Japan · 25 min · Meat · Main course · For confident cooks
Oyakodon
In German: Huhn mit Ei auf Reis · In English: Chicken and egg rice bowl
For 2 servings · US units
Chicken and softly set egg over hot rice, on the table in 25 minutes
Oyakodon is a rice bowl in which chicken and onion simmer in a sweet-salty broth of dashi, soy sauce and mirin, then get covered with loosely beaten egg. The egg is meant to stay glossy and only half set, so that it sinks into the hot rice along with the broth. In Japan there are even small pans made for a single portion, and shops sell chicken already cut to size for oyakodon.
Ingredients
- 5¼ ozchicken thighskinless, cut into bite-size pieces; breast or tenderloin also possible
- 3Eggbeaten only lightly, white and yolk may stay marbled
- 2¾ ozonionthinly sliced
- 14⅛ ozRicehot, divided between two donburi bowls
- 1 bunchcut into 1–4 cm lengths; flat-leaf parsley as substituteJapanese wild parsley with three-part leaves and long, tender stems, fresh and slightly bitter, somewhere between parsley, celery and angelica.Substitute: Flat-leaf parsley with a little celery leaf comes closest in flavour, but tastes coarser and grassier; the cool, slightly resinous note and the tender stems are missing. There is no true equivalent, so use it sparingly so the parsley does not dominate.Read more
- ½ cupbase of the simmering liquidJapan's basic stock, usually steeped from kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes: clear, lightly smoky, deeply savoury.Substitute: The closest stand-in is instant dashi in granules or sachets; it is usually saltier and a little flatter, so go easy on further seasoning. For a vegetarian version, soak kombu and dried shiitake in cold water. Chicken or vegetable stock is not a good substitute: it brings its own heavier flavour, and the dish no longer tastes Japanese.Read more
- 2 tbspsoy saucefor the simmering liquid, a little to pre-season the chicken
- 1½ tbspfor sweetness and gloss in the brothSweet Japanese rice wine for cooking that gives sauces and glazes a mild sweetness and shine.Substitute: Sake or dry sherry with some sugar, about one teaspoon per tablespoon, comes close; sweetness and shine are roughly right, but the rounded, slightly malty depth of mirin is missing.Read more
- 2 tspsugarto round out the simmering liquid
- 1 tbspto season the chicken or in the broth (optional)Japanese rice wine, used in cooking mainly to round out flavours, tame fishy notes and add umami.Substitute: Dry sherry or Chinese Shaoxing wine come closest but bring their own stronger flavour; mirin is not a substitute because it is distinctly sweet.Read more
- 1⅓ ozstems removed, sliced or torn into pieces (optional)Caution: Shiitake should be eaten thoroughly cooked, as raw or undercooked mushrooms can trigger an itchy, streak-like skin rash in some people.Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked before cooking, with a deep, smoky, savoury flavour and a firm, meaty texture.Substitute: Fresh shiitake match the texture but have far less depth and give no soaking liquid; dried porcini deliver a similar savoury intensity but taste earthier and not like shiitake.Read more
- finely shredded as topping, with shichimi if liked (optional)Roasted seaweed pressed into thin, paper-like sheets, savoury and lightly briny.Substitute: For rolling or wrapping there is no workable substitute, since nothing else has the same form and strength. As a crumbled seasoning, aonori or furikake will do, carrying the taste of the sea but not the roasted note or the texture of the sheets.Read more
Method
- Prepare the chickenCut the chicken thigh into bite-size, fairly flat pieces and, if you like, season it ahead with a little soy sauce and sake.
- Cut the vegetablesSlice the onion thinly, cut the mitsuba into pieces one to four centimetres long, and if you are using shiitake, remove the stems and slice the caps.
- Lightly beat the eggsBeat the eggs only lightly, so that visible strands of white remain — this is what gives the finished surface its marbled look rather than an even yellow.
- Bring the seasoned dashi to a boilBring the dashi to a boil with soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a small frying pan or a saucepan.
- Simmer chicken and onionLay the onion slices and chicken pieces flat in the broth, add the mushrooms if using, cover and cook over medium to low heat for two to six minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Pour in the eggPour the beaten egg over the bubbling broth in a spiral from the centre outwards, gently pushing the setting egg back towards the middle with chopsticks.
- Add mitsuba and let it setScatter the mitsuba on top, put the lid on, turn off the heat and let the egg finish in the residual heat for about 30 to 60 seconds, until it is glossy and just barely set.
- Serve over riceDivide the hot rice between two donburi bowls, slide the egg and chicken mixture with its broth on top, add finely shredded nori and shichimi if you like, and serve at once.
Tips and variations
For an especially soft texture, add the egg in two stages: two thirds to three quarters first, then the rest once that has begun to set, for gloss and a tender finish. If you want more control, cook one portion at a time in a small pan or in a purpose-made oyakodon pan. Instead of dashi and soy sauce you can use mentsuyu concentrate with water, sake and mirin; in a steamer, cook the chicken, onion, mushrooms and seasoning liquid in shallow dishes for 25 minutes, then add the egg and steam for another two and a half to three minutes. The onion can be left out altogether, and chicken breast fillet (sasami) with the tendon removed works in place of thigh meat. If you like it juicy, go for the tsuyudaku version with plenty of cooking liquid over the rice — and hand a spoon along with the bowl.
Allergens
Contains: Eggs, Fish, Cereals containing gluten, Soybeans
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
