Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice - This perfect fried rice recipe takes an often overlooked and underappreciated Chinese dish to a whole new level! It comes together in just a few minutes, making it a great go-to weeknight meal. Why order takeout, when this is so much better?
We love Chinese food. Chinese restaurant take-away and delivery is a family favorite treat in our household, to be sure. Cooking this flavorful cuisine is also simple and fun, and we love to do it, as well as share the recipes with you, of course.
If you are looking for other great Asian inspired recipes, give our stir fried rice noodles a whirl, or cast iron pork tenderloin with clementine sauce.
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What You're Going to Need!
- Shrimp - If you are lucky enough to live in an area where you can purchase fresh shrimp, than of course, that's what you'll want to get. We made ours with frozen, raw shrimp, because of how quickly shrimp cooks. We also suggest getting small shrimp, 31-35 count or smaller, as you want everyone to have some mixed in, (or cut larger ones into smaller pieces)
- Sesame Oil - Look for toasted, Asian style oil. This is for seasoning, not cooking oil, as it has a very low smoke point.
- Chicken - We are using a mix of thigh and chicken breast meat. Dark meat has more flavor, but more fat also, whereas the white portions of the chicken is very juicy, and has a lot less fat. We think that's the perfect solution to the "best of both worlds" quandary!
- White Rice - This is obviously a key ingredient in order to make the best fried rice possible. You can use almost any type of rice, (see "variations", below), we are using white long grain rice here. It's worth noting that this is already cooked, cold leftover rice, (more about that in our helpful hint section).
- Soy Sauce - The caramelized flavor of soy sauce goes a long way in makeing great fried rice.
- Garlic - If you've been using the minced garlic in a jar from the grocery stores, keep in mind that is not really fresh garlic. It's loaded with preservatives that really take away from the flavor you get from just starting from actual garlic cloves.
- Onion - You really want the level of sweetness you get when yellow onion hits a hot pan.
- Green Onions - In many recipes, only the green part would get used, but for Chinese fried rice, cut up and add the whole thing, minus the root end, of course.
- Green Peas - We always keep some frozen green peas around, they really are one of the best all around frozen vegetables. They are always a great way to throw in some beautiful color and texture to a dish.
- Carrot - Once again, carrots represent such a great texture, color, and flavor, it's no wonder that they are almost always featured in great fried rice.
- Eggs - Fried rice must have some scrambled eggs in it, even if there isn't any other protein at all.
- Vegetable oil (not shown) - It's important that you use an oil with a high smoke point, so avocado oil or peanut oil will also work.
- Ginger (not shown) - It's common to refer to ginger, garlic, and green onions as the "holy trinity" of a lot of Chinese restaurants.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recipe
Easy Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 peeler
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 fork
- 1 wok or large heavy bottomed pan
- 1 kitchen spoon
- 1 Measuring cup set
- 1 Measuring Spoon Set
- 1 Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Chicken breast boneless, skinless, cut into bite sized pieces
- 8 oz. Shrimp peeled and deveined, 31-36 size
- 4 each Eggs beaten well until uniformly yellow
- 6 oz. yellow onion peeled and medium diced
- 8 oz. Carrot peeled and medium diced
- 3 cloves Garlic peeled and minced
- 2 Tbsp. Ginger fresh, peeled and minced
- 8 oz. Green peas frozen
- 2 lb. Rice cooked, white long grain, room temperature
- ½ cup Soy sauce
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil sunflower, canola, high smoke point type.
- 2 Tbsp. Sesame oil toasted
- 3 each Green onion sliced thin
- 1 Tbsp. Salt optional
Instructions
- Combine the cooked rice with 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil, and stir to evenly coat.
- Heat wok over high flame for at least 3 minutes, until very hot.
- Add 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil to pan, swirling to coat the sides.
- Immediately add the chicken pieces before the oil begins to smoke too much, evening them out into a single layer to sear.
- Allow them to sear on one side without stirring for a minute or two, until the edges of each piece begin to get white.
- Stir with a kitchen spoon in order to flip the chicken pieces over as best as possible to sear on the other side.
- Allow to sear undisturbed again for a couple of minutes until the chicken is firm to the touch uniformly.
- Remove the chicken from the wok to a bowl, and wipe the wok out with a clean kitchen towel if necessary.
- Return the wok to the high burner and heat again for a minute.
- Add one Tbsp. of vegetable oil to the wok, followed by the shrimp.
- Follow the same procedure as for the chicken, only it will get cooked faster, in only a couple of minutes.
- Remove the shrimp from the pan to the same bowl as the chicken, once again wiping it out if necessary to remove any stuck on bits.
- Reheat the wok as before.
- Add one tsp. of vegetable oil to the wok, swirling to coat.
- Add the beaten eggs, stirring rapidly.
- Allow the eggs to cook fully and brown slightly, about 45 seconds.
- Remove the finished egg into the bowl with the other proteins.
- Return the pan to the heat and add one Tbsp. of Veg. oil.
- Add the carrots to the pan, stirring as they begin to sizzle, cooking for 2 minutes.
- Add the yellow onions and stir to combine.
