Oyakodon – rice with chicken and egg Recipe
Oyakodon is a bowl of rice topped with chicken simmered with onion and gently set egg. In Japan it’s a typical “after work” dinner, a bit like a quick skillet stew, just served over rice. The dish is mild, slightly sweet and very comforting – perfect for days when you don’t have the energy for complicated cooking.
Oyakodon is a typical one-pan dish, popular in Japanese homes and small donburi bars. It’s often ordered as a quick, comforting meal, similar to how people in Poland might reach for a bowl of broth or a hearty stew.
Oyakodon combines just a few simple ingredients into a deeply comforting bowl that feels like Japanese home cooking. The gently set egg creates a silky sauce that soaks into the rice, while the balance of soy, mirin and stock gives a savoury-sweet flavour without being heavy.
Why this version works
- The ratio of broth, soy sauce, and mirin creates a flavorful sauce that doesn’t overpower the delicate egg.
- Arranging the onion on the bottom and the chicken on top lets the onion soften in the sauce while the meat cooks gently.
- Brief, controlled cooking of the egg at the end gives the characteristic, slightly runny consistency you know from donburi bars.
Chef's tips
Don’t overcook the egg – it should stay slightly runny and creamy, as it will continue to set a little on the hot rice. Taste the sauce before adding the egg and adjust with a splash more soy or a pinch of sugar to suit your preference. Using chicken thigh instead of breast helps keep the meat juicy even if you cook it a minute longer.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls so the sauce stays with the rice. Add a side of pickled vegetables or a simple cucumber salad for freshness. Green tea or roasted barley tea (mugicha) make a nice drink pairing.
Watch out for
- If you pour the egg into a sauce that isn’t hot enough, it will stay almost raw and runny instead of gently set.
- Cooking the egg too long over high heat will turn it into dry, torn pieces with no creamy texture.
- Don’t reduce the sauce too much before adding the egg – if there’s too little liquid, the dish will end up too salty.
Substitutions
- You can replace mirin with a mixture of white wine or water and a bit of sugar, keeping in mind the flavor will be less authentic.
- You can swap chicken thigh for breast, but shorten the cooking time by 1–2 minutes so the meat doesn’t dry out.
- You can replace chicken broth with a light vegetable broth; the flavor will be more delicate.
Ingredients
- sushi rice or other short-grain rice - 160 g
- water for cooking the rice - 200 ml
- boneless chicken thigh you can also use breast, but thigh is juicier - 200 g
- onion cut into thin slices - 1 piece
- egg - 3 piece
- chicken stock can be made from a stock cube - 120 ml
- soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
- mirin sweet cooking wine - 2 tablespoons
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- chives chopped, for sprinkling - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Rinse the rice several times in cold water until the water is almost clear, leave it in a sieve for 5–10 minutes, then cook it in 200 ml of water as in the previous recipes: 10 minutes over low heat, then 10 minutes covered off the heat.
- Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces, trimming off excess fat if you don’t like it.
- In a small bowl mix the stock, soy sauce, mirin and sugar.
- Place the onion in a medium pan, spread the chicken pieces on top, then pour in the prepared liquid.
- Bring everything to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the onion is soft.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly beat with a fork so the yolks combine with the whites but the mixture is not completely uniform.
- Increase the heat under the pan to medium, then pour the eggs evenly over the surface of the chicken and onion, gently shaking the pan.
- Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the egg starts to set but remains slightly creamy in the centre – it should look like very softly set scrambled eggs.
- Divide the hot cooked rice between two bowls, then gently spoon the chicken with egg and sauce from the pan over the top.
- Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is one of those dishes that proves how little you need to cook something truly satisfying. Once you make it a couple of times, you’ll be able to prepare it almost on autopilot after a long day.
