Oyakodon
Chicken and onion simmered in dashi and bound with soft egg.
Ingredients
- 300 g Chicken thighs
- 4 Egg
- 1 Onion
- 400 g Japanese short-grain rice
- 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 1 Kombu (dried kelp)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 Scallions (optional)
Method
- Rinse the rice and cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- While the rice cooks, slice the chicken and onion and beat the eggs loosely.
- Simmer the onion and chicken in dashi with soy, mirin, and sugar until just cooked.
- Pour the egg over in a swirl, cover, and cook until just set but still soft.
- Slide over the hot rice and top with scallion.
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About Oyakodon
Oyakodon is a Japanese rice bowl whose name, "parent and child," nods playfully to its two main ingredients, chicken and egg, sharing one plate. It belongs to the family of donburi, dishes served over a bowl of hot short-grain rice, and it is comforting everyday food rather than restaurant fare. Chicken thighs and onion are simmered in a sweet-savory broth of dashi, soy sauce, and mirin until just cooked, then beaten egg is poured over in a swirl and cooked only until softly set.
The defining texture is that barely-set egg, glossy and custardy rather than firm, which drapes the chicken and onion and half-soaks into the rice below. The dashi and mirin give the whole bowl a gentle sweetness and deep umami, and a scatter of scallion adds a fresh green edge. It comes together in about twenty minutes, most of it while the rice cooks, which makes it an ideal fast, one-bowl lunch or dinner. The key is restraint with the egg: pull it while it still looks slightly underdone, because the residual heat finishes it.
Oyakodon: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Oyakodon?
A serving has about 556 calories — 30.8g protein, 50.6g carbs, 23.5g fat, 1.8g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 30.8g of protein, roughly 22% of its calories.
Is Oyakodon gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu). You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Oyakodon?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Oyakodon make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.