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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. :)
Delicious chicken fried rice gets a spicy kick with the addition of sriracha!
Ingredients
Scale
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.
Don’t you love when you learn something new like that and wonder why the heck you didn’t figure it out sooner? YUM! Sounds amazing! I might be changing my fried rice ways too after seeing this.
I love fried rice because I basically can throw in anything I want. Your recipe also includes sesame oil. I agree that sesame oil will make quite a big difference for the dish. Yum Yum :)
We order Chinese delivery a couple times a month and I didn’t know this was an option either! I need it in my life :)
Sonia —
Just made this dish tonight! It was delicious!! I made it as directed except I added jalapeños! Can’t ever have to much spice! Thank you for the recipe!
I crave a spicy friend rice at my local Thai restaurant. I am trying yours IMMEDIATELY. Being able to make this at home will expand my life contentment factor even more.
LOVEEEE Bo Lings, and I’m with you, the BEST fried rice of all. I also had no idea they had a spicy version! Must try the next I’m there — or just make this!
I love anything spicy! I have both sriracha and hot chili oil on hand…and dinner has been decided :D Normally, I would add chicken, but as I just bought a huge thing of tofu from Costco, it’s going to be Spicy Tofu Fried Rice tonight!
I appreciate (and share) your obsession with fried rice. It’s fun to order out but it’s so easy to make at home, I’m surprised that people have no idea where to start. I gave a tutorial at my last job and a few weeks ago had an intense texting session with a friend after he had a batch of rice go terrible wrong.
I will definitely have to give Bo Ling’s fried rice a try. Thanks for the tip!
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!
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!
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!
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!!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks, Brittney. We’re so glad to hear that it’s a hit with your family! : )
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!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Laura, that absolutely makes our day, how sweet! We’re so happy you both enjoyed it, and congrats on getting married!
Over here in Malaysia we seldom use sriracha, although Malaysia is the neighbouring country of Thailand. We use Sambal widely instead, the local version of hot/ chili paste. The method to make Sambal fried rice is very similar to your recipe.
I will look up for sriracha the next trip I am at the grocery shop. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
KP Kwan
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi KP! We love Sambal, and use it quite frequently as well! We hope you enjoy this recipe! : )
Hi Ali! This dish was amazing! I honestly think it’s better than any restaurant fried rice I’ve ever had. I’m so excited to make this for company. I added some extra veggies that I had on hand, making this a great way to use random produce. My only complaint is that the leftovers didn’t last longer! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Abby — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :D
This Spicy Chicken Fried rice recipe is SOOOO good. I omitted the optional oyster sauce because I didn’t know where to find it and I didn’t think I would ever use it outside the recipe but regardless it was amazing. It did make more than 4 servings but my husband was thrilled because he was able to eat on it for days. Also the cook time doesn’t include making the rice and cooking and shredding the chicken so be aware of that when you decide to make this. But aside from those things I would (and have) make this recipe again. There’s definitely a kick to it, but nothing you can’t handle if you like spicy foods. Definitely the best fried rice I’ve made at home.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you, Shicka — we’re happy you and your husband enjoyed it!
Thanks for this recipe – we make this every time we’re trying to avoid spending too much on groceries and/or when we’re trying to empty out the fridge!
A friend from Singapore showed me his secret recipe = 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbs veg oil, 2 chopped small red onions, 1 tbs ginger garlic paste, 2 tsp shitakke mushroom powder (blitzed dried mushrooms), 1 large tsp japanese 7 spice (this is the spicy part), 1/3 tsp MSG, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup cold water, 1 fresh chicken breast cut into very thin slices, 2 cups next-day basmati rice pre-mixed with 2 tbs japanese soya sauce. You just cook it in that order, ensuring each stage is cooked through. Amazing and spicey.
This is my family’s favorite fried rice recipe. We make it on the regular. The spice level is perfect although, I personally add more to my own plate but I love the heat. An extra component I add is a 1/4 tsp five spice powder. It’s great without it as well, I just love the addition. Thanks for a great recipe ?
More better butter! I’ve been making fried rice at home for years. I never cared for it, but the kids did. But made this tonight with soy/honey marinated chicken thighs, frozen carrots, peas, gb’s, corn blend, and everything else as instructed. SO good! Butter! So much better with butter!
We discovered this recipe years ago and make it all the time! We do half the amount of siracha for the kids to enjoy the flavor without complaining it’s “spicy” and my hubby adds more to his bowl. It’s so yummy!!
Hey, I’m Ali!
My favorite thing in life is time spent around the table. And all the better with some seriously tasty food to bring us all together. more about me »
Don’t you love when you learn something new like that and wonder why the heck you didn’t figure it out sooner? YUM! Sounds amazing! I might be changing my fried rice ways too after seeing this.
So funny! Just the other day my sister ordered spicy curry fried rice and I had no idea that was ever an option – lol. LOVE this!
I love adding spicy to my fried rice. This recipe is my kind of food! :)
I love fried rice because I basically can throw in anything I want. Your recipe also includes sesame oil. I agree that sesame oil will make quite a big difference for the dish. Yum Yum :)
Ali!! This is one of my favorite foods to order out ever. Looks amazing, totally trying this at home :)
We order Chinese delivery a couple times a month and I didn’t know this was an option either! I need it in my life :)
Just made this dish tonight! It was delicious!! I made it as directed except I added jalapeños! Can’t ever have to much spice! Thank you for the recipe!
you had me at “fried rice”!
