OYAKODON (JAPANESE CHICKEN AND EGG RICE BOWLS)

Asian|Chicken

Ingredients

1 ½ – 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

1 cup dashi broth (or sub mushroom or chicken stock)

3 tablespoons mirin

¼ cup sake Japanese wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

2 medium-large onions, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons sugar

1 bunch scallions, chopped diagonally (plus more chopped for garnish)

5 eggs

3 cups cooked sushi or white rice, cooked to package directions

2 teaspoons sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

Cut the chicken into 1-1 ½” cubes, as uniformly sized as possible.

Combine the dashi, mirin, sake, and soy sauce in a large measuring cup and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the onions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until they begin to soften and become fragrant. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to turn white.

Pour the broth into the pan and bring to a very low boil. Add the sugar. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is just cooked through and the broth is slightly reduced.

Add the scallions to the pan.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Mix them with chop sticks or the tip of a knife only 2 or 3 times to break up the whites and pierce the yolks. You do not want to scramble them! The eggs should resemble a marble-like pattern in the bowl. The idea is to see both the white and the yolks separately cooked on top of the finished dish.

Slowly pour the eggs into the pan in two stages, spreading them evenly over the top of the chicken and onions, trying to save most of the yolks for the second stage because they cook faster than the whites.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are ‘jammy’ or slightly runny. Top with more scallions and the sesame seeds.

Serve the oyakodon over rice with a little extra broth.

Oyakodon means ‘parent and child donburi’ in Japanese which references the ‘chicken and egg’ in the rice bowl dish. It is a classic Japanese comfort food much like chicken soup is here in the US. Tender pieces of chicken, onions, and eggs are simmered in an umami-rich sauce made of dashi, saki, and soy sauce and then poured over a bowl of fluffy steamed rice.