Chicken fried rice: less oil, 80 fewer calories a serving.
Fried rice is rice, chicken and a lot of oil, so the oil is the easy place to save. Using 14 g of oil and three eggs takes a serving from 592 to 512 kcal, and the vegetables and soy sauce still season every grain.
- 512 kcal a serving, down from 592 for the classic, with 36 g protein, 62 g carbs and 12 g fat
- 2 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 47 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 1,500 g when finished, from 12 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same chicken fried rice, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 4 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 592 | 512 | −80 |
| Protein g | 37 | 36 | −1 |
| Carbs g | 62 | 62 | 0 |
| Fat g | 20 | 12 | −8 |
| Saturated fat g | 3.3 | 2.4 | −0.9 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Use 14 g of oil, not 42 g
−62 kcal, −7 g fat, −0.5 g saturated fat a serving
A hot nonstick pan and day-old rice need only a thin film of oil. The rest was 62 kcal and 7 g of fat a serving.
2. Use three eggs, not four
−18 kcal, −1 g protein, −1 g fat, −0.4 g saturated fat a serving
Three eggs still scramble through the rice. The fourth was 18 kcal a serving.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 36 g protein and 512 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Use 600 g of chicken
+60 kcal, +11 g protein, +2 g fat, +0.3 g saturated fat a serving, making 47 g protein a serving
Another 200 g of chicken breast adds 11 g of protein a serving for 60 kcal.
Add egg whites
+24 kcal, +5 g protein, +1 g carbs a serving, making 41 g protein a serving
180 g of egg white, scrambled in with the eggs, adds 5 g of protein a serving for 24 kcal.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White rice, raw | 240 g | 876 | 17 | 192 | 2 |
| Chicken breast, skinless, raw | 400 g | 480 | 90 | 0 | 10 |
| Eggs, whole, raw | 150 g | 215 | 19 | 1 | 14 |
| Green peas, frozen | 200 g | 154 | 10 | 27 | 1 |
| Carrots, raw | 100 g | 41 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Onions, raw | 100 g | 40 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Spring onions, raw | 40 g | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Soy sauce | 40 g | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Sesame oil | 7 g | 62 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Canola oil | 14 g | 124 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Garlic | 10 g | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Ginger root | 10 g | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 1,311 g | 2,049 | 143 | 249 | 48 |
| Per serving (4) | 375 g | 512 | 36 | 62 | 12 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
Fried rice is a good recipe to build because the oil is easy to see once you weigh it: a few tablespoons look like nothing in the wok and add up on the sheet. A takeaway portion never lists its oil, and building your own gives you your own numbers.
What to weigh
Weigh the rice dry, as the library entry describes it. The sample finishes at about 1,500 g from 1,311 g of raw ingredients, because the rice takes up water as it cooks. Water adds grams, not calories, so a serving is about 375 g.
How to cook it
The method for the lighter version above, using the amounts in the sample data. Use a food thermometer to check the safe temperatures.
- Cook the rice according to the package, spread it on a tray and chill it, ideally the day before.
- Dice the chicken, carrots, onion and spring onions small and mince the garlic and ginger.
- Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick pan or wok over high heat and cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes until browned and 165°F (74°C). Set aside.
- Add the onion, carrots, garlic and ginger for 3 minutes, then the peas for 2 minutes. Push everything to one side, pour in the beaten eggs and scramble until set.
- Add the rice and the chicken, break up any clumps and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, the sesame oil and the spring onions.
At a glance
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 20 minutes
- Makes 4 servings
- Per serving: 512 kcal, 36 g protein
Times are for a home kitchen and leave out any marinating or resting the steps mention.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food and choose Create a recipe, name it, then choose Add ingredient and search the library. Typing "rice white raw" lists the rice entries, each with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the entry that matches the bag (long-grain, raw here), switch the portion to grams and enter what the scale showed. The sheet shows 876 kcal for the rice before you add anything else.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the chicken, eggs, vegetables, sauces and 14 g of oil, then enter the 4 servings and the 1,500 g you weighed at the end. One serving comes to 512 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods. The next screen is the normal Add food form, ready to log one serving or any weight of it.
Tips while you build it
- Weigh the rice before it goes in the pot. A cooked weight is not what the library row describes.
- Day-old rice fries better than fresh. Cook it ahead and chill it, and a small amount of oil is enough.
- A serving is about 375 g, roughly a heaped bowl. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Cooking for the family? Build the classic as a second recipe, with 42 g of oil and four eggs, and log whichever one you served.
- Use a nonstick pan and keep the heat high: the rice crisps with less oil than a regular pan needs.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Chicken fried rice questions.
How many calories are in homemade chicken fried rice?
It depends mostly on the oil. The sample comes to 512 kcal a serving with 14 g of oil and three eggs, with 36 g protein, 62 g carbs and 12 g fat, against 592 kcal with 42 g of oil and four eggs.
Why does fried rice use so much oil?
Oil stops the grains clumping and carries the flavour. A hot nonstick pan and day-old rice do the same job with far less.
Should I weigh the rice dry or cooked?
Dry, because the library entry is raw. Weigh the finished dish once, to enter the finished weight.
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Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own chinese favourite in Nutrition.