A few months ago, I discovered that I have a fried-rice-obsessed kindred spirit in my neighbor, John.
This guy may be the first person I’ve met who loves fried rice as I do, and also loves judging sampling it at local restaurants as much as I do. I still hold that my homemade fried rice recipe is my favorite. But it turns out that John and I agree on the fact that a local Chinese restaurant in our neighborhood makes the best fried rice that you can order on a menu.
BUT.
John blew my mind at one of our neighbor nights a few weeks ago when he showed up with spicy chicken fried rice from said restaurant.
Hold the Chinese-takeout phone.
I had no idea that there was any other option at this place between pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, or combination fried rice. But he proceeded to matter-of-factly inform me that you can totally just ask them to “make it spicy”. Who knew?? Clearly not this fried-rice-lover who has been ordering their fried rice for nearly a decade.
So of course, I call in to order a batch of fried rice the next day and asked if they could make it spicy. And, like it was no big deal (because clearly this was only a big deal to me), they said “sure”. And 15 minutes later, I was enjoying the spicy kick that I knew would change my fried rice days forever. And today, I’m sharing my homemade take on the recipe with you.
The secret to the spice is none other than my beloved Sriracha. I know that tons of people probably already add it to their fried rice, but this recipe starts with sriracha already added in. And if you happen to have any hot chili oil on hand, I recommend adding a few dashes of that too. But if not, Sriracha will do the job.
I also added in chicken this time, just because that’s what John had ordered the night he introduced me to the spicyness. But you can of course substitute in whatever protein you’d like, or just make it a spicy vegetarian (plain) fried rice.
Bottom line, even if you only get 5% as excited as I do about new fried rice discoveries, I think you’re going to love it. :)
Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. butter, divided
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
- 4 cups cooked and chilled rice (I prefer short-grain white rice)
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3-4 Tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
- 2 tsp. oyster sauce (optional)
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 Tablespoons sriracha, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil, or more to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate. Scrape down and rinse the pan, if needed.
- Return pan to heat. Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the chicken and eggs, and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil and sriracha, and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- Serve warm.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious!!!!
Also, after eating my new husband and I realized it was the first meal I cooked for us as husband and wife, so thanks for the great start!!
Laura, that absolutely makes our day, how sweet! We’re so happy you both enjoyed it, and congrats on getting married!
No pic, but, this has become a family favorite. We double the protein items because hubby is diabetic and needs more protein/less carbs. Kids love it, never leftovers!!!
Thanks, Brittney. We’re so glad to hear that it’s a hit with your family! : )
Another hit for dinner, absolutely perfect. Thanks!
OMG I just made this and my boyfriend and I are both currently in heaven eating this. I did not use oyster sauce but I did use sesame oil and loved the flavor. I will be adding oyster sauce next time to make this even better. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
Going to try this with Tofu instead of Chicken!
Hi, I like the recipe-but your photographs are awesome; fantastic!!
As if fried rice wasn’t absolutely amazing enough… This sounds delicious! I’ll definately be making this soon!
I was searching Pinterest for something to make using rice and pretty much just rice, because it’s past time to go to the grocery store! ;) came across this recipe and made it for dinner tonight! Delicious and easy. I only did 1 T of sriracha because I have three little ones. It had just the right amount of heat for them, and my husband and I added some more to our bowls. I threw in a zucchini and carrot, as well. Thanks for my dinner!
This was a-ma-zing! A little time consuming, but worth the effort! Maybe next time, my family will let me put in the full amount of sriracha. And since I accidentally cooked too much plain rice, I doubled the recipe – I’m looking forward to leftovers for lunch next week!
Made this today. So delish, love the extra spice and the aroma from the sesame oil. This recipe is a keeper!