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Read for freeRice, delicious egg, and chicken, seasoned with sugar, sake, soy, and mirin. It’s a combination of Japanese flavors that’s hard to beat.
If you love one-bowl meals, oyakodon is definitely for you. Don’t like dashi? Then you’ll love it even more!
Oyakodon is among Japan’s favorite chicken and egg rice bowls. It’s a popular lunchtime dish for busy people. The dish is also called oyakodonburi or parent-child don. It’s a simple one-pot meal that’s easy to make and eat.
It’s a quick and easy dish to make, and it’s also very delicious.
While the traditional oyakodon recipe calls for dashi, a type of fish and kelp broth, this oyakodon recipe uses chicken broth instead.
I know not everyone is a fan of the dashi flavor, so hopefully, this will be a more palatable version for you!
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In this post we'll cover:
Oyakodon without Dashi
Equipment
- 1 oyakodon pan optional
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken broth
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp sake
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp mirin
- 1/4 onion thinly sliced
- 1 skinless chicken thigh cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 egg
- 1/2 green onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cooked rice you can use 1 cup for larger portion
Instructions
- Turn on the stove, put the frying pan on top, and set to high heat. Add mirin, soy sauce, sake, sugar, and chicken broth, then bring to a boil.
- Toss in the onion and stir-fry for 1 minute on medium heat.
- Add the sliced chicken and cook for 5 – 6 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
- Get a small bowl and beat the egg into it. Pour the scrambled egg over the chicken and onion mix in the frying pan, cover with a lid, and cook for another minute.
- Transfer the oyakodon into a rice bowl, add sauce, sprinkle with green onions, then serve.
Cooking tips
This dish is usually made with chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts if you prefer. The key to making a good oyakodon is to cook the chicken until it is very tender.
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which remain juicy while simmering, but chicken breast can be substituted easily if desired.
Be sure to slice the chicken thinly so that it cooks quickly, and avoid overcooking it.
It only takes about five to seven minutes to cook thighs, while three to four minutes is sufficient for cooking breasts.
If you want a richer flavor, you can also add some chopped mushrooms to the dish.
You can also add some mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley) or shiso leaves for a more traditional flavor. Watercress and regular Western parsley taste good too.
When it comes to rice, Japanese short-grain rice is the best type to use, but you can also use sushi rice or any other type of sticky rice.
If you use the traditional oyakodon pan, you don’t need to use any oil. But if you’re using a regular pan, you will need to use some oil to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan.
Substitutions & variations
Since we’re skipping the dashi, you might want to use chicken broth instead of water to cook the rice. This will add more flavor to the dish.
Substituting the dashi stock with chicken broth makes the liquid quite savory. You can even use beef broth or a vegetable broth if you like a milder flavor.
This recipe calls for sake and mirin, but you can use white wine or even sherry if you don’t have either of those on hand. The alcohol will cook off, so don’t worry about making the dish too boozy.
You can also add some other vegetables to the dish, such as carrots, broccoli, or snow peas.
If you want a spicier flavor, you can add some chili pepper flakes or fresh diced chili peppers to the dish. You can also use sriracha sauce instead of soy sauce. Togarashi is a Japanese spice blend that includes chili pepper and is also a good option.
If you don’t have any Japanese seasonings, you can use garlic and ginger instead.
If you want a more savory flavor, you can add some shredded cheese to the dish.
There are a few variations of chicken oyakodon, such as toriyaki oyakodon (chicken and onion simmered in a sweet soy sauce glaze) and karaage oyakodon (fried chicken and onion simmered in a dashi-based sauce).
What is Oyakodon without dashi?
Oyakodon without dashi is a chicken and egg rice bowl dish that uses chicken broth instead of traditional fish and kelp broth.
The flavor is a bit milder but still very delicious!
The name Oyakodon (親子丼) comes from “don” which refers to donburi rice bowls and “oyako” parent and child. Thus the name means “parent-and-child donburi.”
Traditionally, oyakodon is a Japanese dish made with chicken and eggs simmered in a dashi-based sauce and served over rice.
Dashi is a type of fish and kelp broth that is used in many Japanese dishes. It gives the food an umami flavor, and that makes the rice bowl stand out from some other types.
Even without the dashi, this dish is still tasty, but it takes on a chicken flavor.
Don’t worry though, sake, soy sauce (shoyu), and mirin are classic Japanese seasonings that add some of that umami taste back into your rice bowl.
