Better than takeout and easy to make, this chicken and shrimp fried rice is incredibly delicious and satisfying! Tender chicken and shrimp, mixed with fresh veggies, scrambled eggs and rice, this recipe is sure to be loved by the whole family! Let me show you how to make it!

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Why you'll love this recipe
- Absolutely delicious! It tastes like a takeout fried rice but even better! It's well balanced, not overly salty, full of veggies and the chicken and shrimp together is such a good match! It's high in protein, nutritious and very satisfying.
- It's easy to make! Don't be intimidated by the amount of steps, it's literally just adding things in so it's all cooked perfectly. It's a one-pot meal, restaurant-quality made at home, and ready to eat in roughly 30 minutes!
- A crowd-pleaser! This is a great meal to make for a gathering with friends and family, and everyone will love it! You might also like this shrimp and pineapple fried rice and egg roll in a bowl.

Key Ingredients and Variations
- Chicken breast: cut it in small bite pieces. The chicken gets tenderized for 10 minutes with a little baking soda, rice vinegar and soy sauce. I HIGHLY recommend doing this step called velveting the chicken, it'll give you that super tender chicken you find in traditional delicious Chinese food. It's a game changer!
- Medium shrimp: I use medium shrimp so there's no need to chop them, but you can absolutely use large or jumbo. Cook them first, then chop them in a couple pieces before adding them to the fried rice. If possible, don't use tiny shrimp though.
- Cold cooked rice: this is the key to a successful fried rice. The rice must be pre-cooked and cooled or leftover. If you use fresh warm rice, the chicken and shrimp fried rice will most likely get mushy a bit.
- Veggies: I use fresh onion, carrots, zucchini, garlic, green onions and canned corn. You can absolutely use peas if you wish (I don't cook with peas as my son is highly allergic) and you can even use a frozen pack of mixed veggies or frozen corn. Those won't take as long to cook as fresh, so just reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.
- Eggs: love the addition of scrambled eggs in fried rice. Extra protein.
- Sesame oil: it adds that delicious Asian flavor that really works in fried rice.
- Soy sauce: you can also replace it with lite tamari (regular can be very salty) or coconut aminos which are both gluten-free.

How to make chicken and shrimp fried rice
- You'll need a large skillet with high sides or a wok for this recipe, this is a one-pot recipe.
- But you'll also need a bowl, a couple plates and a strainer.

Marinate the chicken for 10 to 15 min max with baking soda, rice vinegar and soy sauce.

Then add the chicken to a strainer and rinse it well under cold water. Pat it with paper towels to dry.

Cook the shrimp for 3-4 min. Then set side.

Cook the chicken for about 5 min, then set aside.

Add the onions and carrots and cook for a few min.

Then add zucchini and continue cooking for 6-7 min.

Add the garlic, corn, green onions and sesame oil.

Then add the cold rice and soy sauce.

Scramble the eggs.

Add the cooked shrimp and chicken, cook for a few min and serve.
More Chicken Recipes
If you love chicken check these out!
Tips
- I'm repeating myself, but for best results use cold rice, leftover rice or cook the rice a few hours prior and let it cool in the fridge.
- Try to follow the order of the steps of this recipe. It'll insure that every ingredients is cooked perfectly, and nothing is under or overcooked.
- Add some spice if you wish! Hot sauce like Sriracha, red pepper flakes or anything you love.
- Make sure all your ingredients are prepped and ready to go as everything gets added in pretty quickly .
Frequently Asked questions
I love jasmine, basmati and long grain rice for fried rice.
Yes absolutely, but they need to be thawed before cooking them. To do so, take the shrimp out of the freezer the night before and keep them in the fridge to thaw. For a quicker method, add the frozen shrimp to a sealed bag, and submerge them in cold water for about 15 minutes. Make sure the water is cold, defrosting seafood or meat in warm water is not safe.

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Chicken and Shrimp Fried Rice
Equipment
- 2 plates
- paper towels
- large skillet or wok
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
To tenderize the chicken
- ¾ pound chicken breast sliced small in bite size pieces
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
For the fried rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or more if needed
- ¾ pound medium shrimp cleaned, deveined, tail off, thawed if frozen
- ½ onion about ½ cup finely diced
- 2 carrots about ½ cup finely diced
- 1 zucchini about ½ cup finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ cup corn kernels drained from a can
- 3-4 sprigs green onions finely sliced, reserve some for garnish
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 4 cups cold cooked rice
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 eggs well beaten
Instructions
- Before you start this recipe, make sure you have pre-cooked or leftover cold rice. It's an important part of a delicious fried rice. If you use just cooked hot fresh rice, the fried rice might get a little mushy.
- Prep all the veggies by dicing them. Make sure the shrimp are peeled, cleaned and deveined.
- In a bowl, stir the diced chicken with baking soda, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once halfway.
- Once the chicken has marinated, place it in a mesh strainer and rinse it well under cold water. Place it on a plate or bowl, and pat it with paper towels to soak extra moisture.
- In the large skillet, heat olive oil, once hot add the shrimp in one single layer, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, turn heat to medium-high and cook for 3-4 minutes until no longer translucent, flipping halfway. Then remove the shrimp and set them aside on a plate.
- Heat up a tad more oil if needed, then add the chicken in a single layer, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink, flipping it a few times. Then remove and set aside on a plate. Drain any liquid left from the chicken in the skillet if needed.
- Add a tad more oil if needed, then add onions and carrots and cook on medium-high heat stirring often for 3-4 minutes.
- Add zucchini and continue cooking for 6-7 minutes or until all the veggies are tender, stirring often.
- Add the corn, garlic, sesame oil, and green onions, cook for 2 minutes stirring often.
- Add the rice and soy sauce, mix it in and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Push everything to one side, turn the heat down to medium/medium-low, then add the beaten eggs to the empty side and scramble them until fully cooked, 3-5 minutes.
- Stir the scrambled eggs in the rice, add the cooked shrimp and chicken, mix everything, bring the heat back up to medium-high, and cook for 3-4 minutes until everything is warm. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, or soy sauce if needed. Serve right away. Sprinkle sliced green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: can be replaced with lite tamari or coconut aminos to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Storage: leftovers can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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