Hibachi Chicken Fried Rice, Inspired by Benihana
Inspired by, not official: jasmine rice fried with browned chicken, carrot, onion, garlic and soy sauce, crisped in a well of melting butter, then finished with scrambled egg, sesame seeds and scallions, the way the steakhouse chicken rice tastes.
Inspired by, not official. Benihana calls its Hibachi Chicken Rice its signature fried rice and one of the most craved items on its menu. Its own page lists what usually goes in: steamed white rice grown in California's Sacramento Valley, diced chicken, eggs cooked and chopped on the grill, chopped carrots, onion and green onion, garlic-flavored butter and a soy-based seasoning blend. It describes the order too: garlic butter melted across the teppan, eggs cracked, scrambled and chopped, rice and vegetables tossed in, then the chicken and seasonings, browned until lightly caramelized. It does not give amounts.
The home version used here was printed by the Canadian magazine House & Home in March 2026 as "Mom's Benihana Chicken Fried Rice", from Maxine Sharf's cookbook Maxi's Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2026). It is not Benihana's recipe. Its trick for the restaurant's crisp, buttery edges is a well of butter in the middle of the pan, left alone until the rice underneath crisps.
Why it works the kitchen science
A well of butter
Butter melted in one spot fries the rice beneath it until crisp, the way the teppan's hot steel and garlic butter brown the restaurant version.
Chicken browned undisturbed
Leaving the pieces alone for a few minutes gives them a golden crust before the soy sauce goes in, so they taste grilled rather than boiled.
Step by step
- Step 1
Whisk the eggs with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and scramble the eggs 1 to 2 minutes. Move them to a plate.
- Step 2
Add the remaining 2 tsp oil and the chicken, spread it in an even layer and cook undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes, until golden underneath. Stir in 1 tbsp soy sauce and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the carrot, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the chicken reads 165°F.
- Step 4
Add the rice, the remaining 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp butter, the sesame seeds, 1 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt and stir about 2 minutes, until evenly combined.
- Step 5
Make a well in the middle, add the last 2 tbsp butter and cook undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes, until the butter melts and the rice underneath crisps. Stir, then cook about 2 minutes more, tossing once or twice, for more crisp bits.
- Step 6
Add the eggs, breaking them up with the spatula, and the scallions, and toss about 1 minute, until combined and steaming hot (165°F). Divide among bowls.
Hibachi Chicken Fried Rice, Inspired by Benihana
Serves 4 · 4 bowls (6 as a side) · 35 min total
Eggs and chicken
- 4 large eggs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tsp avocado oil or another neutral oil, divided
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 7 oz), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 tbsp soy sauce, divided
Vegetables and rice
- 1 medium carrot (3 oz), finely diced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion (5 oz), finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice (day-old is best; 1 1/2 cups uncooked)
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Method
- Whisk the eggs with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and scramble the eggs 1 to 2 minutes. Move them to a plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tsp oil and the chicken, spread it in an even layer and cook undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes, until golden underneath. Stir in 1 tbsp soy sauce and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
- Add the carrot, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the chicken reads 165°F.
- Add the rice, the remaining 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp butter, the sesame seeds, 1 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt and stir about 2 minutes, until evenly combined.
- Make a well in the middle, add the last 2 tbsp butter and cook undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes, until the butter melts and the rice underneath crisps. Stir, then cook about 2 minutes more, tossing once or twice, for more crisp bits.
- Add the eggs, breaking them up with the spatula, and the scallions, and toss about 1 minute, until combined and steaming hot (165°F). Divide among bowls.
Adapted from Maxine Sharf, "Mom's Benihana Chicken Fried Rice", from Maxi's Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2026), as printed by House & Home (March 31, 2026). We follow it as written: 4 eggs scrambled 1 to 2 minutes in 2 tsp oil; a 7 oz chicken breast browned undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes, then about 2 minutes with 1 tbsp soy sauce; carrot, onion and garlic about 3 minutes; 4 cups jasmine rice with 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp butter and the sesame seeds about 2 minutes; 2 tbsp butter in a well 2 to 3 minutes, then about 2 minutes more; scallions about 1 minute. The page's serving line is garbled ("Serves 64"); the amounts suit 4 main-dish bowls, our reading. The heat level after the eggs and the 165°F check for the chicken are ours. Benihana's ingredient list and order come from its own page; Benihana has not published amounts. houseandhome.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Maxine Sharf swaps the chicken for sliced mushrooms to keep it vegetarian, or uses bacon for a richer version.
- For steak or shrimp, as Benihana offers, brown it the same way and cook steak to at least 145°F with a 3-minute rest, shrimp until opaque.
- Benihana's page says its fried rice is not prepared gluten-free because of the soy sauce and shared grill; at home, use gluten-free soy sauce if you need it.
- Day-old rice is best, but fresh works, the recipe says.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- This is Benihana's recipe. Disputed, and we never say so: it is a home recipe inspired by the restaurant; Benihana publishes its components but not its amounts. Label it "Inspired by Benihana, not official".
- Benihana's fried rice is made with garlic butter. Documented: Benihana's own page.
- Benihana uses California-grown rice. Documented: Benihana's own page.
- Benihana opened in New York in 1964. Documented: Wikipedia (see Hibachi Fried Rice).
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