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Do you have leftover cooked rice around? If so, perfect! Time to make some classic Chinese Chicken Fried Rice! This recipe is easy and super tasty – chicken, peas, carrots, onions, eggs, ham, and green onions – what is not to love? Better than take out and much healthier too!

History of Chicken Fried Rice

It is believed that Chicken Fried Rice was originally made in China during the Sui dynasty (589-618 AD), and it was created as a way to use up leftover rice. The dish became very popular throughout China, and eventually spread to other parts of Asia.

In the 20th century, chicken fried rice was introduced to the States by Chinese immigrants and it quickly became popular in America also!

There are many different ways to make chicken fried rice, but the basic ingredients are usually the same: rice, chicken, vegetables, and soy sauce.

Here are some fun facts chicken fried rice:

• The earliest known record of chicken fried rice is found in a Chinese cookbook from the 11th century.
• Chicken fried rice was first introduced to the United States in San Francisco in the early 1900s.
• Chicken fried rice became popular in the United States during the 1970s, when Chinese-American food became more mainstream.

By the way if you love fried rice recipes, check out this round up of 20+ delicious fried rice recipes from around the world! There’s kimchi fried rice, thai fried rice, chinese fried rice and more!

Gluten Free Option

If you are on a gluten free diet, read on!

A note about the gluten free method of making this, it’s all about the the soy sauce substitute. Let me introduce… Tamari! In short, there are actually many different types of soy sauce in Asia. My mom constantly has at least 2 different types in the kitchen pantry. For example, when we are using soy sauce for dipping, we use Light Soy Sauce (Thin Soy Sauce), and if we are cooking we will sometimes Dark Soy Sauce.

Well, Tamari is another kind! It is made as a byproduct of making miso. It has a rich color and flavor and is thicker than your standard soy sauce. Authentic tamari will contain very little to no wheat, making it suitable for gluten-free diets. However, always check your tamari to make sure it is 100% gluten free if you are on a gluten free diet.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (separated in 2 tbsp)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh or breast, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and diced carrots blend
• 2 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced – you can also use 3 tsp of minced garlic bottled
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups cooked rice – the best is using cold, leftover cooked rice
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce – If you’re on a gluten free diet, substitute the soy sauce with coconut amino or gluten free soy sauce – I recommend Tamari!
• 3 slices of ham, cut in to 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 2 tbsp water
• Salt, as desired

Instructions

In a large wok or frying pan, add 2 tbsp of olive oil (leave 2 tbsp) and cook chicken over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Make sure to stir the chicken, stirring occasionally.

Remove the chicken from the skillet but leave the chicken juice and oil mix in the skillet.

Add garlic, peas, carrots, 1 tbsp of green onions (leave the rest for later), onions, and ham in to the chicken juice/oil mix and cook for about 2 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally.

With the spatula, move vegetables to one side of the skillet, add the beaten eggs to the other side, and stir it to let it scramble.

Add the chicken, rice, soy sauce, 2 tbsp of olive oil, sesame oil, and salt as desired, and stir fry everything to blend together. Cook for about 3 minutes. At the end, sprinkle the rest of the green onions on top.

Serve shortly after! If left over, you can fridge it – I almost always do!

Looking for more Asian recipes? I got you covered – entrees, side dishes, veggies, meat seafood and more here!

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Looking for more Chinese recipes like this Chinese Chicken Fried Rice? Look no further! Here are all my Chinese recipes here!

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