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Chicken Fried Rice ($10 Family Dinner Idea)

Chicken Fried Rice ($10 Family Dinner Idea)

Craving takeout but want something healthier and more budget-friendly? This easy homemade chicken fried rice recipe brings all the flavor of your favorite restaurant dish straight to your kitchen and is ready in under 30 minutes!

This post is part of our $10 Dinner Ideas series, brought to you by Brigette on our team! Each week, she will be sharing easy, delicious, and affordable family-friendly dinner ideas that cost less than $10 to make, use everyday ingredients, and are super quick meals.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

If you’re looking for an easy, cheap way to use up leftover chicken or rice, this is the perfect meal idea. Making fried rice is so fast — if your chicken and rice are already cooked, this entire meal can be on the table in less than 15 minutes! And, if you love Chinese food but are trying to save money on takeout, this one is for you!

This is also a great recipe to throw in extra veggies for some bonus nutrition and added volume. Cabbage, zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, and mushrooms would all work well with these flavors.

Serving of chicken fried rice on a light blue plate, featuring chunks of chicken, carrots, corn, peas, and green beans, with a side of fresh pineapple cubes and a pair of chopsticks resting on the plate.

Chicken Fried Rice Dinner Menu:

Chicken Fried Rice
Pineapple

Ingredients for Chicken Fried Rice:

5 cups cooked rice (Aldi – $1.99 for 7 1/2 cups uncooked) — $0.40 (refrigerated, leftover rice works best for this!)
2-3 cups cooked, diced chicken (Aldi – $2.49/lb) — $2.49
1 onion (Aldi – $2.86 for 4 lbs) — $0.30
4 green onions (Aldi – $0.95 per bag) — $0.20
3 cloves garlic (Aldi – $1.75 for 3-ct pkg) — $0.20
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger (Aldi – $2.09 for a large bag of ginger root) — $0.20
3 Tablespoons canola oil (Aldi – $2.89 for 96 Tablespoons) — $0.09
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (Aldi) — $0.95
5 Tablespoons soy sauce (Walmart – $1.58 for 30 Tablespoons) — $0.25
1 Tablespoon sesame oil (Aldi – $7.49 for 33 Tablespoons) — $0.23
4 eggs (Walmart – $2.34 for 12) — $0.78
Salt and pepper to taste
Pineapple (Aldi) — $2.15

Grand Total for Dinner: $8.24 (Serves 6)

Large skillet filled with homemade chicken fried rice, featuring chunks of chicken, diced vegetables, and garnished with chopped green onions, served alongside a plate of fresh pineapple cubes and a light blue plate in the background.

How to Make Chicken Fried Rice:

1. Finely dice the onion, ginger, garlic and green onions, setting the green onions’ dark green tops aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs.

3. Heat 3 Tablespoons of canola oil in a large wok or frying pan.

4. Sauté the finely diced onions, green onions, ginger and garlic until tender.

Wok on a stovetop with chopped onions, garlic, and green onions being sautéed in oil.

5. Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and 1 teaspoon salt, and fry until heated through.

Wok on a stovetop with a colorful mix of sautéed vegetables including carrots, corn, green beans, peas, and onions, cooking together on a black speckled countertop with a container of salt in the background.

6. Add the cooked rice, chicken, soy sauce and sesame oil, and continue to fry until well-combined and the rice is starting to caramelize.

7. Make a well in the center of the pan by pushing the rice and veggies up the edges. Pour the beaten eggs into the center. Cook the eggs gently until they start to set, and then stir them until they scramble. Mix them into the rice.

Stir-fry of chicken fried rice with beaten eggs are being cooked, surrounded by rice, carrots, peas, corn, green beans, and chunks of chicken.

8. Chop the remaining tops of the green onions and sprinkle them onto the fried rice.

Overhead view of a skillet filled with a freshly cooked chicken fried rice recipe.

9. Serve with fresh pineapple.

Close view of a skillet filled with a freshly cooked chicken fried rice recipe.

Chicken Fried Rice

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword chicken, dairy free, easy dinner, family favorite, gluten free, homemade, weeknight dinner

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Servings

Calories 500kcal

Author Brigette

Cost $8.24

Ingredients

5 cups cooked rice Aldi – $1.99 for 7 1/2 cups uncooked — $0.40 (refrigerated, leftover rice works best for this!)
2-3 cups cooked diced chicken (Aldi – $2.49/lb) — $2.49
1 onion Aldi – $2.86 for 4 lbs — $0.30
4 green onions Aldi – $0.95 per bag — $0.20
3 cloves garlic Aldi – $1.75 for 3-ct pkg — $0.20
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger Aldi – $2.09 for a large bag of ginger root — $0.20
3 Tablespoons canola oil Aldi – $2.89 for 96 Tablespoons — $0.09
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables Aldi — $0.95
5 Tablespoons soy sauce Walmart – $1.58 for 30 Tablespoons — $0.25
1 Tablespoon sesame oil Aldi – $7.49 for 33 Tablespoons — $0.23
4 eggs Walmart – $2.34 for 12 — $0.78
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Pineapple Aldi — $2.15

Instructions

Finely dice the onion, ginger, garlic and green onions, setting the green onions’ dark green tops aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs.
Heat 3 Tablespoons of canola oil in a large wok or frying pan.
Sauté the finely diced onions, green onions, ginger and garlic until tender.
Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and 1 teaspoon salt, and fry until heated through.
Add the cooked rice, chicken, soy sauce and sesame oil, and continue to fry until well-combined and the rice is starting to caramelize.
Make a well in the center of the pan by pushing the rice and veggies up the edges. Pour the beaten eggs into the center. Cook the eggs gently until they start to set, and then stir them until they scramble. Mix them into the rice.
Chop the remaining tops of the green onions and sprinkle them onto the fried rice.
Serve with fresh pineapple.

Notes

This is a great recipe to throw in extra veggies for some bonus nutrition and added volume. Cabbage, zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, and mushrooms would all work well with these flavors.