Healthy Fried Rice
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Healthy Fried Rice is quick to make and actually good for you! Full of flavor + so delicious – just like takeout chicken fried rice at home! This post is sponsored by our friends at ButcherBox.
This healthy fried rice is one of our favorite quick and easy weeknight dinners. It’s so much healthier than regular fried rice because it’s lower in salt, veggie loaded and higher in protein!
Liz’s Tips for Fried Rice
- Cutting the carrots – an easy way to get small pieces of carrot is to peel in ‘ribbons’ and then chop with a knife. They’ll cook perfectly in this recipe that way!
- Buy precooked rice – You can buy precooked frozen brown rice or make it in the instant pot to save time.
- Buy precut veggies – You can buy pre cut veggies to save time. I love the Healthy 8 Mix from Trader Joe’s. Coleslaw mix or broccoli slaw mix will also work! Load it up with as many veggies as you can!
- Extra soy sauce/coconut aminos – You might want your fried rice a little saucier (or saltier!) adding a few extra drops of coconut aminos or soy sauce can help with this
Ingredients for Healthy Fried Rice:
Substitutions
Rice: You can use any type of rice in this recipe. Brown or white rice will work. You can also use cauliflower rice.
Egg free: You can simply omit the eggs.
Olive Oil: You can sub toasted sesame oil with olive oil, avocado oil or canola oil. It will not be as flavorful and we really recommend using toasted sesame oil.
Vegetables: Bulk up the dish by adding more carrots or peppers! I’ve also added mushrooms and match-stick sliced zucchini and it was yummy! If you love veggies & chicken together – try this Chicken Vegetable Soup.
Vegetarian: Feel free to skip the chicken and bulk up on veggies to make this vegetarian or check out our cauliflower fried rice recipe!
Protein: You can sub in shrimp for the chicken if you’d like. Shrimp take much less time to cook, depending on their size I would cook about 2 minutes on each side until shrimp begin to turn pink. You can also use shaved steak/beef if you prefer! I have not tried this recipe with cooked tofu but I think it would work! ButcherBox also carries wild-caught shrimp and lots of grass-fed beef options! We also love our Shrimp Stir Fry!
Chicken: Boneless skinless thighs or chicken tenders will also work.
Coconut Aminos: If you don’t have coconut aminos – substitute soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos. If you use Bragg’s, use 1/2 the amount as it is much saltier.
Whenever we are cooking, we like to use ButcherBox meat. If you’ve never heard of ButcherBox, they’re a meat delivery company that delivers the best quality meat right to your door! They have grass fed & grass finished beef, free range, organic chicken, wild caught seafood, and so much more.
We’ve used their boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe. It’s my absolute favorite chicken to cook with. It has barely any fat on it and it cooks up to be so tender and juicy!
If you want to learn more about ButcherBox, we wrote a whole ButcherBox Review that you can read here.
How to Make Healthy Homemade Fried Rice:
- In a pan sauté chicken for 10 minutes until brown on edges. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add in peppers and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Push the veggies to one side of the pan. Add eggs to the empty side of the pan and scramble. Once cooked, stir together with the veggie mixture.
- Add dried spices, toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos, thawed peas, cooked rice, and cooked chicken back to the pot. Stir over low heat until combined and warm.
If you want to make fried rice in your instant pot, check out our Instant Pot Fried Rice recipe.
How to Cook Rice:
You can cook your rice on the stovetop, instant pot, or even in the crockpot. You can also buy/use pre cooked or frozen rice in this recipe!
Stovetop: Check the back of your rice package for instructions on how to cook the rice.
Instant Pot: Different types of rice require different cooking times. Here’s a link to how to cook rice in your instant pot.
Crockpot: I usually make my rice in the instant pot because it’s quicker but here’s a link to cooking rice in the crockpot.
Do you boil rice before frying it? Yes, you need to cook rice completely before frying it. You don’t need to boil it, you can cook it on the stove, instant pot, crockpot, or even in the microwave – but it does need to be cooked before adding it to fried rice.
Storing/Serving Healthy Fried Rice
Storing: I keep this healthy fried rice in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
Reheating: You can reheat this fried rice in a pan or in the microwave.
Freezing: We have not tried freezing this healthy fried rice but I think it would work!
Best Rice for Fried Rice
Long grain white rice is the best rice for fried rice. It cooks up to be very fluffy but also doesn’t stick together. Jasmine rice is often used for fried rice because it has a light flavor and texture.
Any rice will work in fried rice though. Use up whatever you have!
Is basmati rice good for fried rice? Yes! We recommend using basmati or Jasmine rice for fried rice. Both are long grain white rice and will work very well in fried rice!
Long grain white rice is the best rice for fried rice. It has great texture and cooks quick!
Fried Rice FAQ
The secret to fried rice is a good sauce, and adding in alot of veggies. Fried rice can be boring if you only use a few veggies and a little bit of sauce. Adding in different colors, textures and flavors really helps to bring flavor to good fried rice!
You can add flavor to fried rice by adding more soy sauce or coconut aminos. Toasted sesame oil and ground ginger also help add a lot of flavor to fried rice
Other healthy dinner recipes:
If you like this fried rice recipe, you might like our other healthier takeout inspired recipes!
Healthy Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional- omit if you like less spice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1 cup green peas thawed
- 2 cups cooked white or brown rice (about 2/3 dry brown rice)
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. Rice cooking time will vary depending on what type of rice you use.
