Arroz Chaufa (Peruvian Fried Rice)

This Peruvian fried rice with chicken (Arroz Chaufa) is quick and easy to make, full of flavor, and very versatile. You can omit the chicken for a vegetarian option, or even replace it with diced beef or pork for a delicious variation.

Chinese immigration to Peru in the late 19th and eary 20th centuries led to a Chinese-Peruvian fusion cuisine called chifa. Perhaps one of the most popular dishes in chifa cuisine is arroz chaufa, or Peruvian fried rice. It features Chinese Cantonese influence combined with Peruvian ingredients.

My favorite local Peruvian restaurant, Los Andes, features various chifa-influenced dishes including arroz chaufa served as a main dish with chicken, pork belly, and shrimp as the proteins, and also as a side dish for steak featuring only veggies. They include the same ingredients in my recipe, but also bean sprouts and choclo corn kernels (which may be difficult for regular people to source, which is why I'm not suggesting them here).

The great thing about this arroz chaufa recipe is not only how easy it is to make, but how easy it is to tweak based on your preferences. You can omit the chicken altogether or replace it with diced steak or maybe some diced pork tenderloin or shrimp.

You can also try leftover cooked shredded chicken in place of the raw chicken here. Add some other veggies to use up what you have on hand. Or perhaps try brown rice instead of white if that's what you prefer. Regardless of your potential adjustments, this recipe is simple and straightforward, and the ingredients are common pantry staples.

Ingredient notes

• Rice: I prefer using jasmine rice (either white or brown) for all my fried rice dishes.
  • Brown jasmine rice will make it a touch healthier, and you can barely tell a difference once it is seasoned with the flavoring sauce.
  • You must cook the rice in advance, at least a day ahead of time.
  • Once the rice is cooked, I like to spread it out on a sheet tray to cool and dry out. The key to good fried rice is to have relatively dry cooked rice.
  • Note that 1 cup dry jasmine rice (white or brown) will yield about 4 cups cooked.
• Soy Sauce: I prefer low-sodium soy sauce for all my cooking needs. You can replace the soy sauce with Tamari if you'd like to make this dish gluten-free. Note that Tamari is usually a bit less salty than traditional soy sauce, so you may need to add a little extra or a pinch of salt to get the seasoning just right. Same goes with low-sodium soy sauce.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: Plain sesame oil is lighter in color than toasted sesame oil, which is dark brown, and much more flavorful. The packaging may not say "toasted" but you can tell the difference by the color. Plan to use toasted sesame oil for this arroz chaufa recipe.
• Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, diced into bite-size pieces, for this Peruvian fried rice. You could use thighs if you prefer, or even use leftover cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded into bite-size pieces.
• Eggs: Make a simple omelet by beating together the eggs and pouring them into a lightly greased non-stick skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Cook on one side, tilting the pan a bit to allow the raw egg to run off the interior sides of the pan and cook. Then carefully flip the omelet with a silicone spatula and cook the other side. You can even cut the omelet into halves or quarters with your spatula to flip more easily if needed. Then remove the cooked omelet to a cutting board and roughly chop.

How to make it

Combine the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, cumin and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring regularly, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes (PHOTO 1). Next, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant (PHOTO 2).

Add the diced chicken (PHOTO 3) and continue to cook until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink (PHOTO 4). If the chicken is diced small, it shouldn't take too long, another 3 to 5 minutes or so.

Add the cooked rice and give it a good stir (PHOTOS 5-6).

Add the soy sauce mixture and stir again until evenly mixed (PHOTO 7). Stir-fry for a few more minutes, allowing the soy sauce to absorb, then add the eggs and toss to combine (PHOTO 8).

Finally, add all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions and stir once more to completely combine and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed (add salt or more soy sauce if it needs it).

Serve arroz chaufa immediately, topped with the reserved 2 tablespoons of sliced scallions for garnish.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips and FAQs

Making fried rice goes very fast. Make sure you have all your ingredients chopped, prepped, and measured in advance and lined up next to your stove. I usually line them up in small bowls in the order I need to add them.

Because the ingredients are chopped fairly small, it shouldn’t take too long to cook them through, but use the cook time in the recipe as a guide. Actual cook time can vary depending on the actual size of the chopped ingredients, type of stove/cooktop, type and thickness of metal used in your pan/wok, etc.

You could also add a handful or two of beansprouts or choclo corn kernels to this Peruvian fried rice, if you can get your hands on them. My local Peruvian restaurant includes both of those ingredients in their arroz chaufa variations.

Other recipes you may like

• Chinese Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice
• Authentic Thai Pineapple Fried Rice with Shrimp
• Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
• Caribbean Curried Rice Pilaf with Citrus
• Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

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