Baked chicken fried rice Recipe Inspired by Jamie Oliver
As a genuine fan of Nagi Maehashi’s practical, big-flavor cooking, I had to try this clever oven method for myself. I made it on a busy evening and was delighted that the promise held up: uncooked rice goes straight into the roasting pan, the chicken marinates while the rice starts baking, and there is no need to manage a smoking-hot wok. The finished rice was fluffy and moist rather than heavy, with savory depth from stock, soy, Chinese cooking wine, garlic, bacon and sesame oil. Sweet corn, carrots and peas kept each forkful colorful, while the chicken thighs stayed juicy. I added the optional soft scrambled egg at the end and liked the tender ribbons running through the grains. The detail I found most useful was the two-stage bake. Keeping the rice tightly covered for the first 25 minutes lets it absorb the seasoned stock; only then does the marinated chicken go over the surface for 20 minutes uncovered. A metal 23 x 33 cm pan and fully submerged rice are important, and the final 10-minute covered rest makes the grains much easier to lift and separate. I served the pan as a relaxed family dinner with its sliced green onion scattered on top. It comfortably made four main-course portions, and I appreciated Nagi’s practical storage guidance: leftovers keep for three days in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer, making this a useful cook-once lunch option too.
Foodmitrecipe
Per 1/4 of recipe, with bacon and egg
Nutrition for Baked chicken fried rice
- Saturated fat
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugars
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 1320 mg
Estimated values. Nutrition values are approximate. More precise calculations will be added in a future update.
How to make Baked chicken fried rice
-
Step 1
Heat the oven and choose the pan
Preheat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan-forced. Have a 23 x 33 cm metal roasting pan ready; this recipe is designed for metal, not a ceramic or glass dish.
-
Step 2
Build the rice layer and bake it covered
Put the uncooked rice, 375 ml stock, 1½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cooking wine, 2 minced garlic cloves and the white pepper in the metal pan. Gently shake the pan to level the rice, checking that every grain sits beneath the liquid. Scatter the still-frozen vegetables evenly over the surface, followed by the bacon or ham. Seal the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. For the alcohol-free option, omit both tablespoons of cooking wine from the recipe, add the extra 60 ml stock here and extend this covered bake by 1 minute.
-
Step 3
Marinate the chicken
While the rice is in its covered bake, place the chicken pieces in a bowl with the oyster sauce, the remaining 1 tablespoon cooking wine, the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil and the remaining minced garlic clove. Mix until every piece is evenly coated, then leave the chicken to marinate for the rest of the first bake.
-
Step 4
Add the chicken and bake uncovered
Take the pan from the oven, carefully lift off the foil and keep it for the resting stage. Arrange the marinated chicken across the rice in a single, even layer. Return the pan to the oven without the foil and bake for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through with no pink remaining in the center and the rice has absorbed the seasoned liquid.
-
Step 5
Rest, loosen and finish
Remove the pan from the oven, replace the reserved foil and leave it undisturbed for 10 minutes. If using the eggs, whisk them and scramble them in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat with the neutral oil just until set, then transfer them to a bowl. After the rice has rested, use a rubber paddle to turn it over from the bottom and gently separate the grains. Fold in the scrambled egg, drizzle over the remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil, add the sliced green onion and toss gently before serving.
Use long-grain, basmati or medium-grain white rice for this timing; risotto, paella, brown and sushi rice absorb differently and are not suitable swaps here.
Baked chicken fried rice, ready to serve
Serving ideas for Baked chicken fried rice
Choose a presentation that fits the occasion, from relaxed sharing to individual plates.
Weeknight pan-to-table dinner
For the way I first enjoyed it, I would carry the metal pan to the table on a sturdy trivet and let everyone spoon out a portion while the rice is still warm. The colorful peas, corn and carrots are most inviting when the surface stays loose rather than being pressed flat, so I would finish with the sliced green onion and a few visible pieces of soft egg. Deep everyday bowls and broad spoons make this relaxed enough for a family dinner, while a simple plate of sliced cucumber alongside offers a cool, crisp contrast without competing with the savory rice.
Make-ahead lunch bowls
For lunches, I would divide the cooled rice into four practical containers so the chicken, vegetables and grains stay evenly distributed rather than leaving one portion short. A microwave-safe bowl works well for serving, and I would reheat the rice until thoroughly hot before adding a small scattering of green onion for freshness. The original storage guidance makes planning straightforward: keep portions in the refrigerator for no more than three days, or freeze them for up to three months. This presentation is less formal, but the separate colors and pieces still make a reheated portion feel like a complete meal.
