When I don’t feel like spending an hour cooking dinner but also don’t feel like getting takeouts, I always go to this one of the easiest yet yummiest Japanese donburi dishes, Oyakodon. It is so easy and simple to make, always hits the spot and makes everyone in my family happy. So let’s start with learning what Oyakodon is!
What is Oyakodon?
In Japan, there are many popular Donburi (rice bowl) dishes; Gyuon, Katsudon, Soborodon, Tendon, etc. It’s all in one bowl style dish, and you could even find some sold at convenience stores anywhere in Japan. The convenience of having everything in one bowl is very helpful when you want a fulfilling meal but don’t have a lot of time preparing several side dishes or even time or space to eat at. Hot steamy rice on the bottom and delicious toppings on top create the perfect match-made-in-heaven meal all in one bowl!
Oyakodon can be translated into a chicken and egg bowl because the main ingredients for the dish are those two things. However, there is a little more to the name. Oyako in Japanese means “parents and children.” When you see a little child and a women holding hands and walking home from school on the street, you might assume that they’re Oyako: a mother/parent and a child. Well, now I hope you see where this is going. Since the main ingredients for Oyakodon are chicken and eggs, which are technically “parents and children” all cooked and served in one bowl, it’s called Oyakodon!
What are the ingredients for Oyakodon?
Like I mentioned above, the main ingredients for Oyakodon are chicken and eggs. But there are a few other things you want to add as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if you already had all the ingredients in your pantry and fridge!
The first thing is onions. I would say one small onion is plenty for 4 servings of Oyakodon. But why onions? Onions absorb the sauce used for this dish so well and its softness adds a very comforting texture to it. I would say onions are as equally important as chicken and eggs in Oyakodon!
The second thing is green onions. Usually in Japan, instead of green onions, Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley) is used and served on top of the chicken and egg mixture in Oyakodon. But as a Japanese mom here in the States, Mitsuba is not something I have an easy access to at grocery stores. But to add a pop of color, nice texture and a little bit of flavor, I still like to add green onions when making Oyakodon at home.
The main condiments used for Oyakodon are the staples in Japanese cooking; bonito powders, mirin, and soy sauce. If you cook Japanese foods (or Asian foods in general) at home, I’m sure you have these items in your pantry already. Of course you can make your own broth from scratch, but honestly bonito powders do a great job making broth for this dish, and I’ve never not used my beloved Hondashi bonito powders when making Oyakodon before.
Can you use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs for Oyakodon?
Absolutely. I’ve used chicken breasts from my freezer for Oyakodon many times before. But I gotta say, chicken thighs taste a lot better than chicken breasts in Oyakodon. I think chicken thighs just go really well with softly cooked eggs and tender onions in this dish. But if chicken breasts are all you have, don’t let that stop you from making this yummy dish at home!
What are the keys for making delicious Oyakodon successfully at home?
I’ve made Oyakodon many, many times in my life so far, and I’ve discovered two very important keys for making Oyakodon at home.
The first key is not to completely mix up eggs in a bowl before you add them to the pot. When you serve Oyakodon in a donburi bowl, you want to be able to see the color of both egg whites and yolks beautifully displayed with a contrast of green onions. And when egg whites and yolks are not completely mixed, you can enjoy the unique texture of them while eating your Oyakodon! It’s the little things that take this simple dish to the next level!
The second key is to turn the heat to LOW before you pour eggs into the pot! You want softly, gently cooked beautiful eggs for your Oyakodon, not completely cooked, hardened and slightly dried ones. By turning the heat to LOW before you add eggs to your chicken and onion mixture in the pot, you will have a better control of cooking the eggs just to your liking without overcooking or burning them.
I hope you and your family will enjoy this simple, easy yet delicious Japanese dish at home! Please let me know in the comments below if you have any questions, and I will make sure and reply back to you!
Japanese Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Bowl)
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 2 pieces chicken thighs
- 1 stalk green onion
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp bonito powder (dashi)
- 2 TBS soy sauce
- 2 TBS mirin
- 1/2 TBS white sugar
Instructions
- Slice up onions thinly and chop green onions.
- Deskin chicken thighs and cut the meat into bite size pieces.
- Boil water in a pot on medium heat.
- Once water is boiled, add bonito powder, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
- Add onion slices and chicken into the pot and cook them for 7 minutes or till they're nice and tender.
- While the sauce is cooking in the pot, beat eggs in a bowl.
- When the onion and chicken mixture is cooked, reduce the heat to LOW.
- Gently pour in eggs into the pot evenly.
- Close the lid and let it shimmer for about 2 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
- Transfer some of the chicken and egg mixture on top of hot, steamy, cooked rice in a bowl and sprinkle on some green onions.
- Enjoy while nice and warm!