Oyakodon

Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

A classic Japanese donburi where chicken and onion simmer in a sweetened dashi-soy broth, topped with softly set egg and served over hot rice — the 'parent-and-child' of chicken and egg sharing one bowl.

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total

25 min

Serves

2

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) cooked Japanese short-grain rice, about 200 g raw rice
• •250 g (8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thigh, thigh is traditional; breast works but is drier
• •1 medium yellow onion
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) dashi, homemade preferred; instant hon-dashi granules acceptable
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) soy sauce (koikuchi)
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) mirin
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) sake
• •5 g (1 tsp) granulated sugar
• •4 large eggs, room temperature
• •2 stalks mitsuba or scallion greens, optional garnish
• •2 sheets nori, optional garnish

Steps

1. 1 Cook the rice: rinse 200 g short-grain rice until water runs nearly clear, then cook with the usual water ratio (about 1:1.1 rice to water) and keep warm.
2. 2 Prepare the chicken: trim excess fat and cut the thigh meat into bite-size pieces about 3 cm (1¼ in). Pat dry.
3. 3 Prepare the onion: peel and slice root-to-tip into 5 mm (¼ in) wedges so the slices hold together.
4. 4 Make the simmering broth: in a small donburi pan or 20 cm (8 in) skillet, combine 200 ml dashi, 30 ml soy sauce, 30 ml mirin, 15 ml sake and 5 g sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
5. 5 Add the onion slices to the broth and simmer for about 1 minute until they begin to turn translucent.
6. 6 Add the chicken pieces, spreading them in a single layer in the pan. Simmer for about 2 minutes, flipping once, until the chicken is just cooked through (internal temperature 74 °C / 165 °F).
7. 7 While the chicken cooks, beat the eggs in a bowl with chopsticks just until the yolks and whites are streaky — do not whisk to a uniform yellow; some white streaks should remain. The texture depends on this.
8. 8 Slide the chicken and onion so they form an even layer in the pan. Pour the beaten egg evenly over the top in a circular motion, then stop stirring.
9. 9 Cover and cook over low to medium-low heat for about 1–2 minutes, until the egg is about 80% set with a glossy, just-soft surface and a small amount of runny egg remaining on top. The residual heat will finish it on the rice.
10. 10 If using, scatter a few mitsuba leaves or sliced scallion greens over the egg.
11. 11 Divide the hot rice between two bowls. Using a spatula or two chopsticks, gently slide half the chicken-and-egg onto each bowl of rice.
12. 12 Serve immediately, with shichimi togarashi on the side if desired. Eat while the egg is still tender and just-set.