Chef Note - Better-Than-Takeaway Roast Chicken Fried Rice

Chef Jason’s 6 Rules for Good Fried Rice

1. Cold rice matters

Freshly cooked hot rice contains plenty of moisture and can produce soft, sticky fried rice.Use properly chilled cooked rice whenever possible.

2. Don't drown it in soy sauce

For approximately 4 cups rice, 2½ tablespoons soy sauce + 1 tablespoon oyster sauce gives plenty of seasoning.Fried rice should taste savoury—not like rice floating in soy sauce.

3. Use a large pan

Overcrowding traps steam.If your frying pan is small, cook the recipe in two batches.That is much better than putting everything into a small pan at once.

4. Use fairly high heat

You want frying rather than steaming.But once ingredients begin burning instead of browning, your pan is too hot.

5. Add sesame oil near the end

Sesame oil is primarily there for aroma and flavour.It does not need to be the main frying oil.

6. Don't overcook the roast chicken

Kendra's supermarket chicken has already been cooked.Add it after the rice has started frying and give it only enough time to become thoroughly hot.

Why Oyster Sauce?

Oyster sauce gives the fried rice a deeper savoury flavour without requiring a large quantity of soy sauce.

If Kendra doesn't have oyster sauce, use:

1 additional tablespoon light soy sauce + ½ teaspoon sugar.The flavour will be slightly different but the recipe will still work.For a vegetarian-style sauce substitution when using another protein, use a mushroom-based stir-fry sauce.

Easy Substitutions

No frozen peas and carrots?

Use approximately 150 g total of:

• Corn

• Finely diced carrot

• Peas

• Capsicum

• Broccoli

• Green beans

Cut harder vegetables quite small so they cook quickly.

No spring onion?

• Finely diced brown onion

• Red onion

• Chives

If using brown onion, cook it for 2–3 minutes before adding the other vegetables.

No sesame oil?

Leave it out.The recipe still works; it simply loses some of the familiar fried-rice aroma.

No day-old rice?

Cook the rice ahead, spread it in a shallow container so it cools quickly, then refrigerate it promptly. Do not leave cooked rice sitting around at room temperature for hours to “dry out.” FSANZ recommends rapidly cooling cooked foods that will be stored, including using smaller or shallow containers.

Common Mistakes

Wet fried rice: Usually caused by warm rice, too much sauce or overcrowding.

Mushy rice: The rice was probably freshly cooked or stirred too aggressively.

Burnt garlic: Garlic needs only about 20–30 seconds before the rice goes in.

Dry chicken: The cooked roast chicken was fried for too long.

Bland fried rice: Don't immediately add lots more soy sauce. First check whether it needs pepper, spring onion or a little more oyster sauce.

Greasy fried rice: Two tablespoons of oil is enough for this amount in a good non-stick or seasoned pan.

If Kendra Wants It Spicy

• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes

• Fresh sliced chilli

• Sriracha

• Chilli crisp at the table

I would keep chilli out of the base recipe so it remains family-friendly.

What to Serve With It

This is substantial enough to be dinner by itself, but you could add:

• Steamed Asian greens

• Cucumber salad

• Stir-fried broccoli

• Edamame

• Spring rolls for an occasional takeaway-style dinner

Storage

Rice needs particular care when storing leftovers. FSANZ recommends cooling cooked food quickly and keeping refrigerated food at 5°C or colder. Refrigerated leftovers should generally be used within a few days; FSANZ's specific B. cereus guidance advises disposing of refrigerated leftovers after 3–4 days, with shorter limits for vulnerable people.

Also remember: making fried rice does not reset the age of Kendra's supermarket roast chicken. Take into account how long both the chicken and cooked rice had already been stored before making the dish.