Oyako don (親子丼 ), also known as oyako donburi, is a classic rice bowl dish topped with chicken and egg simmered in an umami dashi stock. It’s a popular “fast-food” type of meal in Japan as well as a staple of home cooking because it’s so quick and easy to make. Simply serve the chicken and egg on a bed of warm fluffy rice then sprinkle some garnishes and you’ve got yourself a filling and delicious bowl of comfort food!
Table of contents
What is Oyako Don?
Oyako donburi, typically referred to simply as Oyakodon, is a comforting meal made from tender pieces of chicken, beaten eggs, and onions simmered in a savory dashi broth all served over a bed of steamed rice. It’s a classic “donburi” dish which is the name given to large rice bowl dishes like Gyudon, Katsudon, and Tendon (tempura donburi). The name “oyako” translates to parent-child in Japanese. “Oya” means parents, hence the chicken, and “ko” means child, hence the egg. So the name of the dish literally translates to “parent-child” rice bowl. The name might be a bit odd but the dish itself is scrumptious. It’s a popular comfort food dish in Japan because it uses simple ingredients that blend together perfectly to create a subtly flavourful and warm dish.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
The ingredients required to make oyako don include:
Rice
Rice is of course essential for any donburi (rice-bowl) dish. Japanese short-grain rice is the best choice for oyako don due to its sticky texture. This type of rice also absorbs the flavors of the dish well.
Chicken
The main ingredient in oyako don is boneless, skinless chicken thigh or chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces.
Eggs
The eggs in this dish need to be beaten lightly so that the egg yolks and egg whites are still visibly separated.
Onions
Slice the onions thinly and cook until they are tender.
Dashi broth
Dashi is a Japanese cooking stock made from kombu (dried kelp), bonito flakes and shiitake or combination of those. You can also use dashi powder too which is a convenient shortcut. The dashi broth adds depth of flavor to the sauce in oyako don.
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is necessary for adding a bit of saltiness and umami flavour.
Mirin
Mirin is a sweet rice wine that adds sweetness to the sauce in oyako don.
Sugar
A small amount of sugar is added to balance out the flavors of soy sauce and mirin in the sauce for oyako don.
Garnishes
The dish is typically garnished with mitsuba, scallions, and shichimi togarashi to add extra flavor and visual appeal.
- Mitsuba : Mitsuba is a type of Japanese herb that has a fresh, slightly citrusy flavor. It adds a pop of green color and a refreshing taste to the oyako don.
- Shichimi togarashi : It is a popular Japanese spice blend that typically includes red chili pepper, tangerine peel, Japanese pepper, sesame, poppy seed, hemp seed, shiso, ginger, and green seaweed. It adds heat and complexity to the dish without overpowering the other flavors.
Special Equipment : Donburi Pan
Donburi dishes typically cooked altogether in one single-serve flat donburi pan/skillet. These pans are specifically made and shaped to cook one serve at a time to create the ideal round portion to slide perfectly over a bowl of rice. The pans typically have a wide and shallow design that allows for even heating and easy stirring of ingredients. The wide surface area also makes it easier to cook the oyakodon ingredients together without overcrowding the pan. However, we don’t all have one of these and most of us will want to cook bigger portions at once to serve more than one person. A large majority of Japanese people don’t even own one. Instead, we can just use a saucepan or a small frying pan. Or if you really want to make it super authentically, then you can buy the special oyakodon pan online.
How To Make Oyako Don
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make oyako don:
- Combine all seasonings and set aside. It will make about 1 cup of seasoning.
- Cut the onion lengthwise and then cut it into wedges.
- Cut the chicken thighs (or breast) into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- In a medium-sized pan, bring the seasoning to simmer.
- Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook until softened.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pan and simmer until cooked through.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture over the chicken and onions in the pan.
- Cover with a lid and let it cook for about 30 seconds or until the eggs are just set.
- Remove from heat and serve over bowls of hot plain rice.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and other garnishes.
