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Arroz Chaufa Peruano Recipe

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Arroz Chaufa de Pollo is Peruvian Fried Rice made with leftover white rice, chicken, eggs, onions, and bell peppers. It gets its amazing flavor from a combination of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and cumin.

What is Peruvian Fried Rice (Arroz Chaufa de Pollo)

Peruvian Fried Rice is a classic Chifa dish that is very popular in Peru. It has many of the flavor elements you’re probably used to in Chinese fried rice, but it’s differentiated because it has additional flavors (like bell pepper, ginger, and cumin).

A small white plate with Arroz Chaufa de Pollo.

Chinese Food in Peru

Chinese food is massively popular in Peru, so much so that it has developed into its own Chinese Peruvian fusion cuisine called Chifa. Chifa is a cuisine that’s based on Cantonese dishes that have been infused with Peruvian flavors.

Labeled main ingredients for Peruvian fried rice.

How to Make Chaufa

If you’re wondering how to make Peruvian fried rice, it’s a super easy dish to pull together quickly. If you have a wok, I’d recommend making it in that, but if not, a very large skillet will also work.

I’d also recommend that you start by cooking the eggs and the chicken before you assemble the stir fried rice. This recipe goes quickly, and it’s important to have the proteins cooked in advance.

  1. Cook the scrambled eggs into an egg pancake, then roughly chop it into large bite sized pieces. Saute the cubed chicken until it’s cooked through.
  2. Saute the bell peppers and onion, then add in the aromatics.
  3. Add the rice and seasonings, and mix until the rice is evenly coated.
  4. Gently stir in the proteins, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Labeled ingredients for the sauce for Peruvian fried rice.

What Type of Meat Should You Use?

Chicken breast is my favorite option for this recipe, but chicken thighs, beef or steak, pork, hot dogs, shrimp, or seafood are all great options. It’s really up to your preference. Just be sure to cook the protein you choose before adding it to the stir fried rice.

What Type of Rice Should You Use?

Any long or medium grain white rice will work. Jasmine rice is my favorite variety for this recipe.

The really important thing is that it’s leftover rice that’s already been cooled down. If you use freshly cooked rice, it will create a sticky or gummy texture.

Here’s a great tip – If you don’t have any leftover rice, you can cook a fresh batch, and then put it in the freezer for half an hour to cool it quickly.

A process collage showing bell peppers and onions cooking, then chicken being added in.

How to Store Leftovers

Store the fried rice leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator. I like to let the dish cool down a little bit before transferring it to a storage container in the fridge.

You can also freeze fried rice! It’s easiest to thaw if you freeze it in flattened individual serving sizes (flattened servings will thaw a lot easier than large thick blocks of frozen rice). To serve it, just reheat it in a skillet for 5 – 10 minutes, or until it’s heated through.

Since this is a great recipe for using up leftovers, it’s important to consider how old the food you’re using is when you’re determining how long the leftovers of this dish will last. Batches that are made with rice and chicken that was cooked within the last day will last longer than batches made with rice or chicken cooked a couple of days ago.

Is Chaufa Gluten Free?

Fried rice can easily be made gluten free. The main ingredient you need to watch out for is the soy sauce. Replacing that with certified gluten free soy sauce or Tamari is an easy swap you can make to make this dish gluten free.

Can You Make Vegetarian or Vegan Chaufa?

This fried rice recipe is easily adapted to vegetarian or vegan diets. You can either omit the chicken, or replace it with extra firm tofu that’s been pressed, cubed, and sautéed. To make this recipe vegan, you’d also need to omit the eggs.

Peruvian fried rice topped with green onions in a cast iron skillet.

Keep In Touch

I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime

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A Pinterest pin image with pictures of fried rice and title text.

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Yield: 6 servings

Arroz Chaufa Peruano Recipe

The best Arroz Chaufa de Pollo recipe.

Arroz Chaufa de Pollo is Peruvian Fried Rice made with leftover rice, chicken, eggs, onions, and bell peppers. It gets its amazing flavor from a combination of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and cumin.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper (diced, see notes)
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion (diced, see notes)
  • 1 large cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into 1/4” cubes)
  • 1 bunch green onions (thinly sliced, green and white parts divided)
  • 4 medium cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons ginger paste
  • 3 cups cooked white rice (cold)
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or certified gluten free Tamari if you eat gluten free)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • 5 eggs (scrambled and chopped - cooked with salt and pepper to taste)

Instructions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add in the red bell pepper and onion. Saute until the onion is starting to turn translucent (about 4 - 5 minutes). Add in the cooked chicken and saute with the peppers and onions until the chicken has warmed through (about 2 minutes). Add in the white parts of the green onions, garlic, and ginger, and saute until aromatic (about 30 seconds - 1 minute).
  2. Add in half of the rice, and stir to mix with the vegetables and chicken. Pour in the Tamari, sesame oil, and cumin. Stir to combine. Add in the remaining rice, and stir.
  3. Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add the cooked eggs and the majority of the green parts of the green onions in and gently stir to mix into the rice.
  5. Serve hot. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions as garnish.

Notes

I prefer this recipe when the onion and bell pepper are diced to a small and even texture. The easiest way to accomplish that is by pulsing them in a food processor.

This recipe moves much more quickly and smoothly if you cook the chicken and eggs before starting the recipe.

It's important to use leftover rice. If you don't have any leftover rice, you can cook it, and then put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes (or until the rice is cold, but not frozen).

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1/6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 271Total Fat: 10.7gCarbohydrates: 27gNet Carbohydrates: 25.9gFiber: 1.1gSugar: 2.1gProtein: 15.5g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @KeyToMyLime on Instagram so we can see your delicious meal!

The next time you’re craving takeout, try making this delicious Peruvian Fried Rice at home! Arroz Chaufa de Pollo will quickly become one of you favorite recipes.

The best Arroz Chaufa de Pollo recipe.

2 thoughts on “Arroz Chaufa Peruano Recipe”

  1. Ok if I substitute ground ginger for paste? Unable to find decent paste locally. Maybe mix with a little oil or butter? Not sure how much though. We love chaufa, also NO Peruvian restaurant locally so really excited to try your recipe.

    Reply
    • Hi Bonnie, You can use ground ginger in place of ginger paste. It’s quite a bit more potent though, so I’d imagine you’d only need about 1 1/2 teaspoons (rather than 1 1/2 Tablespoons). Hope that helps! -Alexa

      Reply

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