- While the rice cooks, start cooking the chicken. In a large pan, heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add chicken to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- In the same pan, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat the oil and sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Once the onions and garlic have cooked, add in peppers and carrots. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes until they start to soften.
- Push the vegetable mixture to one side of the pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs. Add eggs to the pan and scramble on the empty side of the pan.
- Once the eggs are cooked, stir together with veggie mixture.
- Add black pepper, ginger, red pepper flakes, toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos, thawed peas, cooked rice and cooked chicken back to the pot. Stir over low heat until combined and warm.
Video
Nutrition Facts
Important Note: This is not an authentic fried rice recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions. If you are looking for an authentic fried rice recipe – check out this recipe!
So delicious, healthy, and easy to make! I used leftover rice and rotisserie chicken… perfect when you’re in a pinch.
Best I have ever had!!!
Easy and yummy! Made along with the orange chicken!!
Made this tonight without the chicken as it was a side for a pork roast. The was fabulous! My husband made a point to say don’t lose this recipe. It needs to go into our regular rotation. Wow. So good!!!
Really good and easy to make! Best fried rice we have ever made at home. We had half the recipe for dinner tonight and will have the other half as a lunch leftover.
So glad you liked it!
Loved the flavors in this dish ! It was super easy and definitely a hit with everyone in our family! I am not always a huge fan of brown rice and honestly have a hard time figuring out how to make it more flavourful! This recipe was just what we needed to add to one of our favorite meals, way better than take out !!! Thank you for sharing!
So happy you liked it, Amanda! Thank you so much!
I am not a cook. I don’t like cooking but we are trying to eat more at home and eat healthier. I found this recipe and made it for my family. My husband is picky and he gave us five stars. (Me too!) We will definitely make again and have this on our meal rotation.
I love hearing this, Julie! Thank you so much!
DELICIOUS!! Thank you for providing the conversion for Bragg’s Amino.
So happy you enjoyed it!
All I have to say is WOW! This was the tastiest dish I’ve made in a long time. Once everything is prepped to be cook, it’s super easy and simple to make. Everything I have tried from your site has been phenomenal! I will definitely be back to look at more recipes! Amazing, healthy dinner❤️
So glad you liked it, Michelle! Thank you!
Such an easy recipe and so delicious!! Also, had enough for leftovers!
So glad you liked it!!
The whole family loves this recipe, thank you!
Thanks, Sarah! So happy you liked it!
We loved this recipe! It was slightly sweeter than takeout, which was so yummy!! We loved eating this with less guilt! It made a ton and was super easy! Didn’t take too long! Would definitely make again!
So happy you liked it, Ashley! Thank you so much!
Are you sure that the amount of Vitamin A is correct?
Hi Pedro – All of our nutrition facts are estimates and will vary based on the ingredients you use. This is the number the calculator gave us.
We always make too much rice as a side dish, so this is my go-to way to turn leftover rice into meal prepped lunches!! I’ve made it 3 times, and am keeping this in my rotation permanently!
Thank you so much, Liz! I’m so glad you liked it! Great way to use up rice 🙂
Really enjoyed this one as well as some of your other recipes. My wife and I have started eating vegetarian 3 days per week and subbed edamame for the chicken to get the protein (as well as good fiber). Keep up the great ideas. Going to try the Stuffed Acorn Squash on Friday!
Thanks, Bill! Glad you liked it!
I used cauliflower rice and it was delicious!
Glad you liked it, Stephanie!
Just made this for my late lunch, tastes amazing! Your recipes are so good and nutritious
So glad you liked it, Molly! Thank you so much!
I made this last night, my first time using coconut aminos and it definitely will be used again. This fried rice hit the spot! Yes we all enjoy take out, but believe me the red peppers and aminos made such a huge difference. It did not taste salty like some rices do. I enjoy trying the clean eating couples recipes. And this by far is one of my favorites!
Thank you so much, Teresa! I’m so glad you like our recipes 🙂
This was amazing!!!!! I needed something quick for dinner and just wasn’t feeling anything….. until I saw you posted this recipe! It was calling my name! It was so easy to make and so delicious. Love that you always include SO many substitutions and how well thought out your recipes are. We’ll be eating this for lunch the rest of the week ☺️
Thank you so much, Cami! I really appreciate it!
Literally the easiest recipe, especially during quarantine! I just used up some veggies I had in my fridge with chicken and rice and voila! A meal my husband actually wants to eat as leftovers! Definitely will be cooking this again and again!
Yay! This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks Holly!
So easy to sub things out! I had chicken thighs and not breasts- still worked great. I also used a bunch of extra veggies and only half the rice- still delicious!!
Thanks, Elizabeth! Perfect way to substitute!
My new favorite stir fry recipe! I followed the directions exactly but did sub squash and zucchini for the peas. I am yet to find a recipe from this site that we don’t all love.
Thank you so much, Nikki! Love those additions!
Made this tonight with just vegetables and rice ( meat free ) it was so good ! Once again , love your recipes !
So glad you liked it, Paula!
To start our New Years off right we made this delicious and healthy dish and we LOVED it. Every recipe I have tried from your site has been not only tasty and healthy but easy to prepare. Thanks for sharing!!
This makes me so happy to hear, Sondra!! What an awesome way to start off 2019!
We made this to start of our New Year festive but healthy, it was delicious!! So far everything we have tried from your site has not only been healthy and tasty but easy to make and that helps me tremendously. Thank you for sharing all this with all of us.