Street style Chicken Fried Rice recipe | Spicy Chicken Fried Rice Indian style

Street style Chicken Fried Rice recipe – authentic Hyderabadi street style chicken fried rice made using cooked rice, fried chicken, veggies, spice powders, and a few Chinese sauces. It is one of the most popular versions of Chicken fried rice and is beloved for its spicy taste, and amazing flavor.

This version of chicken fried rice is commonly found in roadside hotels and street food carts (bandi) across the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Over time it has become popular and it is even served in food outlets in drive-ins, pubs, and a few restaurants.

Growing up in Maharashtra, I was obsessed with Chinese food in Mumbai. After relocating to Hyderabad, a new obsession started with street-style Chinese food.

Both are scrumptious but the ingredients vary. The South Indian street-style Chinese dishes are spicy as they are loaded with powdered spices and sauces.

Today I’m sharing one more tried and tested recipe of Indo-Chinese cuisine.

About Street style Chicken Fried Rice recipe

This Street style Chicken Fried Rice recipe is a great way to transform cooked leftover rice into a new dish that tastes Absolutely Delicious!

The rice is flavored and spiced with selective spice powders. Due to the addition of powdered spices and Chinese sauces, the aroma of street-style fried rice is irresistible.

The street style chicken fried rice recipe combines the spicy flavors of red chili powder, chicken masala, garam masala powder, green chili sauce, and yet the chicken fried rice is not overly spicy. However, you can adjust the spiciness by adding more or less according to your own liking.

There is nothing complicated about this street-style chicken fried rice. The beauty of this street-style chicken fried rice recipe is that it’s easily adaptable depending on what’s on hand. You can use virtually any type of veggies and spices.

Most of the street side stalls add ajinomoto/MSG/tasting salt to enhance the taste. At home, it can be skipped, and trust me the rice dish tastes good without any artificial taste enhancer.

For the chicken, there are three options;

1. Cut chicken into thin strips and then stir fry.

2. Cut the chicken into small pieces and boil them.

3. Marinate the chicken pieces and deep fry.

The traditional street style chicken fried rice recipe uses deep-fried chicken. Deep frying keeps the chicken moist and soft.

Chicken pieces marinated with spice powders and deep fried are unbelievably juicy and loaded with bold flavors. Adding egg to the marination acts as a binding agent and helps the marination adhere to the chicken.

In this recipe, I have separately cooked the short-grain rice by adding a little oil in a pressure cooker. You can cook the rice in a rice cooker, instant pot, or in a pan on the stovetop. After the rice is cooked, spread it on a plate and let it cool completely.

Try this street style chicken fried rice recipe once. I guarantee that next time you crave street Chinese food, you will consider making it yourself instead of ordering takeout.

Reasons to make

Quick to make.

Easy and fail-proof.

Easy to customize.

A great recipe to use the leftovers.

Loved by all age groups.

Go-to weekend dinner.

Bursting flavors.

Which rice to use for street-style fried rice?

Use medium or short grain, thick rice to make the street-style fried rice. They absorb the flavors well without getting mushy.

Pro Tips

To make perfect street-style chicken fried rice at home, you need to follow the below tips.

1. Rice plays an important role in any fried rice. The golden rule for any fried rice recipe is to use leftover rice or one-day-old rice. It is also one of the secrets to making delicious chicken fried rice.

2. Never use freshly cooked rice when hot. The freshly cooked rice has moisture and is still very soft. While stirring the rice grains will clump together and turn mushy.

3. If you are making fresh rice, cook at least an hour before. Cool the rice completely and if possible refrigerate uncovered for a few hours. Cold rice is drier and harder than fresh cooked rice. It retains the shape better under heat, helping you achieve a firmer texture that is the signature of outstanding fried rice.

4. Marinating the chicken makes a huge difference. I recommend marinating for at least 30 minutes. Marination tenderizes the chicken and the flavors seep in. Personally, I refrigerate marinated chicken overnight to maximize the flavor.

5. Cut the veggies into small and even sizes. Do not overcook the veggies, retain the crunch.

6. Use oil that has a neutral or subtle flavor. Do not use oil that will dominate the taste of fried rice.

7. If you are a beginner add small amounts of spice powders and sauces. Taste the rice and add more, if needed.

8. Use a wok or deep and wide pan with a thin base to replicate the flavors of Indo-Chinese dishes.

9. Make the fried rice on the highest flame burner and on high flame to give a smoky aroma and crisp flavor to the rice dish.

