Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(776)
Comments
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Oyakodon is pure bliss, combining the ease of lightly poached chicken with the velvety richness of eggs and onions simmered in sauce. In Japanese, oya means parent, while ko translates to child. Consequently, chicken and egg come together in a blend of dashi, mirin and soy sauce. A perfect weekday meal, oyakodon cooks in just under 30 minutes and is delightful alongside pickles and a bowl of miso soup. The chicken and egg bowl is a dream of soulfulness ladled over rice. Leftovers, if you have any, will hold in the refrigerator for a day.

Featured in: The Particular Magic of Chicken, Egg and Rice

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • 2cups Japanese short-grain rice
  • 1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into bite-size pieces
  • 1tablespoon sake
  • 1cup dashi
  • 2tablespoons mirin
  • 2tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
  • 1tablespoon granulated sugar, or more to taste
  • 1small onion, thinly sliced
  • 4large eggs
  • 2scallions, sliced, or 3 sprigs mitsuba
  • Togarashi (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

610 calories; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 84 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 719 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cook rice according to package directions.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, stir chicken and sake in a bowl. In a measuring cup or bowl, stir dashi, mirin, soy sauce and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add more soy sauce or sugar to taste.

  3. Step 3

    In a deep medium frying pan (or an oyakodon pan, if you have one), add dashi mixture and then onion. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then add chicken in a single layer, making sure the dashi mixture covers the chicken and onion.

  4. Step 4

    Bring the heat down to medium-low. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip each piece of chicken with a pair of cooking chopsticks or tongs. Continue cooking until chicken is just cooked through and onion has softened, about 3 minutes more.

  5. Step 5

    In a measuring cup or small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Bring the heat up to medium, and add three-quarters of the eggs in a clockwise pattern over the chicken. Allow the mixture to simmer, swirling the pan to ensure the eggs cover it throughout. When the eggs are slightly set, around 1 minute, add the remaining eggs around the pan’s edges in a clockwise fashion. Once again, swirl the pan to ensure coverage.

  6. Step 6

    Continue to cook the oyakodon to your preferred doneness (less than a minute or so is great), then add scallions (or mitsuba) to the pan.

  7. Step 7

    Divide the rice among individual bowls, then slide enough of the oyakodon over the rice to cover. Serve immediately and sprinkle with togarashi if preferred.

Ratings

4 out of 5
776 user ratings
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Comments

My brother is left handed. He wants to know if he can add the eggs counterclockwise. Or will this just ruin the whole dish?

Shortcut: You can buy dashi packets. You make them into a reasonable version of dashi just like you would steep a tea bag. When I see this dish on a menu, I'm always excited to order it. When Paul Simon saw it on a menu, it became a song. Guess some people just have that talent.

Also, I've found the best way to add eggs if you're left handed is to stand on your head while adding ;-)

Every now and then, you try a recipe for something you love to eat in a restaurant, but would never have thought to make yourself, and it tastes JUST RIGHT! I had dashi packets in the cupboard from some okonomiyaki experiments, happily, and was completely amazed by this recipe. Four thumbs way up in our house!

Can someone explain to me the need for sugar in this and so many other Asian recipes? I am diabetic, so adding sugar to a dish is a no-no. Fake sugar is just as bad. Also, I really don't like sweet-tasting food. Can I make this without the sugar? Also members of my family are vegetarian but do eat fish/shellfish, can I substitute shrimp for the chicken? Thanks.

I thought I'd love this but it was kind of bland and wet. Less comfort food and more one note taste with a single texture. Disappointing.

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