Recipe Overview
⏱️ Time to Taste: 45 minutes active + overnight chill for rice (or at least 2 hours)
✨ Texture: Savory fried rice with crispy golden bits, tender chicken, and fluffy grains
🥣 Ease: Easy (Simple to prepare with easy, step-by-step cooking on the griddle)
🌾 Sauce Used: Gluten-Free Soy Sauce or Tamari
🍳 Equipment Needed: Blackstone griddle, saucepan or Instant Pot (for rice), cutting board, knife, mixing bowl, and spatula
🎉 Best For: Weeknight dinners, backyard cooking, and takeout-style cravings at home
❤️ Why You’ll Love It: Everything cooks separately for maximum flavor—juicy chicken, crisp veggies, garlicky buttery rice, and savory sauce come together for the ultimate restaurant-style fried rice right off the griddle
We love using the Blackstone at our house, and fried rice is one of our favorite dinners! The griddle creates incredible caramelization and crispy bits in the rice while the garlic butter melts into every grain for a takeout-quality meal.
This is one we don’t necessarily need a ton of side dishes with, but I’ll sometimes add a light cucumber tomato salad or honey lime fruit salad for something cold and fresh on the side.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free chicken fried rice on the blackstone. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Jasmine rice: Jasmine rice is my favorite for fried rice because it cooks up light and fluffy. I highly recommend making the rice the day before and chilling it overnight so it stays separate on the griddle and develops those delicious crispy edges.
- Chicken thighs: I prefer chicken thighs because they stay juicy and flavorful on the hot Blackstone.
- White pepper: White pepper gives fried rice its classic restaurant-style flavor. Don’t skip it if you can help it!
- Frozen peas and carrots: I love using a bag of frozen peas and carrots because it’s quick, convenient, and there’s no chopping required.
- Butter and garlic: Mixing the butter and garlic together creates an incredibly flavorful garlic butter that coats every bite of rice and vegetables. It adds richness and gives the fried rice that irresistible restaurant-style flavor.
- Gluten-free soy sauce or tamari: Be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. Regular soy sauce typically contains wheat, so always check the label.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Cook the Chicken Thighs: One of the reasons I love cooking on the Blackstone is how beautifully golden brown it gets everything. I like to let the chicken cook undisturbed until it’s deeply browned before flipping—it adds so much flavor to the finished fried rice.
Fry the Chilled Rice: I like to let the rice sit undisturbed for a few minutes before stirring. Giving it time to crisp on the hot Blackstone creates the best texture and adds so much flavor.
I add half of the butter mixture, plus some scallions for flavor-packed rice.
Cook the Vegetables: The frozen peas and carrots cook up so well on the hot, oiled Blackstone. I add the other half of the butter mixture on top so that they’re full of flavor.
Add Eggs and Assemble: I make a large well in the center of the rice to scramble the eggs. Just like that all of the ingredients are cooked and ready to toss together with a little gluten-free soy sauce.
Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice Tips
- Don’t skip chilling the rice. Freshly cooked rice contains too much moisture and can become mushy on the griddle. Chilled rice stays separate and develops those golden, crispy bits that make fried rice so delicious.
- I prefer cooking the chicken thighs whole, then chopping them into bite-sized pieces after they’re cooked. Not only do they stay more tender, but I also love not having to cut up raw meat!
- Rather than cooking everything at once, I cook the chicken, vegetables, eggs, and rice separately before mixing them together at the end. This gives each ingredient a chance to brown properly instead of steaming.
- If you like a little extra flavor, serve it with additional gluten-free soy sauce or tamari at the table.
What Does Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice Taste Like?
This fried rice is savory, buttery, and slightly smoky from the hot griddle, with tender chicken, sweet peas and carrots, and fluffy rice that develops crispy golden edges as it fries. The garlic butter and gluten-free soy sauce give it that classic takeout flavor. I like to serve it with a little extra gluten-free soy sauce for a salty flavor boost!
Can I Make This Recipe Without a Blackstone?
I’m definitely partial to the Blackstone for its large cooking surface and perfectly crispy fried rice, but you can also make this recipe in a large skillet or wok over high heat. You may need to cook the ingredients in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which helps everything brown instead of steam. Keep in mind that the rice won’t be quite as crispy as it is on the Blackstone.
Can I Add Other Vegetables?
Absolutely! Broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, cabbage, snap peas, corn, and bean sprouts are all great additions. Just be sure not to overcrowd the griddle so everything browns properly.
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: This recipe actually works best with some advanced prep. I cook the rice 1 day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. You can also cook the chicken and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before making the fried rice.
To Store: For food safety, cooked rice should be refrigerated within 1-2 hours. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I reheat it on the Blackstone, in a skillet over medium-high heat, or in the microwave until heated through to at least 165°F.
To Freeze: Let the fried rice cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. I thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving.
More Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes
Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice on the Blackstone
Ingredients
Rice
- 2 cups dry jasmine rice, rinsed well
- 2¼ cups water
Chicken Fried Rice
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 12-ounce bag frozen peas and carrots
- ½ cup gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, plus more to taste
Instructions
- The day before: Don't skip this step! Cold rice is the secret to great fried rice. Freshly cooked rice is too soft and will become mushy on the griddle, while chilled rice stays separate and develops those delicious crispy bits.
- Rinse the jasmine rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs mostly clear.
- Instant Pot Method: Add the rinsed rice and water to the Instant Pot. Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure.
- Stovetop Method: Add the rinsed rice and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Spread the cooked rice onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in an even layer. Let cool slightly, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
- Make the Chicken Fried Rice: Mix together the butter and garlic. Set aside. Preheat the Blackstone to high heat. Season the chicken with the kosher salt and white pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the griddle. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until very golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and roughly chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Add another tablespoon sesame oil to the griddle. Add the cold rice and spread it into an even layer. Let it cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes before stirring. Pour half of the butter mixture over the rice and add the scallions. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, breaking up any clumps and allowing some of the rice to become lightly crisp.
- Meanwhile, add another tablespoon sesame oil to the griddle and add the peas and carrots. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until completely heated through. Pour the remaining half of the butter mixture over the vegetables.
- Use your spatula to make a large well in the center of the rice. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the well, then pour in the beaten eggs. Season with salt and white pepper. Scramble the eggs until they’re just cooked through, then mix them into the rice until evenly distributed.
- Mix the peas and carrots, scrambled eggs, and chopped chicken into the rice. Drizzle the soy sauce over the mixture and toss everything together until evenly combined. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until everything is heated through and the rice has absorbed the sauce.
- Taste and add additional soy sauce, salt, or white pepper as desired before serving.
Holy cow this is a great recipe!! I just made it and my pickiest eater (3 sons 5,7,9) just took his third serving! Thank you so much for sharing these safe recipes that my whole family can enjoy.
Amazing!!!
Oh wow! That’s wonderful news, Andy! We’re so glad your entire family loved the dinner, especially the picky eaters. Thank you for sharing with us!
This looks delicious but I don’t have a Blackstone griddle. Would a cast iron frying pan work??
Hi Jen! Yes, a large cast iron skillet will work for this recipe. You won’t have quite as much cooking surface as you would with a Blackstone, so we recommend cooking in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Make sure the skillet is nice and hot before adding the ingredients. We hope you enjoy it!
This recipe is delicious!
Thank you, Sophia! We’re so glad you loved the new recipe!