Sides & Snacks Christmas

Festive Special Fried Rice

A quick and clever way to transform Christmas leftovers into a satisfying meal. This festive fried rice brings together turkey, ham, and seasonal vegetables with Asian-inspired flavours.

By Ricky Robinson Updated December 30, 2025

There comes a point after Christmas when you open the fridge and see all those containers of leftovers staring back at you. The turkey, the ham, those random vegetables that seemed like a good idea at the time. This fried rice is the answer to that moment. It takes everything you have sitting there and turns it into something that feels entirely different from the meal you've been eating for days.

The trick with fried rice is using cold rice. Freshly cooked rice is too soft and will turn mushy in the pan. Day-old rice from the fridge has dried out just enough to get those lovely slightly crispy edges when it hits the hot wok. If you don't have leftover rice, cook some earlier in the day and spread it on a tray in the fridge to cool completely.

The beauty of this dish is that there are no strict rules. Stuffing, a bit of cranberry sauce stirred through, whatever's lurking in the fridge. It all works.
Festive Special Fried Rice recipe image

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Festive Special Fried Rice

The garlic olive oil gives the rice a head start on flavour, and the high heat is essential. You want that wok screaming hot so the rice catches a bit of colour rather than steaming. Push it to the side when you add the eggs, scramble them loosely, then fold everything together. The eggs should stay in soft curds throughout the rice rather than disappearing completely.

All your leftovers go in next, and since they're already cooked, you're really just heating them through and getting everything acquainted. The chestnuts add a lovely festive crunch, and the parsley brings freshness that lifts the whole dish. Serve it straight from the pan while it's still sizzling. This is the kind of meal that comes together in minutes but somehow feels like you've made something properly satisfying from what might otherwise have ended up at the back of the fridge.

Festive Special Fried Rice

Ham Rice Turkey
Total Time 20 min
Servings 4 servings
Calories 380 cal
Protein 22g

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Wok

Instructions

  1. 1

    Get your wok or large frying pan really hot with the garlic olive oil.

  2. 2

    Add the cold rice straight in - spread it out and let it catch a bit of colour before tossing. About 2-3 minutes.

  3. 3

    Push the rice to one side, crack the eggs into the space, scramble them loosely, then mix through the rice.

  4. 4

    Toss in all your leftover meats and veg. They're already cooked, so you're just heating through - another 2-3 minutes. The beauty of this is there's no strict rules - stuffing, even a bit of cranberry sauce stirred through works a treat. Whatever's lurking in the fridge.

  5. 5

    Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, toss well.

  6. 6

    Scatter over the chestnuts and parsley. Serve immediately.

Ricky Robinson - Recipe Author
Ricky Robinson

Home cook sharing delicious recipes with a focus on flavour and simplicity.

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Serving Suggestions

Serve immediately while still hot from the wok. This works brilliantly as a main course on its own, or alongside other leftover dishes. A drizzle of extra soy sauce and some chilli flakes on the side lets everyone season to their taste.

Variations

For a vegetarian version, skip the turkey and ham and add extra vegetables like mushrooms, peas, or sweetcorn. You could also swap the chestnuts for cashews or peanuts for a different texture.

Festive Special Fried Rice

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