Chicken Fried Rice with Broccoli

No one warns you that being an adult means figuring out dinner every night. The struggle is especially real if you’re responsible for planning meals for a whole family.

To ease the pain, here’s a simple chicken fried rice. It’s quick to make, easy to eat, and most importantly, delicious. It’s a no-fuss dish that’s perfect for any night of the week that will quickly feed the family.

What is Chicken Fried Rice?

Chicken fried rice is a staple of Asian home cooking, combining leftover rice, marinated chicken, scrambled eggs, and vegetables for a meal that’s quick, filling, and flavorful.

In this recipe, we will be seasoning the rice with primarily soy sauce, making this a Chinese-style fried rice recipe.

To get that restaurant-style taste, we’ll use a technique called velveting for tender and silky chicken.

In Vietnamese, chicken fried rice is called cơm chiên gà. Gà means chicken, and cơm chiên means fried rice.

What You Will Need for Chicken Fried Rice

To make Com Chien Ga or chicken fried rice, gather the following ingredients:

• Chicken thighs or breasts: Chicken thighs add flavor with its fatty dark meat, while chicken breasts can be used for a leaner option.
• Cornstarch and baking soda: For velveting the chicken. This process tenderizes and keeps the chicken juicy—a Chinese restaurant secret to create that restaurant-style texture.
• Jasmine rice: A type of long-grain rice; day-old rice works best as it holds its shape and absorbs seasoning without getting mushy. Separate any clumps by wetting your hands and giving the rice a gentle massage.
• Shallots: Adds a classic aroma when lightly toasted; can substitute with yellow or white onions.
• Garlic: Because we love garlic.
• Green onions: Use the white part as an aromatic, like the shallot, and save the green tops and thinly slice for garnish.
• Broccoli: The veggies of choice to make it healthy. Cut into small pieces so they cook up quickly. I’m using both the broccoli stems and florets. If you don’t have broccoli, substitute with classic peas and diced carrots.
• Eggs: More protein is always a plus. We will lightly scramble and mix it into the fried rice.
• Ground plack pepper, light and dark soy sauce, MSG, and salt: What we will be using to season the rice to add a well balanced salty umami flavor. If you prefer not to use MSG, you can omit it—just know you’ll miss out on some wonderful flavor. If you’re out of ground black pepper, ground white pepper makes a good substitute and adds a bit more spice.
• Neutral oil: A high-heat oil like vegetable oil or canola oil for stir-frying.
• Optional finishes: Sesame oil for an aromatic finish or a pad of butter at the end for a richer taste. I’m not including these in my recipe below because it already tastes great without but feel free to add.

How to Make Chicken Fried Rice

Step 1: Velvet and Marinate the Chicken

Slice the chicken into strips (partially freezing it makes slicing easier). In a bowl, combine sliced chicken, salt, ground black pepper, corn starch, and baking soda. Toss until evenly combined then set aside for 10 minutes to marinate and tenderize.

Step 2: Pan Fry Aromatics

Heat a large wok or skillet on the stovetop with a bit of oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots, the white parts of green onions and garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant (about 20 seconds).

Step 3: Cook Chicken

Add the marinated chicken until it’s mostly cooked (about 2 minutes) then push it towards the edges of the wok to clear the center.

Step 4: Cook Eggs & Broccoli

Add more oil to the cleared center and add the beaten eggs. Once it starts to set slightly (about 30 seconds), add the broccoli and toss everything together. Cook for 1 minute.

Step 5: Add Rice & Season

Add the rice. Season rice with soy sauce, salt and MSG. Toss everything together, stirring quickly to prevent sticking and burning the bottom (about 3 more minutes).

Step 6: Garnish & Serve

Garnish with green onion tops.and enjoy.

Storage & Reheating

To store fried rice, allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer it to an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 5 months.

To reheat, microwave with a damp paper towel over the rice, heating in 1-minute intervals and stirring between each to ensure even warming.

For stovetop reheating, add a little oil or water and heat in a pan over medium, stirring until evenly warmed through.

FAQs & Tips for Success

• What if I don’t have a wok? A large nonstick skillet will work just as well.
• Can I skip velveting? Velveting gives the chicken a unique, tender texture, but if you’re short on time, you can skip it. Simply marinate chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the pan.
• How to get wok hei at home? Wok hei, or “breath of the wok,” is the smoky, charred flavor from high-heat wok cooking. You can attempt this at home using a large carbon steel wok on very high heat. I have an inexpensive high-powered propane burner (the kind that sounds like a jet engine) that I use outside to avoid accidently setting my house or eyebrows on fire.

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