Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

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Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (1)

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Oyakodon is chicken and egg in seasoned broth over rice in a bowl. Oyako means parents and children, like chicken and egg, and don (donburi) means a bowl. It’s a whole meal in one bowl. It is a healthy dish since everything is boiled with no added oil. Besides being healthy, it is very quick to make and, of course, yummy! Rice absorbs flavorful dashi along with fluffy eggs — it is just delicious!

It is a very typical lunch dish you can get at casual restaurants. Udon noodle shops in Japan often have Oyakodon on their menu probably because they already have very good Dashi (fish broth) for noodles. If you have good broth, your job is half way done anyway. But because we are outside Japan, it is hard to find udon noodle shops and good Oyakodon. Luckily, it is easy to make at home with ingredients that are easy to find anywhere.

If your white rice is covered with meat and things or soaked with some brown sauce, it is usually not a high class dish. And Oyakodon is definitely categorized in B class gourmet. It doesn’t matter though, because it still tastes great.

Our recipe below is for one person because it is easier to make individually, but you can multiply and make a bunch at once in a bigger pan when you serve for your entire family.

Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2)

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Oyakodon Recipe

Chicken pieces and eggs cooked in a savory sauce over steamed rice.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: chicken, egg, rice bowl

Servings: 1 serving

*Links may contain ad. #CommissionsEarned

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Dashi
  • 1/2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 Tbsp Sake
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 Tbsp Mirin
  • 1/4 onion thinly sliced
  • 1 chicken thigh cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 green onion thinly sliced
  • 1 cup steamed rice

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

Video

ChickenDonburiEggRice

August 26, 2012 By JapaneseCooking101

Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (3)

About JapaneseCooking101

Noriko and Yuko, the authors of this site, are both from Japan but now live in California. They love cooking and eating great food, and share a similar passion for home cooking using fresh ingredients.Noriko and Yuko plan and develop recipes together for Japanese Cooking 101. They cook and shoot photos/videos at their home kitchen(s.)

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  • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (7)

    mika

    October 6, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    I just made Oyakodon for the first time using this recipe! おいしかったですね!!(^_^)ありがとうございます!i am very happy that i succeeded on my first try. i will make this again soon for my family!

    • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (8)

      Noriko

      October 7, 2013 at 9:23 pm

      Mika,
      thanks for trying our Oyakodon recipe! We have a lot of easy recipes, so come back soon!

  • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (9)

    Roxy

    October 16, 2013 at 10:44 pm

    I am very excited to do my grocery shopping this week because of your site. I found your instructions easy to understand and not intimidating to try. Thanks! ^_^/

    • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (10)

      Noriko

      October 17, 2013 at 3:57 pm

      Roxy,
      thanks! Hope you like our recipes!

  • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (11)

    Amin Bilal

    January 11, 2014 at 5:55 am

    Lovely site. I spent a lot of time in Japan 20 years ago and I rarely find the same food in London unless you go to a very very expensive restaurant. We will try some of these recipes at home. One special request: Japanese food is famous for being very healthy. Please make a section on healthy options.

    • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (12)

      Noriko

      January 12, 2014 at 8:48 pm

      Amin,
      Thanks for the comment! Hope you like our recipes!

  • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (13)

    Jenna

    July 22, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Just tried making oyakodon last night using this recipe. My husband and son love it. Thank you for ur easy to follow recipe. Do you mind to recommended some other easy to cook food like this?

    • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (14)

      Noriko

      September 13, 2014 at 5:17 pm

      Jenna,
      very similar one is salmon and egg Donburi. Gyudon is also a easy rice bowl recipe with beef.

  • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (15)

    Ann

    August 11, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    Hi,

    This recipe looks delicious! I just wanted to ask if there’s anything I can use in place of the sake. I go to college in a small town in Minnesota and there’s no way for me to get my hands on any cooking sake since there are no Asian grocers anywhere near my area. I can find mirin online but I can’t seem to find cooking sake. Is there something I can use as a substitute? Thanks!

  • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (16)

    Panjita

    September 18, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    I made this one last night… The recipe is very simple and the outcome has an authentic taste…. I ommit the dashi and sake (cause I dont have it), then I add some salt to the chicken… The result is stunning… Everybody love it… Thank you so muucchh…. 🙂

    • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (17)

      Noriko

      September 19, 2014 at 11:46 am

      Panjita,
      glad you liked our Oyakodon Recipe. Check out our new Katsudon recipe too!

  • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (18)

    Stacie Nakagawa

    January 15, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    What would be a good substitute for the dashi? Would chicken broth or water work?

    • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (19)

      Noriko

      January 18, 2016 at 10:47 pm

      Stacie,
      it may be less flavorful, but water is ok.

    • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (20)

      orinoco womble

      April 8, 2016 at 4:00 am

      I have a different recipe for this dish, that has you simmer 3 dried shiitake mushrooms in a cup of water and use the liquid, in place of dashi stock. If you can’t get bonito flakes to make dashi, it’s a viable substitute.

