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Spicy Chicken Fried Rice

Closeup of spicy chicken fried rice in a bowl.
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Tender chicken pieces, fragrant aromatics, carrots, peas, corn and brown rice get tossed in a savory-sweet sauce with toasted sesame aromas in this Chinese-takeout style Spicy Chicken Fried Rice!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken Marinade:

  • 250 grams / 8.8 ounces Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – cut into bite-sized pieces (note 1)
  • ¼ TSP ground White Pepper
  • ⅛ TSP Kosher Salt
  • ½ TSP Corn Starch
  • 1 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 TSP Shao Xing Rice Wine (note 2 – substitute with dry sherry if unavailable)
  • ¼ TSP Sesame Oil
  • 1 TSP Peanut Oil, for cooking (or any other neutral oil with a high smoke point)

For the Sauce:

  • 1 TBLS Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 TSP Shao Xing Rice Wine
  • 1 TSP Oyster Sauce (note 3)
  • ½ TSP Sesame Oil

For the Fried Rice:

  • 55 grams / ¼ medium Yellow Onion – finely chopped
  • 15 grams / 1 medium Spring Onion (Scallion/Green Onion) – finely chopped, white and light green parts separated from the dark green parts
  • 8 grams / about 1 TBLS minced Ginger
  • 25 grams / 4-5 Garlic cloves – minced
  • 35 grams / 9-10 fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any other small hot red chilies – note 4*), to taste – finely chopped
  • 1 large Egg – lightly beaten
  • ½ TBLS Peanut Oil, for cooking
  • 100 grams / 1 cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables (I used a bag with corn, peas and carrots), thawed
  • 50 grams / about ¼ cup frozen Green Peas, thawed
  • 239 grams / 1.5 cups cooked Thai Jasmine Brown Rice, day-old, chilled (100 grams / 3.5 ounces uncooked weight – note 5)
  • ¼ TSP Kosher Salt
  • ¼ TSP ground White Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Marinate the chicken: Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to a medium bowl, followed by the kosher salt, ground white pepper, corn starch, low sodium light soy sauce, Shao Xing rice wine and sesame oil. Mix well to coat and set aside.
  2. Make the sauce: Mix together the low sodium light soy sauce, Shao Xing rice wine, oyster sauce and sesame oil in a small measuring cup (for easier pouring) or bowl until combined well.
  3. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop the yellow onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, and fresh red chilies as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Crack the egg into a bowl and lightly beat.

For the Spicy Chicken Fried Rice:

  1. Cook the chicken: Heat 1 TSP peanut oil in a large nonstick wok over high heat. Add the marinated chicken and immediately spread the pieces out in the wok. Allow to sear for 1 minute, then stir-fry for another 40-60 seconds until just cooked and slightly browned. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
  2. Stir-fry the aromatics: Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil in the wok over high heat. Add the yellow onion, spring onion white and light green parts and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and chilies and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Cook the egg: Push everything to the side of the wok and pour in the egg. Allow to set for 20 seconds then break it up into pieces and toss to combine with everything else.
  4. Add the veggies: Add the frozen mixed vegetables and green peas. Stir-fry to combine for 30-40 seconds.
  5. Add the rice and sauce: Add the cooked rice and pour the sauce on top. Stir-fry to combine until every grain is evenly coated in the sauce – about 1 minute.
  6. Season and add the chicken: Season with kosher salt and ground white pepper. Add the cooked chicken back into the wok and toss for 1 minute to combine.
  7. Toss through the spring onion: Toss through the spring onion dark green parts and switch off the heat.
  8. To Serve: Divide evenly into bowls or on plates (or meal prep dishes). Garnish with more chopped spring onion dark green parts if desired and serve.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Chicken. You can use boneless and skinless chicken thighs if you prefer them over breasts. Other proteins that’d taste great in this fried rice are shrimp/prawns, thinly sliced beef skirt or flank steak, or pork fillet (tenderloin). The shrimp doesn’t necessarily have to be marinated. You can season them with salt and pepper and sauté in a little oil in a wok before transferring to a clean bowl. Add them to the fried rice when you would add the cooked chicken in step 6.
  2. Shao Xing Rice Wine. A Chinese cooking wine with a fragrant floral aroma. It’s used in marinades and also stir-fry sauces and is an Asian pantry staple. It’s available in most mainstream grocery stores today, Asian supermarkets, and online. Substitute with dry sherry if unavailable.
  3. Oyster Sauce. Oyster sauce does not taste strongly of oysters. It’s a thick sweet and salty sauce and is full of umami. It’s available in mainstream supermarkets, Asian supermarkets and online. I like Lee Kum Kee Panda brand for Chinese recipes.
  4. Red Chilies. Use any small hot red chilies that are easily available to you. Adjust the quantity to taste based on your heat level preference and how hot the chilies you are using are.
  5. Thai Jasmine Brown Rice. Feel free to use cooked white jasmine rice or any other long or medium grain rice you prefer. You can also use short grain brown rice (I like Lundberg’s) or white rice such as Japanese koshihikari rice.
  6. Making rice for fried rice quickly. If you don’t have cooked day-old chilled rice in your fridge, cook the rice in a pot on the stove or in the rice cooker with water as you normally would . Fluff with a fork and spread it out on a large baking tray once cooked. Place uncovered in the freezer for 20 minutes or fridge for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. This will help it cool quickly and also with drying up the moisture. 
  7. Doubling the recipe. Double the recipe to yield 4 servings by clicking the ‘2x’ button at the top of the recipe card. If making ahead for meal prep, transfer to containers and cool for 30-60 minutes. Cover with the containers’ lids and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  8. Storing and reheating. Store in airtight sealed containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on high in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes or until hot throughout.
  9. See ‘Variations’ section in the post for tips on how to customize this fried rice.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/spicy-chicken-fried-rice/