Salt & Scroll All recipes

Recipe 03

Garlic-Chilli Chicken and Egg Fried Rice

A full weeknight fried rice: more flavour than the bare-bones version, without becoming a specialist-shopping exercise.

Yield
2–3
Time
30 minutes

Complete recipe

Read from start to finish.

Before you start

Ingredients

Main ingredients

  • 450–500 g cold cooked long-grain rice
  • 250 g boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into small pieces
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 150 g frozen peas, carrots, or mixed vegetables
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small fresh chilli, finely sliced, or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp grated ginger (optional)
  • 3 spring onions, sliced, with white and green parts separated
  • 3 tbsp neutral cooking oil, divided

Sauce

  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp ground black or white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)

Chicken seasoning

  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch (optional, for more tender chicken)

Recipe notes

Notes

  • A large frying pan works; no wok is required.
  • If the pan is smaller than about 30 cm, fry the rice in two batches to avoid steaming it.
  • No oyster sauce: replace it with 1 tbsp soy sauce plus 1/2 tsp sugar.
  • Chicken can be replaced with any protein of your choice. Even chorizo sausage works great!
  • No fresh chilli: use chilli flakes or serve with sriracha.
  • Freshly cooked rice: spread it thinly on a tray and cool until dry and no longer steaming before frying.
  • Refrigerate cooked rice promptly and reheat it until steaming hot.

8 steps

Method

Step 1 of 8

  1. Prepare everything. Break the cold rice into separate grains. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the chicken with 1 tsp soy sauce and the optional cornflour.

Step 2 of 8

  1. Cook the eggs. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp oil and the eggs. Scramble until just set, about 30–45 seconds, then transfer to a plate.

Step 3 of 8

  1. Cook the chicken. Add 1 tbsp oil and turn the heat to high. Spread the chicken into one layer and leave it undisturbed for about 30 seconds to brown. Stir-fry for another 3–4 minutes, or until fully cooked, then transfer it to the egg plate.

Step 4 of 8

  1. Cook the vegetables. Add another 1 tbsp oil. Fry the onion and frozen vegetables for about 3 minutes, until the onion softens and the vegetables stop releasing visible water.

Step 5 of 8

  1. Add the aromatics. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger, and white parts of the spring onions. Fry for 30 seconds; do not let the garlic burn.

Step 6 of 8

  1. Fry the rice. Add the remaining oil and rice. Break up any clumps and fry over high heat for 3–5 minutes. Let the rice sit against the pan for 20–30 seconds between stirs so it can toast rather than steam.

Step 7 of 8

  1. Season and finish. Pour the sauce around the hot edge of the pan. Toss until absorbed, about 1 minute. Return the chicken and eggs, add the spring onion greens, and toss for another 30 seconds.

Step 8 of 8

  1. Taste and serve. Add more soy sauce only if needed; the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and optional MSG already provide substantial seasoning.

Recipe preview

8 steps

A few ingredients

  • 450–500 g cold cooked long-grain rice
  • 250 g boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into small pieces
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 150 g frozen peas, carrots, or mixed vegetables

The opening moves

  1. 01

    Prepare everything. Break the cold rice into separate grains. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl....

  2. 02

    Cook the eggs. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp oil and the eggs. Scramble until just...

  3. 03

    Cook the chicken. Add 1 tbsp oil and turn the heat to high. Spread the chicken into one layer and leave it un...

Continue with