Week Night Yum Yum: Oyako Donburi

This is one of my all-time, top 10 favorite dishes. Hands down. It's one of my go-to meals when I feel sick and is so comforting and delicious on a cold day. And so incredibly easy to make it turns out! For a while I'd just order it from my local Japanese take-out joint, but sadly where we live right now we're a wee bit too far out. So necessity + desperation has made me figure out how to make it myself at home! And it turns out it's way easier and faster than ordering delivery or driving out to get take out! 

Although traditional donburi is made with dashi, I substitute easy to find chicken broth with much success. Yes you need the mirin or rice wine vinegar, with a preference for the mirin. And sushi rice is the best rice to use because it's sticky and naturally a little sweet. I also top mine with some nori for added crunch and iodine for my thyroid issue. 

It's cheap, it's easy, it comes together in 20 minutes, and is delicious. My kids love it and The Hubsters goes nuts for it. Make it today.

Oyako Donburi
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small white onion, very thinly sliced
1 chicken breast, sliced very thin (1/4 inch thick) across the grain
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 scallions, half cut into thick diagonals and other half sliced thinly for garnish
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin or rice wine vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar
1.5 cups chicken broth
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
prepared sushi rice
torn nori for garnish (optional)
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan or wok until very hot. Add the onion and cook on high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook another 3 minutes -- don't panic, the chicken will finish cooking soon. Add the carrots, garlic, ginger, and half of the scallions (the diagonal half) and mix in, cooking another 2-3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, mirin/vinegar, sugar and broth all at once and cook 3 minutes. Next, add the beaten eggs all at once right on top. Leave it alone and let it cook right on top of the chicken-vegetable mixture for a good 2 minutes. Then taking a spatula or wooden spoon, begin vigorously stirring the egg mixture from the middle. Don't worry if some of the egg starts to coddle in the broth -- this is normal. The egg is going to both thicken the sauce a bit and also cook into scrambled eggs. Cook the mixture until eggs are set and chicken is cooked through about 5-7 minutes. You'll still have some liquid left over.

To serve, portion out the prepared rice into bowl. Top with generous helpings of the chicken-egg mixture, including spooning the liquid over it. Top with sliced scallions and nori if using, and serve piping hot.


Prepared Sushi Rice
2 cups sushi rice
3 cups water

In a rice cooker or pot with lid, combine the rice and water together. Set to cook  on rice cooker. If using a pot, bring water and rice to a boil and then cover with lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until water has evaporated and rice is tender. Stir it a couple of times in the pot to prevent sticking during the cooking process. No need to stir it if using a rice cooker. Serve hot.