This Jerk Chicken Fried Rice is what happens when I take classic fried rice and hit it with bold Caribbean flavor.
I start with boneless chicken thighs because they stay juicy and hold up beautifully to the jerk seasoning. I coat the chicken with wet jerk seasoning, dry jerk seasoning, paprika, salt and black pepper, then cook it until it's browned and packed with that spicy, smoky jerk flavor.
From there, I build the fried rice in the same skillet with red onion, red and green bell peppers, peas and scrambled eggs. Then I bring everything together with cold cooked rice, soy sauce and the jerk chicken.
What I really like about this recipe is that you get something different in almost every bite. You've got juicy jerk chicken, little pieces of egg, slightly crisp rice, sweet bell peppers and that savory soy sauce running through everything.
And that jerk seasoning changes the whole personality of the dish.
It's spicy, savory, slightly smoky and loaded with flavor, while still being simple enough to make at home.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
If you already love fried rice, this recipe gives you something familiar but with a completely different flavor profile.
The jerk chicken is really what separates it from regular chicken fried rice. You're getting the heat, spices and deeper savory notes from the jerk seasoning, then combining that with the soy sauce and fried rice.
The chicken thighs also stay juicy, while the vegetables add color and texture and the scrambled eggs make the fried rice feel complete.
Best of all, once you've got your rice prepared, the entire meal comes together quickly in one skillet.
It's also one of those recipes that's perfect for using leftover rice.
Variations
Jerk Shrimp Fried Rice: Replace the chicken thighs with 1½ pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp. Cook the shrimp quickly, remove them and add them back near the end.
Jerk Steak Fried Rice: Use thinly sliced sirloin or ribeye seasoned with jerk seasoning.
Jerk Chicken & Shrimp Fried Rice: Use about ¾ pound chicken and ¾ pound shrimp for a surf-and-turf version.
Pineapple Jerk Fried Rice: Add about 1 cup diced pineapple. The sweetness works especially well against the heat from the jerk seasoning.
Extra Spicy: Add sliced Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper when sautéing the vegetables.
Milder Version: Reduce the wet jerk seasoning to 1 tablespoon and omit the dry jerk seasoning.
Vegetable Fried Rice: Leave out the chicken and increase the peas, peppers and onions. Carrots, corn and cabbage would also work well.
Jerk Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken
- 1½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoon wet jerk seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dry jerk seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Fried Rice
- 4 cups cooked and cooled long-grain rice preferably day-old
- 1 small red onion chopped, about ¾ cup
- 1 red bell pepper diced, about 1 cup
- 1 green bell pepper diced, about 1 cup
- ½ cup green peas
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon butter divided
- 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- 1 to 2 teaspoon additional olive oil if needed for cooking
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and place them in a largebowl. Add the wet jerk seasoning, dryjerk seasoning, paprika, salt, black pepper and olive oil. Mix until everypiece of chicken is thoroughly coated. For even more flavor, you can cover thechicken and let it marinate for 30 minutes to several hours in therefrigerator.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or wok over medium-high to high heat. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken in an evenlayer. Cook for approximately 6 to 8minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken develops some darkcaramelization and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove the chicken from the skillet and setaside. Don't clean the skillet. All thatjerk seasoning left behind is going to help flavor the rice.
- Reduce the heat slightly and add 1 tablespoon butter. Crack in thethree eggs. Scramble until they're just cooked, breaking them into bite-sizedpieces. Remove the eggs and set them aside with the chicken.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Add the red onion, red bell pepper and greenbell pepper. Cook for approximately 2to 3 minutes. You want them slightly softened while still maintaining sometexture. Add the peas and cook for another minute.
- Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Add the 4 cups of cold cookedrice. Break apart any clumps with your spatula and toss the rice with thevegetables. Spread the rice across the hot skillet and allow portions of it tosit against the pan for 30 to 60 seconds before tossing again. This helps giveyou that fried rice texture instead of simply reheated rice.
- Pour 3 tablespoons light soy sauce around the rice rather thandumping it all into one spot. Toss everything together until the rice is evenlycoated.
- Return the cooked jerk chicken and scrambled eggs to the skillet. Toss everything together thoroughly. Let themixture cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the flavors from thejerk chicken, soy sauce and vegetables to work their way through the rice.
- Turn off the heat and add the ¼ cup sliced green onions. Giveeverything one final toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Serve the Jerk Chicken Fried Rice immediately while it's hot.
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