Enjoy your homemade oyako don! It’s best served hot and can be paired with some pickled vegetables or miso soup on the side for a complete Japanese meal.
Tips To Make Oyako Don
- Cut all the ingredients small and in even bite size pieces.
- It’s great if you have a special pan to make donburi (rice bowl dishes), but if not use a small shallow frying pan like I did in the step by step photos.
- Try not to overcook the eggs. Put a lid on once you’ve added the egg mixture and turn the heat off and cook the eggs with the residual heat.
- Garnish with mitsuba if you can find it. It adds a refreshing flavour.
More Delicious Donburi Recipes
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Oyako Don 親子丼
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice *1
- 250 g Chicken thigh fillets
- ½ onion
- 3 large eggs
Seasonings
- ¾ cup Dashi stock soup
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp usukuchi soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine all seasonings and set aside. It will make about 1 cup of seasoning.
- Cut the onion lengthwise and then cut it into wedges.
- Cut the chicken thigh into small pieces so the chicken will be cooked thoroughly in a short time.
- Place a small frying pan over medium heat and pour ½ cup of seasoning.
- Bring the seasoning to simmer, then add half of the cut onion, and ½ of the chicken thigh into the seasoning to cook. (If you are cooking 2 serves in 1 frying pan then add all the onion and chicken)
- While the onion and chicken is being cooked, crack the three eggs open into a small mixing bowl and stir the eggs.
- After the onion and chicken has cooked for about 5 minutes over medium heat and the seasoning liquid has reduced to about half, pour half of the eggs over the chicken and onion and evenly sprinkle chopped green shallots (optional).
- Place a lid on and turn the heat off to allow the remaining heat to cook the egg.
- Serve 1½ cup of rice in a Donburi rice bowl and slide the egg and chicken cooked in the frying pan over the rice to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you, Shihoko, for this recipe. Veganized it with vegan chicken strips and Just Egg egg substitute. Taste was awesome, although my dashi was heavy on the kombu, so had to adjust the dashi sauce to compensate. Didn’t have mitsuba, so subbed green onions. Although we cook with Just Egg a lot for omelettes, it didn’t quite scramble in the dashi sauce like regular eggs, but the taste was awesome. Husband really loved it, he’s the one that’s total vegan in our household.
Hi Darren Thank you for making Oyako don with excellent substitution ideas. Thank you for sharing your success story. I am trying to update Scrambled Tofu and thought tofu might be a good sub?
Amazing food. I really like this dish.People also love this dish. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will use it again!
Thank you Chinnaddington, if you liked Oyako don, please rate the recipe too next time!
Made this yesterday afternoon for my friends and family. They loved them and wanted to know the recipe. I have shared your recipe link with them.
Hi Albertina, Thank you so much!
Such a delicious bowl idea! My family is in love.
Thank you Aimee 😀
This is such a comforting bowl.
I made it yesterday as it is so very cold here in WA and it was warming and like a hug in a bowl.
Delicious!
Thank you Claire 😀 yes it is great winter bowl dish to make you warm.
We’d been using a recipe out of a Japanese cookbook that my wife had. This is definitely better. We added thinly slided fresh shiitake mushrooms after the onion had cooked down a bit. It’s very close to our favorite japaneses restaurant, but we can identify what’s missing.
Ohhh Joe, I sometimes add shiitake mushrooms too. And also I often add carrots too 😀
Perfect recipe i love it!
wow thank you! 😀
Oyako donburi is one of my all-time favorite Japanese dishes. Many years ago, when I visited Koyasan, I stopped for lunch in town and asked a friendly waitress to identify dishes in the cafe’s outdoor display window. Pointing to oyakodon, she said, “Means parents and children” and, tucking her hands under her armpits, flapped her wings, staying “Chik’un!” I immediately ordered, and thoroughly enjoyed, my oyakodon lunch.
Hi Calvin, thank you for sharing your lovely memory in Koyasan. I am from the prefecture though never been to Koyasan in my life. I am going back to Wakayama in April and try to go there 😀