The Best Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice

Reasons I love this recipe, and you will, too 

I have made this recipe over fifty times, and it never disappoints. Can you tell I love, love, love this dish? I can’t wait for you to try it.

1. It’s a one-skillet wonder. Not only does this keep the dishes to a minimum (because, let’s face it, who wants to do dishes), but I love that you can serve it straight out of the skillet. Less mess.
2. Frozen veggies to the rescue: “No chopping = more Netflix time.” I’m all about making your cooking experience easier and more enjoyable. 
3. It’s the perfect way to use leftovers. You’ll feel like a kitchen wizard transforming yesterday’s pork, ham, chicken, or shrimp leftovers into today’s masterpiece.

Key ingredients and substitutions

Although it has many traditional ingredients, this is an Americanized version of fried rice and is not an authentic recipe.

• Garlic and onion – these aromatics add tons of flavor.
• Bacon – because everything is better with bacon, right? You’ll thank me later.
• Olive oil or vegetable oil – is used to saute the bacon and onions and provide a non-stick surface for the eggs.
• Frozen mixed vegetables – are a great convenience food and time saver. I usually use a mixture of English peas, corn, chopped carrots, and green beans. Feel free to use whatever mixture your family likes.
• Basmati Boil-in-Bag Rice – is another great convenience food and time saver. Even if you make it minutes before adding it to the other ingredients, the rice grains stay separated and don’t get mushy. Basmati rice is often used in Indian food, but I promise it works in this recipe.
• Eggs – are a traditional ingredient in fried rice.
• Leftover cooked chicken and shrimp – I used leftover rotisserie chicken and roasted shrimp for this recipe because that’s what I had on hand. You can use almost any leftover cooked protein, including beef, pork, and seafood.
• Mirin – here’s the secret sauce – literally. It’s sweet, savory, and does magical things to your fried rice. Trust me, you don’t want to skip this. You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
• Oyster sauce – brings depth and a savory richness to fried rice, helping to elevate the dish beyond basic soy sauce seasoning. I have tried substituting hoisin sauce, and while the dish was good, it didn’t have the richness oyster sauce gives.
• Soy sauce and sesame oil – round out the sauce ingredients.
• White pepper – the only difference between white and black pepper is how it is processed. White pepper is not quite as spicy, but I have used both and can’t tell the difference. You can use either.

Specific measurements are listed below in the recipe.

How to make the Best Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice

1. Cook the boil-in-bag rice following the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.
2. Add the Mirin, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper to a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk to combine. Set aside.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is golden brown (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.

4. Add the vegetables (frozen is fine). Cook for two minutes or until they defrost and any liquid evaporates.

5. Add the rice and sauce. Stir to combine and cook for one to two minutes or until any liquid evaporates.

6. Clear a space to cook the eggs by shoving the rice and vegetable mixture into the middle of the skillet. Add one-half tablespoon of oil to the cleared space. Add the eggs and scramble them. Once the eggs are cooked, chop them up into smaller pieces.

7. Toss in your chicken and shrimp, let them warm through, and give everything a final stir. Optionally, garnish with sliced scallions, and boom, dinner is served.

Serving suggestions

I consider this dish a complete meal and usually only serve it with chicken egg rolls or corned beef and cabbage egg rolls. If you want to add another side dish, my cucumber, tomatoes and onions in vinegar,or broccoli slaw with ramen noodles would be lovely.

Recipe variations

One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can totally customize this fried rice based on what you have in the fridge. Don’t have shrimp? No worries—throw in some leftover beef or pork. Want to go vegetarian? Just skip the meat, and you’ll still have a flavor-packed dish.

The options are endless. Instead of using frozen mixed veggies, feel free to add any veggies you have on hand—broccoli, zucchini, or bell peppers work great.

How to store and reheat leftovers

To store, let the fried rice cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

I like to reheat leftovers in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until they are warmed through. Add a tablespoon or so of water or chicken stock if they look dry.

Time-saving prep

Fried rice is best when made and served as soon as cooked. For that reason, it is hard to make the dish ahead of time. However, to save time, you can make the sauce, cook the rice, bacon, onion, and garlic a day ahead, and store them in the fridge.

This helps to make the cooking process seamless during a hectic weeknight or if you are serving guests.

Recipe FAQs

More one-skillet meals

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