Chicken Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
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Nasi goreng—often referred to as Indonesia’s national dish—is savory, a little sweet, and wonderfully aromatic. One bite and you’ll understand why it’s such a beloved classic.
When my son came home from traveling in Indonesia after college, he brought me the most wonderful cookbook—Coconut & Sambal by Lara Lee—and made one specific request: could I make the nasi goreng, his favorite dish from the trip? If you’ve ever had Indonesian fried rice, you know it’s a little different from the Chinese-style fried rice we’re more familiar with in the U.S. It’s deeply savory, slightly sweet, and incredibly aromatic.
Traditionally, nasi goreng gets its signature depth from kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) and sometimes shrimp paste. In this version, I recreate those flavors with a simple mix of soy sauce, brown sugar, and a splash of fish sauce—ingredients you can find in any supermarket.
Nasi goreng is typically served with a fried egg on top, but I also like to scramble a few eggs into the rice for richness and convenience. You can do both or skip the fried egg altogether; it’s delicious either way. However you serve it, this easy Indonesian chicken fried rice is comforting, flavorful, and endlessly adaptable to whatever vegetables or protein you have on hand.
What You’ll Need To Make Nasi Goreng
- Eggs: Scrambled quickly at the start, they get folded back into the rice for richness and protein. In Indonesia, you’ll also often see a fried egg on top, so you can do that instead—or both—for extra indulgence.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs: Small bite-sized pieces of chicken cook fast, stay juicy, and make the dish hearty. Boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins will also work, but the dish will be more flavorful with dark meat. If you’d like to switch it up, shrimp, beef, pork, or tofu are all great options too (just adjust cooking time so it’s done before mixing back in).
- Garlic, ginger, shallots, scallions, veggies & turmeric: The garlic-ginger-shallot base builds big flavor, scallions keep it fresh, and turmeric adds warmth and color. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand—blanched broccoli or carrots, peas, beans, or even raw shredded cabbage all work.
- Rice: Jasmine rice is traditional, and it’s best if it’s day-old and cold so the grains stay separate in the pan. Fresh rice will work too—just spread it on a sheet pan to cool for a half hour before using. Or grab ready-to-use microwave pouches for ease (Royal is a reliable brand).
- Soy sauce, fish sauce & brown sugar: Together, these balance salty, savory, and sweet. The fish sauce may smell strong, but it won’t make the dish taste fishy—it just adds delicious depth of flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Season the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with a little salt and pepper, then toss to coat evenly.
Step 2: Beat and cook the eggs. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with a little salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring often, just until they’re softly set, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer them to a large plate and set aside.
Pro Tip: It’s important to cook the eggs just until softly set—they’ll firm up more when mixed back into the rice, and overcooking now can make them rubbery.
Step 3. Cook the chicken. Heat the oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring every so often, until it’s cooked through—about 4 to 5 minutes for white meat or 5 to 6 minutes for dark. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to the plate with the eggs.
Step 4. Cook the aromatics and veggies. Add the oil to the skillet and turn the heat down to medium. Toss in the garlic, ginger, and shallots, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the scallions, vegetables, and turmeric, and cook for another minute.
Step 5. Combine everything. Add the rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Stir to combine, breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon. Return the chicken and eggs to the pan and cook, stirring often, until everything is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Step 6: Serve. Spoon the fried rice into bowls and serve hot as is, it topped with a fried egg, crispy fried shallots, or sliced red chili, if you like. Enjoy!
More Asian Recipes to Try at Home
Chicken Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch (13-mm) pieces (see note)
- Salt
- White pepper
- 3 large eggs
- Vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1½ tablespoons finely chopped ginger, from a 2-inch (5-cm) piece
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
- 1½ to 2 cups bite-sized vegetables (use cooked long beans, broccoli, carrots, peas, or green beans; or quick-cooking vegetables like shredded cabbage or bean sprouts, which can go in raw)
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice (see note)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
For Serving (optional)
- Fried eggs
- Fried shallots
- 1 long red chili pepper, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the eggs, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper; beat with a fork until well combined.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil in a flat-bottomed wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Add the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until just scrambled, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer to a large plate.
- Return the skillet to the stove and heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes (if you're using white meat, it'll only take 4 to 5 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the plate with the eggs.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic, ginger, and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the scallions, veggies, and turmeric and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the rice to the pan, along with the soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar. Stir to combine, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken and eggs back to the pan, and cook, stirring frequently, until everything is well combined and warmed through, a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve hot as is, or top with fried eggs, fried shallots, or sliced red chili, if you like.
Notes
- Boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins can be used instead of thighs, but the dish won't be quite as flavorful.
- You can swap the chicken for other proteins. Shrimp, beef, pork, or tofu all work well — just adjust the cooking time as needed so the protein is cooked through before you add it back to the rice.
- If you don’t have leftover cooked vegetables, you can quickly blanch or steam them before adding. For broccoli, carrots, or green beans, drop into a pot of boiling salted water for 1 to 2 minutes, just until crisp-tender, then drain well.
- For the rice, you have several options: day-old, cold rice works best because the grains are drier and less sticky; freshly cooked rice spread out on a baking sheet to cool for 30 minutes also works; or, for the most ease (and what I usually do), use two 240-g microwaveable jasmine rice packets straight from the bag (not heated). I especially like the Royal brand.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Comments
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I’m looking forward to trying this soon and was wondering if I served this as a side, what you would recommend as a main?
Hi Candy, this would be nice with these chicken skewers, pan-seared salmon, or flat iron steak. Hope you enjoy whatever you make!
Looking forward to making this dish. I’ve recently became allergic to coconut so it’s great to find a fried rice recipe that doesn’t call for coconut milk. Much as I love the flavor.