My shrimp and chicken fried rice is easy to make and so much better than takeout. It’s loaded with sweet, succulent shrimp, juicy, tender chicken, fresh vegetables, and lots of delicious umami flavor!
It’s the perfect dish for an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love.
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Shrimp and chicken fried rice is one of my favorite Chinese dishes to make at home. Not only do I get to control the ingredients I use, but I also save money. Ordering takeout certainly isn’t as cheap as it used to be.
And yes, fried rice is actually a Chinese dish. Created during the Sui Dynasty, circa 600 A.D., the recipe was developed to reduce food waste by using leftover rice. The recipe grew in popularity and was adopted by other Asian cultures to become Indonesian Nasi Goreng, Japanese Yakimeshi, and Khoa Phad in Thailand.
If you love Asian-style dishes, try our Tangerine Beef and General Tso’s Chicken recipes.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients needed to make our Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice recipe. In culinary terms, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into “Everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also helps ensure you have all of the ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I change up the recipe?
Absolutely! We used shrimp and chicken to make our fried rice, but you can use either. We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be substituted.
The recipe can also be made with beef or pork, or you can leave out the protein altogether to make it a vegetarian dish.
We made the dish with green peas, zucchini, and corn, but other vegetables can be added or substituted. Broccoli, snow peas, red bell peppers, mushrooms, bok choy, green onions, and bean sprouts all make delicious additions.
We stir-fried the ingredients in olive oil and added sesame oil towards the end to add flavor. You can also make the dish with vegetable oil or any of your favorite cooking oils.
The recipe was made with low-sodium light soy sauce, but regular or dark soy sauce can be used if you prefer. To make it gluten-free, use Tamari.
To add a little heat to the dish, you can add sriracha sauce, sweet chili sauce, red pepper flakes, or your favorite hot sauce.
Medium to long-grain rice is best as it isn’t as sticky. We used regular white rice, but jasmine or brown rice can be used instead. Day-old cold rice is preferred, as freshly cooked can get mushy.
How to Make Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice
Follow along with my easy instructions below to see how to make shrimp and fried recipe at home.
- Cook the rice per package instructions. Set aside to cool.
*Day old cold rice is preferred, as freshly cooked can get mushy. - Remove the chicken breasts from their packaging and pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and place them in a medium mixing bowl.
- Prep the vegetables and set aside until needed.
- Peel and devein the fresh shrimp. Pat them dry with paper towels.
- Add the baking soda, rice vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the bowl with the chicken and mix to combine.
- Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure all the pieces are well coated.
- Drain the excess liquid from the bowl.
- Pat the chicken chunks dry with a paper towel.
- Add the eggs to a small bowl.
- Whisk the eggs and set aside until needed.
Cooking the Chicken and Shrimp
- Place a large skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan. Then, add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Turn as needed to sear all sides or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F has been reached.
- Place the cooked chicken in a bowl or on a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
- Peel and devein the raw shrimp. Pat them dry with paper towels.
- Using the same pan, place it over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan. Add the shrimp to the pan.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are fully cooked, stirring to sear all sides.
- Place the cooked shrimp in the bowl with the cooked chicken and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
*Since they are both cooked, there is no danger of cross-contamination. - Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan over medium-high heat. Then add the carrots and onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are tender, stirring as needed.
- Add the minced garlic to the pan, stir to combine, and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini to the pan and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring as needed,
- Add the sesame oil, corn, peas, table salt, and black pepper to the vegetable mixture,
- Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Finishing the Fried Rice
- Add the cooked rice and the remainder of the soy sauce to the vegetable mixture.
- Gently combine the ingredients, just enough to combine.
*over stirring can make the rice mushy. - Pull the rice to the side of the pan. Pour the beaten eggs into the empty side of the pan and use a rubber spatula to scramble the eggs, breaking them up into small pieces as they cook.
- Mix the scrambled eggs and the rice mixture together. Again, be careful not to overmix.
- Add the chicken and shrimp to the pan with the rice mixture and stir to combine over medium heat.
Wouldn’t you love to sit down to a plateful of this delicious shrimp and chicken fried rice? Serve it with egg rolls for a meal that is better than take-out!
Leftovers should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container or well covered in plastic wrap for 2-3 days.
Recipe FAQs
I usually use larger shrimp in my recipes, but for a dish like fried rice or stir-fries, I suggest using 26-30 (per pound) count or 30-40 count shrimp. Anything smaller will cook too quickly and become tough and chewy.
Always start with raw shrimp; pre-cooked shrimp are never a good choice. Look for wild-caught shrimp from US waters, farm-raised, and those from foreign waters can’t always be trusted to be good quality.
Absolutely, cauliflower rice is a good low-carb option.
Absolutely, frozen vegetables are sometimes the best choice, depending on the season and where you live.
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Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- ½ pound chicken breasts cut into chunks – or tenders
- ½ pound medium shrimp 26 30 cnt peeled and cleaned
- 1 cup cooked white rice cooled
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- t tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or regular – divided
- 2 tablespoons garlic finely chopped
- ½ cup sweet onion chopped
- ½ cup zucchini sliced and cut in half or quarters
- ¼ cup carrots sliced or julliene strips
- ¼ cup peas frozen ore fresh
- ¼ cup corn kernels frozen or fresh
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- Cook the rice per package instructions. Set aside to cool. **Day old cold rice is preferred, as freshly cooked can get mushy.
- Remove the chicken breasts from their packaging and pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and place them in a medium mixing bowl.
- Prep the vegetables and set aside until needed.
- Add the baking soda, rice vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the bowl with the chicken and mix to combine.
- Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure all the pieces are well coated.
- Drain the excess liquid from the bowl. Pat the chicken chunks dry with a paper towel.
- Add the eggs to a small bowl. Whisk the eggs and set aside until needed.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess liquid to drain off. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel.
- Place a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning as needed to sear all sides. Or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F has been reached.
- Place the cooked chicken in a bowl or on a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
- Peel and devein the shrimp and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Using the same pan, place it over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are fully cooked, stirring to sear all sides.
- Place the shrimp in the bowl with the chicken and tent loosely with aluminum foil. *Since they are both cooked, there is no danger of cross-contamination.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onions to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are tender, stirring as needed.
- Add the garlic to the pan, stir to combine, and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini to the pan and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring as needed,
- Add the sesame oil, corn, peas, table salt, and black pepper to the vegetable mixture, stirring to combine. Heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cooked rice and the remainder of the soy sauce to the vegetable mixture.
- Gently combine the ingredients, just enough to combine. *over stirring can make the rice mushy.
- Pull the rice to the side of the frying pan.
- Pour the eggs into the empty side of the frying pan and use a rubber spatula to scramble the eggs, breaking them up into small pieces as they cook.
- Mix the eggs and the rice mixture together. Again, being careful not to overmix.
- Add the chicken and shrimp back to the pan with the rice mixture over medium heat and stir to combine. Heat until the mixture is at least 165 degrees F.
- Serve immediately,
Notes
Always start with raw shrimp; pre-cooked shrimp are never a good choice. Also, look for shrimp from US waters. Farm-raised and those from foreign waters can not always be trusted to be good quality. Can I use cauliflower rice? Absolutely, cauliflower rice is a good low-carb option. Can I use frozen vegetables? Absolutely, frozen vegetables are sometimes the best choice, depending on the season and where you live.
Henry T says
Great recipe! Easy to follow came out perfect!
Chef Dennis Littley says
That’s what I like to hear! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the fried rice.