Oyakodon, literally translates to "parent-child rice bowl, "also known as Japanese chicken and egg rice bowl. It's a classic Japanese comfort food featuring tender bite size chicken chunks simmered with onions in a savory umami sauce and topped with fluffy egg and sliced green onions over a bed of steamed rice, very similar to gyudon (Japanese beef bowl). This recipe is great for the weekdays since it takes only 15 minutes and it's incredibly easy and tasty.
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Ingredients you'll need to make oyakodon
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Chicken thighs and eggs - These two ingredients are the main stars of this Japanese rice bowl since "oyako" translates to parent and child. We prefer chicken thighs because it stays juicy. If you prefer, you can use chicken breast.
- Sake - This is for marinating the chicken to get rid of any unwanted chicken flavors. A cheap cooking sake is perfect.
- Yellow onion - Onion not only gives the dish a deeper flavor, it also protects the chicken by preventing it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Water and hondashi powder - We don't usually keep dashi stock in our fridge, so hondashi powder is a great, quick alternative for any dashi based recipes, like our miso soup.
- Mirin, soy sauce, sugar - These three seasonings are the basics in most Japanese cooking and the only seasonings used for oyakodon.
- Green onion - Optional for garnish.
- Shichimi togarashi - Also an optional garnish and perfect if you want to add a kick to this chicken and egg rice bowl.
How to make oyakodon (Japanese chicken and egg rice bowl)
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
1. Marinate the chicken. Mix the chicken thighs well with sake. Set aside as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Make the sauce. Add water, dashi powder, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar into an 8 inch fry pan or a saucepan and mix well. Add the onion.
3. Cook. Bring the sauce and onion mixture to a boil and add the marinated chicken pieces. Arrange them so that they are an even layer. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the chicken cook for about 4 minutes or until just cooked. Midway through cooking, flip the chicken.
4. For the egg. While the chicken is cooking, crack the eggs into a bowl and give it a few mixes.
🌟 Pro tip: The eggs do no need to be well beaten. They only need to be broken up so when cooked, the oyakodon will get a nice white and yellow color contrast from the eggs.
5. Add eggs. Once the chicken is cooked, drizzle about ⅔ of the eggs into the pan. Cover and bring to a simmer before drizzling in the rest of the eggs. Cover and cook briefly, just until the last addition of eggs are just set.
6. Serve the oyakodon over bowls of steamed rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and optionally a dash of togarashi, if you want a little spice.
Storage
Leftover oyakodon can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just make sure to let it cool completely before covering and refrigerating.
Reheating
Refrigerated oyakodon, already over rice, is best reheated in the microwave. Make sure the leftover is placed in a microwave safe container and loosely covered. Microwave until hot.
If the leftover okayodon is not on rice, you can reheat it in a pan with a lid over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer and reheat until hot.
FAQs
We highly recommend marinating the chicken in some sake to help get rid of any unwanted chicken flavor and smell. It'll also make the chicken juicier and more fragrant. If you do not have sake, you can substitute in equal amounts of shaoxing rice wine. The flavor will be a slightly different but the function will be the same. If you don't want to use alcohol at all, you can omit it.
You can substitute the mirin with sake and sugar. Mix 3 parts sake with 1 part sugar (ie 3TBSP sake to 1 tablespoon sugar). For a non-alcoholic alternative you can use Honteri. You can also just use an additional tablespoon of sugar and omit the mirin.
Yes! You can use chicken breast instead if you prefer. However, chicken breasts won't be as juicy and tender as chicken thighs.
📖 Recipe
Oyakodon
Ingredients
For the dish:
- 13 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon sake
- ½ large yellow onion sliced
- 3 large eggs
- Cooked white rice for serving
- Green onion sliced (for garnish)
- Shichimi togarashi optional
For the sauce:
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon hondashi powder
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken:In a bowl, mix the diced chicken thighs with sake until well combined. Set it aside to marinate as you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The chicken can be marinaded overnight if you prefer.
- Make the sauce:Add all the ingredients for sauce (water, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and hondashi powder) into a saucepan or an 8 inch fry pan. Mix well then add the onions.
- Cook:Bring everything to a boil and add the chicken thighs, making sure to spread the chicken out evenly. Cover and bring to a simmer. Let the chicken cook for about 4 minutes, until just cooked. Midway through, flip the chicken pieces.
- For the egg:While the chicken is simmering, crack the eggs into a bowl and give it a couple of mixes. The eggs do not have to be well beaten. You'll actually want to mix it minimally so that the egg whites get a bit broken up and the egg yolks are just punctured. This will give the oyakodon more distinct color contrast between the yolk and whites.
- Once the chicken is cooked, drizzle in ⅔ the eggs. Cover the saucepan and bring everything back to a simmer then add the remaining eggs. Cover and let it cook briefly until the last addition of eggs is just set. Remove from heat.
- Serve:Place hot white rice into bowls and top with the chicken and egg mixture. Ladle desired amount of sauce over the rice bowl and top with sliced green onion. For a little kick, garnish with a dash of togarashi. Enjoy while hot!
Notes
- The color contrast of this dish is largely from the eggs. So the more vibrant and rich the egg yolks are, the more distinct the oyakodon will be.
- Traditionally, oyakodon is made in a oyakodon pan, which is usually 1 serving size. This way, it can be easily poured over a bed of rice without breaking up the layering and aesthetics. However, these pans can be pretty pricey and not very accessible, so we recommend using fry pans instead. If you don't mind breaking up the layers a little, a saucepan is perfect as well.
- If multiplying this recipe, we recommend using a larger frying pan for even cooking. For example, if multiplying by 2, use a 10 inch frying pan and use a spatula to lift up the content.
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