Nourishing Recipe...

The first thing I listen for is a steady sizzle when the rice hits the skillet. If the pan goes quiet and the ingredients start steaming, there’s too much in there at once. I cook this Copycat PF Changs Fried Rice in two rounds, which gives the rice room to fry and lets the chicken, shrimp, egg, and vegetables stay distinct instead of turning into one soft pile.

Cold, separated long-grain rice gives each grain a chance to pick up the sauce without collapsing. The soy and oyster sauces bring the savory base, while toasted sesame oil and white pepper give the finished rice its familiar takeout-style aroma. With the proteins cooked separately and folded back in at the end, every serving gets a little of everything and the rice stays at the center of the dish.

Why This Rice Needs Two Passes Through a 12-Inch Skillet

Four cups of chilled rice plus the vegetables, egg, chicken, shrimp, and pork make a crowded skillet if you try to fry everything together. A crowded pan traps moisture between the ingredients. The rice softens and steams instead of spending enough time against the hot surface to fry, and the proteins can cool the pan just when the rice needs steady heat.

Splitting the cooking into two rounds keeps the ingredients in a manageable layer. Each round gets its own oil, aromatics, vegetables, rice, sauce, and share of the cooked proteins. That does mean a little more attention at the stove, but it gives you better control: you can toss the first batch until it’s hot, move it to a serving bowl, then cook the second batch without piling everything into the pan. Use the same 12-inch skillet for both rounds so the amounts and timing stay balanced.

What Gives This Fried Rice Its Takeout-Style Savory Finish

• Long-grain white rice — Its grains stay more distinct than a naturally sticky rice, which suits a dish that gets tossed in a hot skillet. Use cooked rice that’s chilled and separated; an expensive rice isn’t necessary, but the long-grain type matters for the texture.
• Soy sauce and oyster sauce — Soy sauce brings the familiar salty base, while oyster sauce adds a rounder, deeper savory note. They don’t do exactly the same job, so replacing one with more of the other changes the balance; ordinary, good-quality pantry bottles work well here.
• Toasted sesame oil and white pepper — These are small additions, but both are easy to notice in the finished dish. Toasted sesame oil contributes its nutty aroma, and white pepper gives a gentle warmth without the sharper look and bite of black pepper. Keep the sesame oil toasted rather than using it as the neutral cooking oil.
• Chicken breast and medium shrimp — Cutting the chicken into even half-inch pieces helps it cook at the same pace, and peeled, deveined shrimp save prep at the counter. Fresh or properly thawed shrimp are easiest to handle in the skillet; the exact shrimp size matters less than watching for opacity and the stated temperature.
• Cooked Chinese barbecue pork — Char siu adds its own sweet-savory, smoky character, so it contributes more than another bite of meat. Since it’s already cooked, dice it before you begin and let it warm with the other cooked proteins rather than treating it like raw pork.
• Frozen peas and carrots, garlic, and green onions — The frozen vegetables are a practical, inexpensive choice and bring color and sweetness. Minced garlic distributes through the rice quickly, and separating the green onion whites from the greens gives the dish both cooked onion flavor and a fresher finish.

Cook the Proteins First, Then Fry the Rice in Two Rounds

Mix the sauce before the skillet gets hot

Stir the soy sauce, oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, and white pepper together in a small bowl. Having the sauce ready matters because each rice batch moves quickly once it’s in the pan. Keep the prepared sauce nearby so you can add half to each round without pausing to measure ingredients over the heat.

Cook the chicken and shrimp separately

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon of the neutral oil. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until it reaches 165°F; transfer it to a plate. Add another 1 teaspoon oil, then the shrimp, and cook while stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, until opaque and 145°F. Move the shrimp to the plate with the chicken; cooking them separately keeps the shrimp from waiting in the pan while the chicken finishes.

Scramble the eggs until fully set

Add another 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble until they’re fully set, then transfer them to the plate with the other cooked ingredients. Keep the curds in bite-size pieces rather than stirring them into the rice at this point. They’ll be folded back through both batches near the end.

Fry, season, and finish each batch

Add 1 tablespoon oil, then half the green onion whites, half the garlic, and half the thawed peas and carrots. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, add 2 cups of rice, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes before adding half the sauce and half the chicken, shrimp, pork, and eggs. Toss until everything is hot and reaches 165°F, stir in half the green onion greens, and transfer the batch to a serving bowl. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining ingredients; keep the rice moving so the sauce coats it instead of settling in one spot.

Easy Ways to Change the Mix Without Losing the Fried Rice Feel

Questions That Come Up While Making This Fried Rice

Copycat PF Changs Fried Rice

Copycat PF Changs fried rice is stir-fried in a 12-inch skillet with chicken, shrimp, char siu, eggs, and cold rice. Soy, oyster, and sesame sauces coat each grain for a savory finish, while peas, carrots, and green onions add color and texture.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Calories: 520

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 0.25 tsp white pepper
• 3 tbsp neutral oil divided
• 8 oz chicken breast boneless, skinless; cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 oz shrimp medium, peeled and deveined
• 2 eggs large, beaten
• 3 green onions thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup peas and carrots frozen, thawed
• 4 cups rice cold cooked long-grain white rice, chilled and separated
• 4 oz Chinese barbecue pork (char siu) cooked, diced

Equipment

• 1 12-inch skillet

Method

 

1. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.
2. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon oil. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until it reaches 165°F; transfer to a plate.
3. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet, then add the shrimp and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until opaque and 145°F; transfer to the plate with the chicken.
4. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet, pour in the eggs, and scramble until fully set; transfer to the plate.
5. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet, then half the green onion whites, half the garlic, and half the peas and carrots; stir-fry for 30 seconds.
6. Add 2 cups rice and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Stir in half the sauce, half the chicken, shrimp, pork, and eggs; cook, tossing, until everything is hot and reaches 165°F.
8. Stir in half the green onion greens and transfer to a serving bowl.
9. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining green onion whites, garlic, and peas and carrots; stir-fry for 30 seconds.
10. Add the remaining 2 cups rice and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Stir in the remaining sauce, chicken, shrimp, pork, and eggs; cook, tossing, until everything is hot and reaches 165°F.
12. Stir in the remaining green onion greens and transfer to the serving bowl.

Notes

For the best texture, use cold cooked rice that has been chilled and separated. Refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days; freezer storage is suitable. For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free tamari and certified gluten-free oyster sauce.