Khao pad (Thai fried rice)
Non-vegetarian
ข้าวผัด · khao phat
Day-old jasmine rice stir-fried with chicken, egg, onion and tomato and seasoned with fish sauce, served with cucumber slices and a lime wedge.
Khao pad (Thai fried rice) is a Thai rice dish from Thailand, ready in about 20 minutes and made with long-grain white rice and chicken breast. It serves 2 and is rated easy to cook.

- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Serves
- 2
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 631
Method
Step 1
Break up the cold rice with your fingers so there are no clumps.
- 2 min
Food safety: Cool leftover cooked rice quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour; reheat until piping hot and only once.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a wok (opens in a new tab) over high heat. Fry the garlic (opens in a new tab) until pale golden, then add the chicken and onion (opens in a new tab) and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked.
- 4 min
- high heat
- Wok (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Cook chicken until no pink remains and the juices run clear (74 °C in the thickest part).

How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels Step 3
Push everything aside, crack in the eggs (opens in a new tab) and scramble until almost set.
- 1 min
- high heat
Step 4
Add the rice and toss until hot and every grain is separate. Add the tomato (opens in a new tab), fish sauce (opens in a new tab), soy sauce (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and white pepper (opens in a new tab) and toss for another minute.
- 3 min
- high heat
Step 5
Stir in the spring onion (opens in a new tab) and serve with cucumber (opens in a new tab) and lime (opens in a new tab).

How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Thailand · Well documentedMore food from Thailand
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Rice dishes · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Stir-fried
- Taste
- savoury, umami, mild
- Diet
- Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-proteinWith the listed swaps: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Flexitarian-friendlyWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein - Good for
- Everyday · One-pan · Budget-friendly · Uses leftovers · Child-friendly
- Cook more with
- Long-grain white rice · Chicken breast · Garlic · Onion · Egg · Tomato
- Techniques
- Stir-frying
Allergens
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
- Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom fish sauce
- May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce
- Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce
- Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce
- Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
631 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 360 g · recipe makes 2
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 23%
- Carbohydrate 45%
- Fat 31%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 631 kcal | 175 kcal |
| Protein | 36.3 g | 10.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 70 g | 19.4 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 67.2 g | 18.7 g |
| Sugars | 4.8 g | 1.3 g |
| Added sugars | 1 g | 0.3 g |
| Fibre | 2.8 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 21.7 g | 6 g |
| Saturated fat | 3.3 g | 0.9 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 259 mg | 72 mg |
| Sodium | 980 mg | 272 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.4 g | 0.7 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 775 mg
- Calcium
- 94 mg
- Iron
- 5.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 84 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 122 µg
- Vitamin C
- 15 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.7 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 352 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: cucumber, lime.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Freshly cooked rice turns mushy; spread it on a tray and chill if you have no leftovers.
Common mistakes
- Adding too much soy sauce — Thai fried rice is pale and seasoned mostly with fish sauce.
Serve with
- Serve with prik nam pla (sliced chillies in fish sauce) for extra seasoning.
Storage
- Refrigerate within 1 hour for up to 1 day.
Reheating
- Stir-fry until piping hot throughout.
Variations
- Khao pad sapparot: Pineapple fried rice with prawns, cashews and a little curry powder.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Long-grain white rice, jasmine rice, cooked the day before and chilled (about 450 g cooked)150 g
- Chicken breast, thinly sliced200 g
- Egg2 piece · 100 g
- Tomato, cut into wedges1 piece · 120 g
- Cucumber, sliced (optional)0.5 piece · 150 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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