Easy Cabbage & Chicken Fried Rice
Crispy chicken, tender cabbage, and savory fried rice - all in one wok.
This Cabbage and Chicken Fried Rice is the kind of dinner that makes you wonder why you ever considered ordering takeout. Tender pieces of chicken, lightly browned cabbage, fluffy rice, and eggs come together with simple soy sauce and a little sesame oil for plenty of savory flavor.
It’s also a great way to turn leftover rice and a few everyday ingredients into a complete meal. No complicated sauce, specialty seasoning, or long ingredient list required.
And because the cabbage cooks separately before going back into the wok, it keeps some of its texture instead of disappearing into the rice.
Why you’ll love this recipe.
A complete meal in one wok
A great use for leftover rice
Simple, everyday ingredients
No complicated sauce or spice blend
Ready in about 30 minutes
Easy to customize with whatever vegetables you have
Beginner-friendly
Great for meal prep
A delicious way to eat more cabbage
A little about Fried Rice
Fried rice is found throughout Asia, with countless regional versions and combinations of rice, vegetables, eggs, meat, seafood, and seasonings.
The basic idea is beautifully practical: take cooked rice and transform it into something completely new by stir-frying it with other ingredients.
This version isn't meant to represent one specific traditional regional fried rice. It's a simple, home-cook-friendly version built around chicken, cabbage, eggs, and soy sauce.
The key is less about following a complicated recipe and more about cooking each ingredient properly before bringing everything together.
Ingredient spotlight.
Napa cabbage is tender, slightly sweet, and cooks quickly, making it perfect for fried rice. It also adds moisture and texture without overpowering the other ingredients.
Green cabbage works beautifully too.
Chicken breast keeps this dish lean and cooks quickly when cut into small pieces. Coating it with cornstarch helps create a lightly crisp exterior while keeping the chicken juicy inside.
Day-old refrigerated rice is ideal for fried rice. Once chilled, the grains are firmer and less sticky, so they separate more easily in the wok.
Soy sauce provides the main savory, salty flavor. Dividing it throughout the cooking process allows each ingredient to be seasoned rather than simply pouring it all over the finished dish.
Sesame oil at the end adds that distinctive toasted, nutty aroma. Because sesame oil is strongly flavored, you don't need much.
Eggs add richness, protein, and another texture to the rice. Cooking them directly in the wok with the rice also helps coat some of the grains.
Easy ingredient swaps.
If you don’t have Napa cabbage, green cabbage or bok choy a re perfect options
Swap chicken breast for boneless chicken thighs, leftover cooked chicken, shrimp, thinly sliced beef or pork
White rice works perfectly, but you can also use brown rice, jasmine rice or basmati rice. For the best fried rice texture, use cooked and chilled rice.
This is an excellent “use what you’ve got” recipe. Try adding carrots, peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, bean sprouts, broccoli, or green beans.
Beginner tips for success.
Freshly cooked rice contains a lot of moisture, which makes the grains soft and sticky. When you try to fry it, that moisture can cause the rice to steam instead of fry.
As cooked rice cools in the refrigerator, the grains firm up and become easier to separate. That’s why leftover rice from the day before is so useful for fried rice.
The drier and firmer the rice, the better chance you have of getting individual, nicely fried grains instead of a sticky mass.
No leftover rice? Cook it ahead, spread it out on a tray to cool, and refrigerate it before making your fried rice.
*Prep everything first. Once you start cooking, things move quickly. Have the chicken, cabbage, rice, eggs, and seasonings ready to go.
*Don’t overcrowd the wok. You want to fry, not steam. And cook the ingredients separately. Chicken first, cabbage next, then the rice and eggs. This gives each ingredient the heat and space it needs.
What to serve with Cabbage and Chicken Fried Rice.
Honestly, this can be a complete meal on its own.
But if you’re serving it as part of a larger Asian-inspired dinner, pair it with:
Cucumber salad
Pickled vegetables
Spring rolls
Asian style grilled chicken
Dumplings
Stir fried vegetables
Make it a complete meal.
You've already got:
Protein: Chicken + eggs
Carbohydrate: Rice
Vegetables: Cabbage + green onion
Flavor: Soy sauce + sesame oil
For an easy dinner, serve the fried rice with a simple cucumber salad or some fresh fruit on the side.
Easy Cabbage & Chicken Fried Rice
This Cabbage and Chicken Fried Rice is the kind of dinner that makes you wonder why you ever considered ordering takeout. Tender pieces of chicken, lightly browned cabbage, fluffy rice, and eggs come together with simple soy sauce and a little sesame oil for plenty of savory flavor.
Ingredients
- ½ Napa cabbage, cut into small pieces
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups cooked rice, preferably chilled
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅓ cup soy sauce, divided
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the cornstarch. Mix well until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Cut the cabbage into small pieces. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5–7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.
- Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to the wok. Add the cabbage and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Stir-fry until just tender but still slightly crisp. Remove and set aside with the chicken.
- Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the wok. Add the cooked rice and stir-fry until the grains loosen and separate.
- Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and continue frying for about 1 minute.
- Push the rice to one side of the wok, creating an empty space.
- Pour the beaten eggs into the empty area. Stir the eggs gently to begin cooking, then gradually incorporate the rice into the eggs bit by bit until everything is combined.
- Continue frying for about 2 minutes.
- Return the cooked chicken and cabbage to the wok. Toss everything together and cook until heated through.
- Transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with sliced green onion.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cold leftover rice is your friend. It produces much better fried rice than freshly cooked, steaming-hot rice.
- Cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces so it cooks at the same rate.
- Don't skip the cornstarch—it helps give the chicken that lightly crisp coating.
- Keep the cabbage slightly crisp rather than cooking it until completely soft.
- You can easily turn this into a “give me what you got” dinner by swapping in whatever protein and vegetables are sitting in your fridge.
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This Cabbage and Chicken Fried Rice is the kind of dinner that makes you wonder why you ever considered ordering takeout. Tender pieces of chicken, lightly browned cabbage, fluffy rice, and eggs come together with simple soy sauce and a little sesame oil for plenty of savory flavor.