- Cook these vegetables together for an additional 2 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.
- Add the rice to the pan and do not stir until you can hear it sizzling aggressively, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Continue to cook the rice until it is all very hot and sizzling, about 3 more minutes.
- Create a small "well" in the middle of the pan by pushing the contents up to the sides.
- Add the frozen peas to the middle of the wok, allowing them to steam for about 2 minutes, before stirring to combine.
- Add the proteins all back into the fried rice, and stir to combine and het together.
- Add the soy sauce, the sesame oil, and the green onion, stirring to combine.
- Once the rice is sizzling again, remove from the wok and serve immediately.
Directions
- In a large skillet or wok, cook the chicken over high heat until well seared and brown. Make sure that it is very firm to the touch and opaque throughout before setting it aside to add back later.
2. Wipe out the pan with a dry kitchen towel and return to medium-high heat to cook the shrimp. The secret to tender shrimp is to only cook them for 3-4 minutes, in a single layer, until they are firm to the touch. Then remove the cooked shrimp and wipe out the pan again before returning to the heat.
3. While the wok or large sauté pan is reheating, whip your eggs up very thoroughly.
4. Stir-fry the beaten eggs in the pan, breaking them up into small shreds and pieces so that they will evenly disseminate into the finished dish. Remove the eggs once cooked and set them aside with the meats. wipe out the pan again and place back on the burner.
5. Quickly stir fry the carrots and onion just until the onion no longer smells raw.
6. Add in the ginger and garlic, stirring to combine.
7. Toss your leftover cooked rice in a little oil before throwing it into the wok and toss once you hear it sizzling. Make sure to wait for the pan to heat and recover as you stir.
8. Once the rice mixture is uniformly hot, take it out to the sides of the pan, creating a small "well" in the middle.
9. Pour the peas into the hole created in the middle.
10. Add back the meats and eggs, tossing through to mix well once the pan begins sizzling.
11. Pour in the soy sauce.
12. Add the sesame oil, stir together briefly, add green onions, and serve.
Homemade Fried Rice Vs. Take-Away
Getting take away or delivery dinner from the local Chinese restaurant is a really fantastic treat. It's convenient and quick, as well as a welcome relief from cooking on occasion. Our favorite place knows us well, and I'm not ashamed to say it in the least, they make delicious food.
There are some significant downsides to ordering out, also. The most obvious one being the expense, ( you can make the same dishes at home for a fraction of the cost, of course.). There are environmental concerns at play as well. The packaging can't be recycled, and the fuel used for delivery or to go pick it up does damage as well. In the case of fried rice, the quality is very often a major factor, as it is often simply relegated to a side dish, and not given much attention or care.
Making this easy recipe solves all of this! You can make this as a complete meal and it's sure to become a new family favorite. The ingredients used are all quite affordable, and quite commonly already stocked in many kitchens. The environmental impact is limited to the usual trip to the grocery store. This recipe focuses on the best way to make this a high quality, healthy meal with succulent shrimp, tender chicken, fresh vegetables, so much flavor, and vibrant colors.
Chef Tip
All of the steps outlined in this post may seem intimidating. Rest assured; this can become one of those easy dinners for busy weeknights with just a little practice. As long as you have everything together and within arm's reach when you start cooking, it's as simple as throwing it all into a pan!
Featured Review
"this recipe was amazing! I don't eat much seafood, so did without the shrimp, but still enjoyed every bite!"
- rushingwaters -
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Substitutions &Variations
Following the basic formula that we outline here, you can make this fried rice recipe fit almost any diet.
- Vegetarian/Vegan - There's nothing stopping anyone from just adding more veggies to this, with or without eggs, also. Japanese style fried rice often has some bean sprouts in it, which is of course a great source of protein.
- Gluten Free - The only ingredient here that contains gluten is the soy sauce, so subbing tamari soy will eliminate gluten.
- Low Sodium - This is the same situation as above. Substitute low sodium soy, (they even make low sodium tamari!).Spicy - The typical Chinese takeout way to make things spicy is by using dried chilies or dried chili flakes. Hot chili oil is also common.
- Rice - Brown rice, jasmine rice, even basmati rice will work with this recipe, as long as it is of a long grain variety.
Storage & Helpful Hints
Store this chicken and juicy shrimp fried rice in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. I think it's better the next day myself! Reheat in the microwave, covered, on high heat for about 2 minutes per portion. Stir before serving to even out the heat.
Very often this recipe calls for old cold rice. While you do want it to be cooked in advance, fresh rice that is room temperature is much better. Controlling the heat in this recipe is key.
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You certainly can make it vegetarian by not adding the meat and feel free to add more vegetables!
rushingwaters says
this recipe was amazing! I don't eat much seafood, so did without the shrimp, but still enjoyed every bite!
Jason Miller says
A perfect example of how almost any recipe can be modified to taste. Glad you enjoyed it.
moorebr667 says
My family loves fried rice! Looking forward to trying this one. 😀
Jason Miller says
It is a real crowd pleaser. Check back in to let us know how they came out.
Jason Miller says
Easy family dinner!