10. As it is a quick stir fry dish that takes just 5 minutes, keep all the ingredients ready and close at hand. This prevents overcooking or burning of the ingredients.

11. To make the fried rice use oil that is used for deep frying the chicken. It adds a nice flavor to the rice.

12. Add the spice powders and sauces over the rice and not on the veggies. It helps to retain the natural color of the vegetables.

13. Chinese sauces contain salt, so add accordingly.

14. Toss the rice well on high flame to coat all sides of each grain of rice with spices and sauces.

Ingredients

Cooked rice: In this recipe, I have used sona masoori rice. Use any medium-grain rice for typical street-style fried rice.

Chicken: I used boneless chicken breast cut into small pieces. This dish also goes well with boneless chicken thighs.

Marination: ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, garam masala, kashmiri red chili powder (substitute for food color), egg, salt, cornflour, and all-purpose flour.

Oil: I use sunflower oil as it has a neutral flavor.

Eggs: I have added 2 eggs. You can decrease or increase the number of eggs. In this recipe, eggs are added at two stages. First, in the marination, and second in the form of scrambled eggs.

Ginger-garlic: Use homemade/store-bought paste or finely chopped.

Vegetables: I have added french beans and carrot. These add a nice crunch to the fried rice. You can choose to add any other veggies with a crunch – mushroom, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, spring onions, etc go well. Frozen vegetables will work too.

Stir Fry sauces: It is a combination of light soy sauce, green chili sauce, and vinegar.

Other ingredients: chicken masala, curry leaves, and coriander leaves.

How to make Street style Chicken Fried Rice

Step 1: Cook the Rice

Cook 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water and 2 tsp of oil until it is done. The rice-to-water ratio will depend on the quality of the rice and the cooking method.

Once done, take the rice out and spread it on a plate.

Allow it to cool completely.

Step 2: Make the Fried Chicken

Take chicken pieces in a bowl and add ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix it well and marinate for 5-10 minutes.

Add half egg and give a good mix. Next, add maida, cornflour, and a few tablespoons of water. Mix well. Keep this marinated chicken aside for about 20 minutes. I’ve kept it in the refrigerator overnight.

Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, turn the flame to medium and drop the chicken pieces one by one and fry until they turn golden brown in color.

Take the fried chicken out onto a plate.

Step 3: Make the Chicken Fried Rice

Beat/whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. Keep it aside.

Can cut the big-size fried chicken pieces into 2 or 3.

Heat wok over high flame. When super hot, add oil and swirl it all around the wok. This creates a non-stick layer.

Add the whisked egg and allow it to set for 5 seconds.

Scramble the eggs, stirring vigorously, and scrap from the bottom of your wok. Push the scrambled eggs to one side. Note: do not over-fry the eggs.

Add fried chicken pieces, curry leaves, and ginger garlic paste. Saute for a few seconds until the raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped veggies and saute for 30 seconds. Retain the crunch of veggies.

Add the cooked rice and give a good stir.

Add red chili powder, chicken masala powder, garam masala, kashmiri red chili powder, salt, green chili sauce, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Saute vigorously over a high flame to combine all the ingredients well. Pause for 2-3 seconds and stir again so that the rice gets evenly heated. Taste test, and adjust the seasoning and spice if needed. Turn off the heat.

Lastly, add coriander leaves and give a gentle stir. Street style Chicken Fried Rice is ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions

This ultimate street style chicken fried rice is amazing on its own. Even at street carts, people enjoy it without any side sides. If you are in the mood to make an elaborate meal at home, you can serve fried rice with side dishes like Chili Chicken dry, Ginger Chicken, Chicken 65.

Storage Suggestions

Fried Rice tastes best when hot. You can store the chicken fried rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Before serving, reheat in a microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.

More Indo-Chinese recipes

Schezwan Fried Rice

Egg Fried Rice

If you’ve tried this Hyderabadi Street style Chicken Fried Rice recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated. Also, please share the recipes with your friends and family members.

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