Easy Thai Fried Rice with Chicken

Thai Fried Rice with chicken and vegetables is loaded with flavor. This delicious fried rice is not too spicy and sure to be a favorite.

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What Makes Thai Chicken Fried Rice So Amazing 

Bright and colorful, Thai Fried Rice has a uniquely sweet tang with just a touch of heat, making it the go-to menu item in many Thai restaurants. Serve this Thai-style Fried Rice recipe at home as a light meal or as a side dish with other Asian-inspired dishes.

It’s a quick and simple one-pan meal that everyone will enjoy! It’s a Thailand dish with meat, rice, and veggies that’s loaded with flavor.

Thai Fried Rice vs Chinese Fried Rice – What’s Different 

The major difference between these two styles of fried rice is the ingredients. Generally, Chinese-American fried rice uses plain long grain rice, oyster sauce, and a splash of soy sauce. On the other hand, Thai fried rice typically uses scented jasmine rice with fish sauce, a pinch of sugar, and a little soy sauce.

Thai Fried Rice Ingredients

To make this Thai Fried Rice recipe, you’ll need:

• Fish sauce
• Thai chili
• Vegetable oil
• Eggs
• Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
• Onion
• Tomato
• Frozen peas and carrots
• Cold cooked rice
• Sugar
• Ground black pepper
• Soy sauce
• Thai basil, sliced green onion tops, and/or cilantro for garnish

Ingredient Notes

Look for Thai fish (nam pla) sauce for this recipe. It really makes a difference in the flavor. If your local store doesn’t carry it, you can find it online.

Use real Thai basil, or leave it out. Sweet basil is not a suitable substitute. 

Firm, less juicy tomatoes like a Roma or a pear variety are preferable for this recipe. 

How to Make Thai Fried Rice

Here are the simple recipe steps:

1. Dice the onion and tomato. 
2. Thinly slice the chili diagonally and combine with the fish sauce in a small bowl. Add the sugar, pepper, and soy sauce. Stir to dissolve the sugar. 
3. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. 
4. Add cold oil to the hot skillet. 
5. Scramble the eggs until mostly dry, and remove them from the pan.

6. Let the pan heat up and pour in more oil if needed.
7. Sear the chicken quickly, and then add the onion, tomato, peas, and carrots. Stir-fry until the carrots soften and the chicken cooks through. 

8. Break up any clumps of rice and add to the pan. Cook for a minute or so, then pour in the fish sauce mixture

9. Return the eggs to the pan.
10. Stir and cook over high until the rice is dry and shiny. 
11. Garnish with chopped Thai basil leaves and serve hot. 

Thai Fried Rice Recipe Variations

Thai Basil Fried Rice

This is a classic variation on the menu of just about every Thai restaurant. To make Thai Basil Fried Rice, follow the recipe as written. Just up the amount of Thai basil to half of a cup. Wait until the very end of the cooking process to stir in thinly sliced Thai basil for the best flavor. 

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Follow the recipe as written, but replace the carrots and peas in step seven of the recipe with three-quarters of a cup of small diced and drained canned pineapples. Use cilantro instead of Thai basil as a garnish. 

Thai Shrimp Fried Rice

Swap the chicken for a half-pound of medium (51/60) shrimp. Wait for the carrots to soften slightly before adding the shrimp.

Thai Beef or Pork Fried Rice

Simply swap the chicken for beef or pork. Sirloin or flank steak are great choices for beef. Pork shoulder or pork loin are the best cuts of pork for stir-fry.

Vegetarian Thai Fried Rice

Remove the chicken from this recipe or, better yet, replace it with diced tofu. If you opt for tofu, try cutting it into half-inch slabs and pressing as much of the liquid out of each slab as possible. You can dice and use the tofu at this point or freeze it for at least four hours to give it a chewier texture. 

Don’t forget to leave out the fish sauce or swap it with a vegetarian fish sauce substitute.

Storage Tips 

Despite what you may have heard, yes, you can keep leftover fried rice. However, you need to take a few precautions. The number one thing you need to avoid is leaving the leftover rice out too long. Don’t leave the cooked fried rice out for more than two hours at room temperature. 

How to Refrigerate Thai Chicken Fried Rice

Put a rimmed baking tray in the freezer for at least an hour. Once chilled, dump the leftover fried rice onto the tray and spread the rice into a thin layer. Put the tray into the fridge to chill, and then transfer the rice into a container with a lid. Try to finish any refrigerated rice within two days. 

How to Freeze Fried Rice With Chicken

Chill a baking tray the same way as if you were refrigerating the rice, transfer the rice to the baking tray, but put it in the freezer. Freeze until the ice is frozen. Transfer to a freezer bag and keep for up to three months. 

How to Reheat Fried Rice

A damp paper towel on top of the fried rice creates enough steam to soften the rice when you reheat it in the microwave—heat refrigerated rice for two minutes and frozen rice for three minutes. Let the rice sit for another minute before removing the cover. 

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Thai Chicken Fried Rice

Enjoy Thai restaurant tasting fried rice with chicken at home.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: Thai Chicken Fried Rice, Thai Fried Rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 284kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon thinly sliced Thai chili or other chili or more if desired
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 pound raw chicken breast cut into small pieces
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped tomato
• 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 3 cups cooked rice cold
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Thai basil, sliced green onion tops, and/or cilantro to garnish

Instructions

• Combine the fish sauce and chili, and set aside as you prepare the dish.

• Add oil to a very hot skillet.

• Crack the eggs into the skillet and scramble until cooked.

• Add the chicken, onion, tomato, peas, and carrots. Stir and cook until the chicken is done.

• Add the cold rice, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, and the fish sauce and chili. Stir and cook until the rice is dry and starts to turn clear and shiny.

• Garnish with herbs if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 767mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2678IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg