This easy Peanut Chicken Fried Rice recipe is a flavorful twist on classic fried rice, made with ground chicken, cabbage, and snow peas in a creamy homemade peanut sauce. It’s a quick weeknight dinner that’s full of protein and vegetables, perfect for anyone who loves simple takeout-style meals made right at home.
Why You’ll Love This Peanut Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
This Peanut Chicken Fried Rice takes your favorite takeout flavors and makes them even better! Fresh ingredients that are totally adaptable and a homemade peanut sauce that brings everything together.
- Quick and easy: Ready in about 30 minutes for the perfect weeknight dinner.
- Packed with flavor: The creamy peanut sauce adds the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and nutty goodness.
- Better than takeout: Fresh veggies and ground chicken make this version lighter, fresher, and just as satisfying.
How To Make
Start by making our homemade peanut sauce. I promise it’ll only take you about 5 minutes, even less. Everything gets added to a bowl and microwaved, it couldn’t be easier and it’s definitely so much better than store bought.
- Once the peanut sauce is made, cook and crumble ground chicken in a skillet, draining off the drippings. Add shredded cabbage and carrots along with chopped snow peas or sugar snap peas. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
- Add cooked rice and seasonings (head to the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients) and toss together until the rice is warmed through. Toss with the peanut sauce – you might not use it all, start with a few tablespoons – and then serve.
Tips For Best Results
Day old rice or at least cooked, cooled and refrigerated rice works best. If you add freshly cooked, hot rice to this recipe it can result in a mushy texture. Having all of the ingredients on hand and ready to go is also a key to success, this is a quick cooking dinner recipe so you don’t want to be fumbling around for ingredients.
Make sure that you don’t overcook the vegetables, we’re looking for a crisp, crunchy texture, not mushy anything. This entire recipe from start to finish should only take about 20 minutes. Another reason why you want all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go.
Variations
There’s so many ways that you can make this peanut chicken fried rice recipe your own. Swapping out the protein or the vegetables, even the flavor of the sauce. If you’re looking for a way to cut down on the carbs, try our Homemade Cauliflower Rice!
- Different vegetables: Try using chopped broccoli, cauliflower, peas or spinach. Pretty much any vegetable you like or have on hand will work in this fried rice recipe.
- Different protein: Instead of ground chicken, you can try using ground pork or ground beef. You can even stir in cooked protein at the end of the recipe like grilled steak or a rotisserie chicken.
- Different sauce: If peanut sauce isn’t your thing, try our Homemade Stir Fry Sauce.
Looking For More Fried Rice Recipes?
- Steak Fajita Fried Rice
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Hibachi Style Pork Fried Rice
- Philly Cheesesteak Fried Rice
- BBQ Pork Fried Rice
- Corned Beef & Cabbage Fried Rice
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Peanut Chicken Fried Rice
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis Peanut Chicken Fried Rice is a quick and flavorful dinner made with ground chicken, cabbage, and snow peas tossed in a creamy homemade peanut sauce. A weeknight favorite that’s better than takeout!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste (or grated fresh ginger)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups shredded cabbage (can also use a coleslaw mix from the store)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups snow peas or sugar snap peas, roughly chopped
- 4 cups cooked white rice, cooled completely (day old is preferred but not a necessity)
- Peanut Sauce Recipe
Garnish:
- Sriracha
- Chopped peanuts
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Start by making the peanut sauce and set aside.
- Add the oil to a large skillet (at least 13 inch) or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, cooking while breaking up into crumbles until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain any drippings from the skillet.
- Add the diced onion to the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened, then add the chopped garlic, ginger paste, salt, cabbage, carrots and sugar snap peas. Stir to combine and cook for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the rice and stir to combine.
- Pour the peanut sauce over the fried rice a little at a time and toss together until you get the consistency that you like. If the sauce has become too thick, add a splash of water and microwave for 15-30 seconds to loosen it up. You might not need all of the peanut sauce, we prefer the fried rice to be less “saucy” but add as much or as little as you like!
- Garnish with chopped peanuts, sriracha and cilantro if desired.
Recipe Notes
Store: Store leftover fried rice in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat fried rice in the microwave until warmed through.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
I used quinoa (3 colours) instead of rice. Worked perfectly, and very attractive !
This turned out so good. My husband and I both loved it!
This turned out so good. My husband and I both loved it.
When do you add the rice?
Sorry about that – I just updated that for you!
How much rice is there supposed to be? I don’t see an amount in the recipe.
It’s 4 1/2 cups, is that showing up for you now?