I am like 500 percent excited about this!!
I crave a spicy friend rice at my local Thai restaurant. I am trying yours IMMEDIATELY. Being able to make this at home will expand my life contentment factor even more.
i like anything with sriracha so this is definitely a win win situation,
I love everything about this recipe. Thanks for posting :-)
xoxo
Love this so much, especially with the sriracha!!
I LOVE Bo lings spicy fried rice and pretty much everything I’ve ever tried there. Can’t wait to try this at home!
LOVEEEE Bo Lings, and I’m with you, the BEST fried rice of all. I also had no idea they had a spicy version! Must try the next I’m there — or just make this!
This looks fabulous – love the spicy kick! And since you added the chicken, it’s an easy one-dish meal!
I also like to put Chinese Five Spice in my fried rice, makes it
taste more authentic
Something to use leftover chicken rotisserie in! Love!
This looks incredible! Looks even better than from a restaurant!!
I love anything spicy! I have both sriracha and hot chili oil on hand…and dinner has been decided :D Normally, I would add chicken, but as I just bought a huge thing of tofu from Costco, it’s going to be Spicy Tofu Fried Rice tonight!
I appreciate (and share) your obsession with fried rice. It’s fun to order out but it’s so easy to make at home, I’m surprised that people have no idea where to start. I gave a tutorial at my last job and a few weeks ago had an intense texting session with a friend after he had a batch of rice go terrible wrong.
I will definitely have to give Bo Ling’s fried rice a try. Thanks for the tip!
Made this today. So delish, love the extra spice and the aroma from the sesame oil. This recipe is a keeper!
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!
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!
As if fried rice wasn’t absolutely amazing enough… This sounds delicious! I’ll definately be making this soon!
Hi, I like the recipe-but your photographs are awesome; fantastic!!
Going to try this with Tofu instead of Chicken!
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!
Another hit for dinner, absolutely perfect. Thanks!
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! : )
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!
Hi Ali,
Over here in Malaysia we seldom use sriracha, although Malaysia is the neighbouring country of Thailand. We use Sambal widely instead, the local version of hot/ chili paste. The method to make Sambal fried rice is very similar to your recipe.
I will look up for sriracha the next trip I am at the grocery shop. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
KP Kwan
Hi KP! We love Sambal, and use it quite frequently as well! We hope you enjoy this recipe! : )
All that needs to be said is YUM!
So easy to make and delicious!! Thank you for posting this recipe, it will become a regular at my house.
Thank you Jessica, you’re so sweet — we’re happy you like it so much! :)
Hi Ali! This dish was amazing! I honestly think it’s better than any restaurant fried rice I’ve ever had. I’m so excited to make this for company. I added some extra veggies that I had on hand, making this a great way to use random produce. My only complaint is that the leftovers didn’t last longer! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thanks for sharing Abby — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :D
This Spicy Chicken Fried rice recipe is SOOOO good. I omitted the optional oyster sauce because I didn’t know where to find it and I didn’t think I would ever use it outside the recipe but regardless it was amazing. It did make more than 4 servings but my husband was thrilled because he was able to eat on it for days. Also the cook time doesn’t include making the rice and cooking and shredding the chicken so be aware of that when you decide to make this. But aside from those things I would (and have) make this recipe again. There’s definitely a kick to it, but nothing you can’t handle if you like spicy foods. Definitely the best fried rice I’ve made at home.
Thank you, Shicka — we’re happy you and your husband enjoyed it!
I’ve made this several times. It’s fast, easy and so delicious.
We’re so happy you enjoy it, Jo-Ann!
Thanks for this recipe – we make this every time we’re trying to avoid spending too much on groceries and/or when we’re trying to empty out the fridge!
Loved this! I made it alongside a crispy garlic ckn recipe, so left the ckn out of the rice. DELICIOUS!
Awesome recipe …now in my all time faves list
I absolutely love it! Just moved out of my country for a student exchange, this recipe has been a savior. Thank you ?❤️
My husband just made this for dinner and I couldn’t stop eating it! It was as delicious as take out!
A friend from Singapore showed me his secret recipe = 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbs veg oil, 2 chopped small red onions, 1 tbs ginger garlic paste, 2 tsp shitakke mushroom powder (blitzed dried mushrooms), 1 large tsp japanese 7 spice (this is the spicy part), 1/3 tsp MSG, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup cold water, 1 fresh chicken breast cut into very thin slices, 2 cups next-day basmati rice pre-mixed with 2 tbs japanese soya sauce. You just cook it in that order, ensuring each stage is cooked through. Amazing and spicey.
This is my family’s favorite fried rice recipe. We make it on the regular. The spice level is perfect although, I personally add more to my own plate but I love the heat. An extra component I add is a 1/4 tsp five spice powder. It’s great without it as well, I just love the addition. Thanks for a great recipe ?
More better butter! I’ve been making fried rice at home for years. I never cared for it, but the kids did. But made this tonight with soy/honey marinated chicken thighs, frozen carrots, peas, gb’s, corn blend, and everything else as instructed. SO good! Butter! So much better with butter!
I make this at least twice a week. We love it!!!
We discovered this recipe years ago and make it all the time! We do half the amount of siracha for the kids to enjoy the flavor without complaining it’s “spicy” and my hubby adds more to his bowl. It’s so yummy!!