The rice is cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and soy sauce, and then topped with lightly cooked eggs. The final dish is garnished with scallions and served hot.
It’s a classic Japanese comfort food that is perfect for a quick meal. This dish can be made in less than 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
If you ever visit Japan’s corporate cafeterias, you’ll see oyakodon on the menu quite often. It’s a popular dish because it’s tasty and people love to enjoy it as a lunchtime meal.
Origin of oyakodon
As a chicken and egg rice bowl, Oyakodon is poetically translated as “parent-and-child donburi.” This name comes from the late 1800s.
In fact, this traditional Japanese comfort food was created in 1891 at Tamahide, a restaurant that first opened in Tokyo in 1760 and is still popular today.
They are known for creating the original chicken and egg rice bowl with dashi. But of course, the dashi-free version has the same history.
The dish became popular in the Meiji period (1868-1912) as a way to save money and time.
Since chicken and eggs were cheap and easy to find, they quickly became a staple in many Japanese households.
How to serve and eat
Oyakodon is typically served in a large bowl with rice on the bottom and chicken and eggs on top. It is garnished with green onions/scallions, and you can add soy sauce to taste.
The trick to getting the most flavor from your oyakodon is to eat from the bottom up.
This way, the eggs will slightly flavor the rice, and you always have some of the sauce and toppings mixed in with the steamed rice.
The dish is meant to be eaten with chopsticks, and it can be served hot or cold.
Oyakodon is a popular lunch meal at busy office building cafeterias, and it is also a great dish to make at home for a quick and easy meal.
How to store oyakodon
You can store leftover oyakodon in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply microwave the dish until it is hot. You can also add a bit of water to the dish before reheating to help keep it moist.
If you want to make oyakodon ahead of time, you can cook the chicken and eggs and then store them in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, simply cook the rice and assemble the dish.
Oyakodon isn’t a good dish to freeze because the rice can become very mushy. It’s best to enjoy it fresh.
Similar dishes
There are a few other Japanese rice bowl dishes that are similar to oyakodon.
- Toriyaki don is a chicken and onion rice bowl that is simmered in a sweet soy sauce glaze.
- Karaage don is a fried chicken and onion rice bowl that is simmered in a dashi-based sauce.
- Another oyakodon-style meal is gyudon which is a beef and rice bowl.
- Sake oyakodon is a salmon and egg rice bowl that is simmered in sake and soy sauce.
- Finally, there is unadon which is an eel and rice bowl.
These dishes are all chicken and egg rice bowls that can be served with or without dashi. They are all quick and easy to make, and they are great for a quick meal.
FAQs
What’s the difference between donburi and oyakodon?
Donburi is a Japanese rice bowl dish that can be made with various toppings. Oyakodon is a specific type of donburi that is made with chicken and eggs.
Does oyakodon taste good without dashi?
Yes, oyakodon tastes just as good without dashi. In fact, many people prefer the simplicity of the dish without the addition of dashi.
Dashi has an umami flavor and that fishy seaweed taste. Not everyone enjoys it, especially if it’s paired with chicken.
Also, some people are allergic to dashi or don’t have it on hand. This recipe is a great way to enjoy a delicious rice bowl without having to use dashi.
Is oyakodon supposed to be soupy?
The egg acts as a thickener so it’s not supposed to be very runny or soupy. If you want it to be more like a soup, you can add more broth or water.
You can also cook the egg for less time so that it is runnier.
If you want a thicker oyakodon, use an extra egg or egg white.
Does oyakodon contain raw egg?
It’s common to eat raw eggs in Japan since restaurants are allowed to serve them. Therefore, authentic oyakodon may have partially cooked or very runny egg.
But in this oyakodon recipe, the egg is fully cooked and safe to eat and serve in Western restaurants too.
Conclusion
Oyakodon without dashi is a delicious rice bowl dish that is made with chicken and eggs.
It is simmered in a chicken broth, mirin, sake, and soy sauce mixture, and it is garnished with green onions.
The dish is quick and easy to make, so it’s going to become a family favorite. Although it’s made with such simple ingredients, there are lots of flavors, and it’s satisfying.
I’m sure you’re already pleased that it only takes minutes to cook this meal.
So, if you’re looking for a delicious and easy rice bowl dish to make, try oyakodon without dashi.
Also read: Japanese foods like sushi and gyoza are more popular then ever
Check out our new cookbook
Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
Try it out for free with Kindle Unlimited:
Read for free
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
