate sealed airtight container in the fridge. Use a large enough wok or deep heavy bottomed sauté pan that can handle double the ingredients. If your wok/pan isn’t large enough, I recommend stir-frying in two batches.
Nutritional information. Nutritional information provided does not account for the garnishes, sides or hard-boiled egg.
See ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this recipe.