      I sometimes make “cheater dashi” using water I’ve simmered for an hour with a piece of kombu kelp, and a fresh salmon head from my fishmonger. After the hour-long simmer I take out the kelp and add the salmon head, and simmer till done. Strain the broth and portion it for freezing. It’s not the same, of course, but I can’t afford bonito flakes all the time; where I live, they are enormously expensive!

      • Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (21)

        Lenny

        September 8, 2016 at 7:58 pm

        Can you stop substituting things???

    Oyakodon Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the difference between oyakodon and donburi? ›

    Donburi is simply the name for a rice-bowl meal. There are so many different types available in Japan, from the inexpensive gyudon (beef slices on rice) or oyakodon (a rice bowl topped with chicken cutlet and egg) to the more extravagant ones such as kaisendon (topped with fresh seafood).

    What are the different types of oyakodon? ›

    There's another type of oyakodon too — if you put salmon and salmon roe (eggs) together, you get a seafood version called "kaisen oyakodon." There's also "kaikadon," where a different meat is mixed with egg — this is also called "tanindon" from the word "tanin," which means strangers.

    What is oyakodon in Japanese? ›

    Oyakodon (親子丼), literally "parent-and-child donburi", is a donburi, or Japanese rice bowl dish, in which chicken, egg, sliced scallion (or sometimes regular onions), and other ingredients are all simmered together in a kind of soup that is made with soy sauce and stock, and then served on top of a large bowl of rice.

    How do you reheat oyakodon? ›

    Serve the oyakodon over cooked rice and a side of kimchi. It's supposed to be a little soupy, so don't forget to scoop up the liquid, too. Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat, microwave in 1-minute intervals until heated through.

    What does Oyako donburi mean in Japanese slang? ›

    noun: oyakodon ; chicken and egg on rice. sexual relationship with both a mother and daughter - vulgar - slang.

    Can you make oyakodon without dashi? ›

    Homemade dashi is nice, but not necessary for this simple dish, which has so many other strong flavors.

    What is the difference between oyakodon and chicken Katsu Don? ›

    A variation made with chicken katsu and egg is called oyako katsudon, which is distinguished from oyakodon where the meat in the latter is not fried.

    Why is oyakodon called oyakodon? ›

    “Oya” means parent, “ko” means child and “don” is short for donburi which is a rice bowl. The name of the dish is a poetic reflection of the fact that chicken and egg are served over rice. (Chicken is the parent and the egg is the child.) The dish was first made at the Tamahide restaurant in Tokyo in 1891.

    What does Roti mean in Japanese? ›

    ロティ ROTEI. noun: roti (flatbread)

    What is the oldest oyakodon restaurant in Tokyo? ›

    There are not a lot of restaurants in the world that are over 250 years old. Tamahide in Ningyocho was established in 1760, and is not only old, but also the birth place of a common Japanese dish called Oyakodon. It was introduced here in 1887 and it is still one of the best places to eat it in Japan.

    What does Fuwa mean in Japanese? ›

    What does "fuwa" mean in Japanese? “Fuwa fuwa” is an onomatopoeia (sound based word/phrase) meaning soft and fluffy. “Fuwa” may also be used to express a gasp sound in manga.

    How long does oyakodon last in the fridge? ›

    You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. To store in the freezer, do not add the eggs. You can add eggs after you reheat it in the pan.

    How long does oyakodon last? ›

    A comforting spoonful of egg, chicken and rice from a one-pan oyakodon recipe makes for a quick, delicious meal. For the best results, use boneless chicken thighs, but you can also substitute with chicken breasts or firm tofu (see Notes). Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

    What is the name of the Japanese chicken dish? ›

    Yakitori. Yakitori, or grilled chicken on skewers, is a street-food favorite among Japanese people of all ages. Generally two types of seasonings are available—a soy sauce-based sauce that is a bit on the sweet side or a simple sprinkling of salt that keeps the natural taste of the chicken front and center.

    What is the difference between Oyakodon and Katsudon? ›

    A variation made with chicken katsu and egg is called oyako katsudon, which is distinguished from oyakodon where the meat in the latter is not fried.

    What is the difference between donburi and Don in Japanese? ›

    Donburi bowl has been used in Japan since the Edo period (1603~), a thicker, deeper bowl that is one or two sizes larger than a Japanese rice bowl. Donburi dishes are also called "Don" and come in many varieties, such as Oyako-don and Katsu-don.

    Why is Oyakodon called Oyakodon? ›

    “Oya” means parent, “ko” means child and “don” is short for donburi which is a rice bowl. The name of the dish is a poetic reflection of the fact that chicken and egg are served over rice. (Chicken is the parent and the egg is the child.) The dish was first made at the Tamahide restaurant in Tokyo in 1891.

    What is the difference between donburi and Chirashi? ›

    Chirashi donburi is scatter rice bowl. This means the toppings are scattered and could consist of sashimi and cooked ingredients. However, the major difference between chirashi donburi and chirashi sushi bowl is that chirashi sushi uses seasoned sushi rice while donburi is usually just plain sushi rice.

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