The Absolute Best Protein For Fried Rice Is Also The Most Popular

Fried rice, whether you order it from a neighborhood Chinese-American spot or make it from scratch at home, often uses small pieces of pork in the mixture. Sure, there are easy fried rice recipes that skip the meat and other protein options like chicken and shrimp — but pork is both the best option and most popular ingredient for a variety of reasons. So we're here to tell you that diced or shredded pork should be in your homemade fried rice, partially because of the flavor from its fats.

"Pork has a slightly milder taste than beef that can be quite rich and fatter, but still a higher fat content than ground chicken or turkey, which can have a tendency to be a little dry when fried," said Tasting Table recipe developer Catherine Brookes, who is behind our original pork fried rice recipe. "This makes pork a great addition to fried rice." When you use pork like Brookes suggests in our recipe, the meat will give the starchy dish a subtle umami flavor without taking over the dish. And no matter if you use ground pork, pork loin, or leftover pork chops, it's easy to add to the dish.

If you follow our recipe, Catherine Brookes recommends cooking the eggs, onions, and carrots in oil first, then adding the ground pork to the same pan. Break it up into pieces as you would for many other recipes, then add the rice and peas afterward. If you want to use pork that's already cooked, like last night's pork chops, cut it or shred it into bite-sized pieces, then add it towards the end of the cooking so it warms through without drying out. Another option is to cook diced pork loin in a pan, remove it when it's ready, then use the rendered fat with the rice and other ingredients to infuse it with more flavor.

In addition to the various types of pork, there are many other tips you need to make restaurant-quality fried rice at home. For starters, use leftover rice, like Brookes suggests, to save time. The leftover starchy side will be drier than fresh rice, so it'll help achieve the ideal texture. The peas and carrots in our recipe are classic options, but consider other ingredients like bok choy, mushrooms, or bell peppers to balance the pork's flavor and texture.