Casual shared supper
When serving friends, I would transfer the loosened rice to a wide, shallow platter so the chicken and golden egg pieces remain visible across the top. A large serving spoon lets guests take a balanced scoop, and small dark bowls give the pale rice and bright vegetables a clean backdrop. I would place a dish of simply cooked greens and some cool cucumber on the table, keeping the accompaniments restrained because the rice already carries soy, oyster sauce, bacon, garlic and sesame. It is an easygoing shared presentation that still shows off the varied texture of the finished dish.
Let’s cook Baked chicken fried rice together
Check off your ingredients, follow each step, and start the timers when you are ready.
Get everything ready
Step-by-step with timers
Heat the oven and choose the pan
Preheat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan-forced. Have a 23 x 33 cm metal roasting pan ready; this recipe is designed for metal, not a ceramic or glass dish.
Build the rice layer and bake it covered
Put the uncooked rice, 375 ml stock, 1½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cooking wine, 2 minced garlic cloves and the white pepper in the metal pan. Gently shake the pan to level the rice, checking that every grain sits beneath the liquid. Scatter the still-frozen vegetables evenly over the surface, followed by the bacon or ham. Seal the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. For the alcohol-free option, omit both tablespoons of cooking wine from the recipe, add the extra 60 ml stock here and extend this covered bake by 1 minute.
Marinate the chicken
While the rice is in its covered bake, place the chicken pieces in a bowl with the oyster sauce, the remaining 1 tablespoon cooking wine, the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil and the remaining minced garlic clove. Mix until every piece is evenly coated, then leave the chicken to marinate for the rest of the first bake.
Add the chicken and bake uncovered
Take the pan from the oven, carefully lift off the foil and keep it for the resting stage. Arrange the marinated chicken across the rice in a single, even layer. Return the pan to the oven without the foil and bake for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through with no pink remaining in the center and the rice has absorbed the seasoned liquid.
Rest, loosen and finish
Remove the pan from the oven, replace the reserved foil and leave it undisturbed for 10 minutes. If using the eggs, whisk them and scramble them in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat with the neutral oil just until set, then transfer them to a bowl. After the rice has rested, use a rubber paddle to turn it over from the bottom and gently separate the grains. Fold in the scrambled egg, drizzle over the remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil, add the sliced green onion and toss gently before serving.
The story behind Baked chicken fried rice
Recipe notes by Sophie
The recipe that won me over
I have followed Nagi Maehashi’s recipes because she is unusually good at explaining why a shortcut still produces a satisfying dinner. Even so, I approached oven-made fried rice with a little caution. Fried rice usually means cold cooked rice, fierce heat and quick tossing, so beginning with dry grains in a roasting pan felt almost too convenient. Once I cooked this particular recipe, that doubt disappeared. The aroma that escaped when I removed the foil was deeply savory, and the pan looked generous rather than merely practical. After the rest, the grains separated with a gentle turn of the paddle, while the vegetables, bacon and chicken were spread through every portion. It tasted like a thoughtfully composed meal, not a compromise made for speed, and that is exactly the sort of cleverness I admire in Nagi’s cooking.
What mattered in my kitchen
The process taught me that the small instructions carry the recipe. I used the specified metal pan, leveled the uncooked rice and paused to make sure no grains were sitting above the stock. I also resisted thawing the vegetables; they went over the rice straight from the freezer, with the chopped bacon scattered last. During that first covered bake, I mixed the thigh pieces with oyster sauce, soy, cooking wine, sesame oil and garlic, so the waiting time did useful work. Adding the chicken only after the rice had baked for 25 minutes kept the pieces on the surface in a single layer instead of burying them in liquid. At the end of the uncovered bake, I checked that the chicken had no pink center and that the liquid was absorbed. The covered rest then softened the final edges of the process, making the rice noticeably easier to loosen without crushing it.
The finishing touches I would keep
I chose bacon and included the optional scrambled eggs, and both additions made the finished pan feel especially abundant. The egg was simplest cooked separately, just as Nagi advises: a quick scramble in a non-stick pan until barely set gave me soft pieces that folded through without disappearing. The final sesame oil was also worth treating as a finish rather than adding early, because its aroma was clear when the warm rice was tossed. Next time I would be equally happy using the permitted ham swap, but I would not change the rice casually; this timing is intended for long-grain white rice, with basmati or medium-grain white rice as the supported alternatives. I portioned the leftovers only after dinner and liked knowing they could be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to three months.