Benihana Chicken Fried Rice
Benihana Chicken Fried Rice is my new favorite dish (I’ve already made it again – it’s so good!) – PLUS it’s so easy to capture the flavor at home! This fried rice is loaded with tender chicken, savory vegetables, fluffy scrambled eggs and a zippy garlic butter!
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What You Will ❤️ About Benihana’s Fried Rice
- Simple Ingredients – rice, chicken, veggies & butter
- Craveworthy – there are just times you can’t get a dish out of your head – but I don’t have a Japanese Steakhouse within 45 minutes of me! Now I can get that taste anytime – at home!
- Flexible – don’t want chicken? Swap and add shrimp! Don’t have carrots? Leave them out! It’s easy to make swaps with this dish!
🔍 COPYCAT SECRETS UNCOVERED!
Don’t miss these tips to be sure your Chicken Fried Rice is identical to Benihana:
- Cook the Rice Ahead of Time
- You can’t have Chicken Fried Rice without the rice so getting it cooked and ready the night before is crucial to making this recipe as authentic as you can. I did this with my Hexclad Pan. This is one of my favorite pans I’ve used and it’s perfect for making rice in!
- Make Extra Garlic Butter
- Since a lot of the flavor comes from the garlic butter, make sure that you have more than enough to get you through dinner. That isn’t something you’re going to want to run out of!
- Finish With Texture
- I recommend adding something at the end of this dish to add a bit of a delicious crunch and difference of texture. I used sesame seeds but if you don’t have it, scallions or everything bagel seasoning adds a nice crunch.
Ingredients for Chicken Fried Rice
I love the simple ingredients for this fried rice recipe. Rice, veggies, chicken and butter! So delicious when it all comes together. (I should have made a double batch!) Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cooked White Rice – cook rice the day before so it can dry out a bit
- Carrots
- White Onion & Green Onion
- Whole Eggs – I used 3, but you can add more if you like or less – use what you like!
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – I used 1 lb but you could easily use .5 pound and still have a completely fulfilling dinner
- Dice the chicken in a small 1/2″ dice so it’s similar in size to the carrots
- Salt/Pepper/Oil
- Benihana uses Safflower Oil – I opted for Canola Oil. I’m not one to buy a special oil for one recipe. More on this in the tips & tricks below.
- Softened Butter – recommend salted butter
- Garlic – you can use fresh or jarred – or if you have none – use 1-2 tsp garlic powder
- Lemon Juice – fresh is always best but bottled is fine
- Soy Sauce – a little for the butter, a little more for dinner
- Sesame Seeds – adds a nice texture
Supplies Used
- Tongs – these tongs are so helpful when it comes to cooking our chicken! Makes cleanup an absolute breeze!
- Chef’s Knife – this recipe has a lot of things that we need to cut up into small pieces and this knife is perfect. It’s my favorite in the kitchen!
How to Make Benihana Chicken Fried Rice
For Chicken Fried Rice – it’s easiest to make all the ingredients separately and then you bring them all together in the end. That said – it’s about 30 minutes from start to finish for this perfect copycat recipe!
- COOK rice according to package directions and refrigerate overnight so it dries a bit
- Ben’s Original White Rice: 1 cup rice, 2 1/4 cups of water = 4 cups cooked rice
- To make Benihana Garlic Butter: In a medium bowl, mix together softened butter, garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce and mix until there are no clumps. You could use a small electric mixer to incorporate more quickly.
- OVER medium heat in an extra large 12″ skillet (or on a flat grill), add canola oil. Add in white onion and carrots and sauce until softened and starting to brown. In the last minute or two, add half the green onion. Remove veggies from pan and set aside.
- It’s hard to capture the hibachi restaurant experience at home – but you’ll be want to use a wok or at least a 12″ skillet
- NEXT, add 1 tbsp canola oil to skillet. Once oil is hot, add diced chicken and season with a pinch of salt & black pepper. Saute until cooked through – in the last minute or two of cooking, add 1 tbsp garlic butter. Remove chicken from pan and set aside with vegetables.
- IN A MEDIUM BOWL, scramble the eggs. Add 1 tsp of garlic butter to hot pan. Once melted, add beaten eggs and lightly scramble. Remove from pan and set aside.
