The literal translation of Oyakodon means “parent-and-child rice bowl.” The typical ingredients include chicken (as in parent), egg (as in child), and onions. The ingredients are simmered together in a sauce then served on top of a bowl of rice. It’s a very common Donburi dish and served at most traditional Japanese diners. I first learned how to cook the dish during home-making class in middle school (although this recipe is not from the textbook). It’s very easy to cook so I hope Oyakodon will be your go-to recipe when you are busy.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 eggs
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp. mirin
- 1 Tbsp. cooking sake
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 cup dashi stock
- Chopped mitsuba or finely chopped green onion for garnish
Instructions:
- Cut the chicken diagonally (Use Sogigiri cutting technique)
- Crack eggs into a bowl. DO NOT BEAT. Instead, hold chopsticks with the tip of chopsticks touching the bottom of the bowl, and write “Z” a couple of times. Set aside.
- In a shallow frying pan, heat Mirin and cooking sake and bring it to a boil.
- Add soy sauce, sugar, and dashi and bring it to a boil.
- Spread the onion into the pan and place chicken on top. Cover with a lid and keep the heat on high until it boils. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium and cook for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and onion is soft. You can lightly stir the chicken and onion once or twice during that time.
- Slowly and evenly add eggs into the pan instead of pouring at once.
- Use chopsticks and poke around the ingredients so eggs will disperse evenly. Shake the pan so the ingredients move around and bottom doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Serve Japanese rice in a large serving bowl.
- When the egg is cooked about 80%, add mitsuba (or green onions) and turn off the heat after 1 minute.
- Pour the mixture on top of rice and pour extra sauce. Serve immediately.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Nami, I just made Oyakodon this week, and I went on your site looking for a recipe! I ended up using my mom’s, which is chinese-ized oyako don. I’ll try your recipe next time and compare.
Hi Sau! My Oyakodon has rather traditional and authentic taste. Some people like it to be more salty and sweeter, but mine has good Dashi taste. I cook chicken and onion in Dashi-Jiru and that makes this dish very flavorful, not over killed by say sauce and sugar. I’d love to try your Chinese-ized Oyakodon too!
I just looked at your website. It is AMAZING!! I expected to see one photo of the finished dish. I never thought you would be able to put so many details and photos of each step. I am truely impressed and inspired. I wanted to try the Oyakodon at my dads house one day soon.
Thanks Angel! I wasn’t sure if those big pictures of each step is too much (esp. if you are going to print out). But I wanted to show how easily we can prepare most of the food I cook. I get motivated by feedback people give me, so thank you for writing! Good luck with Oyakodon!
Hi, I made this dish today – just one thing didn’t work out that well: the eggs. I don’t know if there was maybe too much liquid still in my dish?, but they just seemed a bit scrambled, even though I had hardly stirred them! (Only initially, to make sure that eggs would disperse evenly). Do you have any idea what might have gone ‘wrong’? The dish was very tasty btw!!
Thanks!
Hi Valerie! Hmm hard to tell without a picture, but do you mean the egg was overcooked like scrambled eggs? Not sure how you pour the egg, but like the #6 picture, you pour (well beaten) egg slowly… so the egg will float fluffy. It’s very thin layer that it will cook quickly. If you didn’t pour egg like a string (sorry don’t know how to explain), it will create a large spot of egg mixture in one spot… Hmm I really want to help you, but I don’t know enough about the situation and it’s a bit hard to advise. Sorry Valerie I’m not helpful here. If the egg was cooked too fast, then maybe you needed to lower the heat? Japanese like to eat Oyakodon with a little runny eggs. I know we don’t eat raw eggs here for safety reason…so I sort of cooked egg. But you can stop cooking eggs early if you like it more runny (and using fresh eggs). Let me know if I can help you further. I love feedback and that’s how I can make my recipe better. Thanks again!
Hello Nami – I made this oyako don for my family last week and it was a HIT!
Everyone enjoyed it and asked for seconds!
Thanks for sharing your recipes and tips
Hi Irene!
Thanks for your feedback! I’m so happy to hear that your family enjoyed this meal. You made my day!
This looks wonderful and so easy! I also love the meaning of the name – parent for the chicken and child for the egg.
Yum! I have been looking at your recipes almost every day this week – wondering what to make next. Everything that I have tried so far has been delicious: it looks as if it’s Oyakodon tonight!
Hi Morgan! I’m really happy to hear that you enjoy my recipes.
Thank you for writing, and enjoy Oyakodon tonight! I hope you will like it.
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