- WIPE OUT pan and add 1 tbsp canola oil over high heat. Add day-old rice and mix it well so it gets coated with oil. Add remaining garlic butter. Stir so that rice gets thoroughly coated in the garlic butter. Press the rice into the pan and up the sides so it has a chance to get golden brown and a little crispy using your spatula.
- ADD in the vegetables, white meat chicken and egg. Chop and stir until combined.
- SERVE in four bowls and top with remaining green onions, sesame seeds and soy sauce.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
- What kind of oil does Benihana cook with? They use Safflower Oil – I opted for Canola oil. You could also use Peanut Oil or Vegetable Oil. You want something with a higher smoke point – thus you should NOT use Olive Oil.
- What kind of rice is best for Benihana fried rice recipe? Medium grain white rice is good but you can also use jasmine rice.
- Why do I need to make the rice the day before? If you are doing fried rice – it’s a good idea to cook the rice the day before. Leave it in the fridge overnight (covered lightly with plastic wrap) so it can dry out a bit. This will allow it to “fry” a little more quickly and not stick together.
- How do you store and reheat leftover hibachi chicken rice? Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass storage containers) in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can put in freezer for up to three months. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Protein – if you’re not feeling chicken, you can easily swap out shrimp or steak. If using shrimp, you won’t dice it up – just saute whole and add to rice at end.
- Veggies – add more veggies! When you saute the onion & carrot, you could add broccoli and mushrooms for more veggies.
- Spicy Kick – want to add some spice? Sprinkle in red pepper flakes or a dash of sriracha when you serve.
- Side Dish – leave out the protein and just have veggie fried rice as a side dish or vegetarian meal.
More Fried Rice Recipes
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Benihana Chicken Fried Rice
Benihana Chicken Fried Rice is a favorite dish and it's so easy to capture the flavor at home! This fried rice is loaded with tender chicken, savory vegetables, fluffy scrambled eggs and a zippy garlic butter!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked white rice
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1/2 white onion diced
- 1/2 bunch green onions diced
- 3 eggs
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/2" dice
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
- 3 tbsp canola oil
Benihana Garlic Butter
- 1/2 stick salted butter softened
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions4 cups cooked white rice
- Fluff the rice with a spoon to separate the granules as much as possible. Then, store it in a shallow container or large baking dish. Refrigerate overnight so it dries out a bit. You can lightly cover with plastic wrap but don’t seal tightly.
- To make Benihana Garlic Butter: In a medium bowl, mix together softened butter, garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce and mix well. You could use a small electric mixer to incorporate more quickly.1/2 stick salted butter, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp soy sauce
- In an extra large 12" skillet (or on a flat top griddle) over medium high heat, add canola oil. Add in white onion and carrots and sauce until softened and starting to brown. In the last minute or two, add half the green onion. Remove veggies from pan and set aside.1 large carrot, 1/2 white onion, 3 tbsp canola oil, 1/2 bunch green onions
- Next, add 1 tbsp canola oil to skillet. Once oil is hot, add diced chicken and season with a pinch of salt & pepper. Saute until cooked through – in the last minute or two of cooking, add 1 tbsp garlic butter. Remove chicken from pan and set aside with vegetables.1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, pinch salt, 3 tbsp canola oil, pinch black pepper
- In a medium bowl, scramble the eggs. Add 1 tsp of garlic butter to hot pan. Once melted, add eggs and lightly scramble. Remove from pan and set aside.3 eggs
- Wipe out pan and add 1 tbsp canola oil over high heat. Add the rice and mix it well so it gets coated with oil. Add remaining garlic butter. Stir so that rice gets thoroughly coated in the garlic butter. Press the rice into the pan and up the sides so it has a chance to brown and get a little crispy.
- Add in the vegetables, chicken, and egg. Chop and stir until combined.
- Serve into four bowls and top with remaining green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with soy sauce.
Notes
- Ben’s Original White Rice: 1 cup rice, 2 1/4 cups water = 4 cups cooked rice
- It’s hard to capture the hibachi restaurant experience at home – but you’ll be want to use a wok or at least a 12″ skillet
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cupCalories: 627kcalCarbohydrates: 43.7gProtein: 48.2gFat: 28.4gSaturated Fat: 9.3gCholesterol: 267mgSodium: 337mgPotassium: 209mgFiber: 1.6gSugar: 2.1gCalcium: 70mgIron: 11mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This looks & sounds so good!!! I can’t wait to try it!