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    Cook With Dana » Recipes » Recipes

    Published: May 26, 2023 · Modified: Apr 21, 2025 by Dana · This post may contain affiliate links · 27 Comments

    One Pot Oyakodon (Made in Rice Cooker)

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    Have you ever tried making oyakodon in one pot? If not, you have to try making this popular Japanese dish, Oyakodon in a rice cooker! All you have to do is add all the ingredients (rice, chicken and onions) in the rice cooker (or stovetop pot) and wait for the magic to happen! The combination of tender chicken, sweet onions, and the richness of the beaten eggs creates a delicious and satisfying meal.

    chicken and soft eggs cooked in the rice cooker along with green onions

    INSPIRED BY FAMOUS JAPANESE DISH – Oyakodon

    What is Oyakodon?

    In Japanese, Oyakodon literally means “parent-and-child rice bowl.” Chicken and onions are cooked slowly in a soy based sauce on a small pan. Eggs are added at the end so the sauce is extra soft and velvety. Top the chicken and eggs on a bed of white rice and you have authentic Oyakodon.

    Don’t be mistaken my recipe is not the ‘authentic’ way of making Oyakodon. However, the dish is super easy to make and tastes just as comforting as the original version.

    a bowl of oyakdon - chicken and soft eggs cooked in the rice cooker along with green onions topped with seaweed

    What do I need to make Oyakodon?

    EQUIPMENT:

    • Zojirushi rice cooker – this is the rice cooker I use and it works great! I bought it at Costco 8 years ago and it’s still reliable to this day. The rice always comes out delicious! I recommend checking Costco if they have this brand or you can buy it on Amazon.

    *note: use the standard measuring cups, not the rice cups*

    chicken marinade

    • .6 to .75 pound chicken thigh
    • ½ tablespoon instant dashi powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce (for color) – add regular if you don’t have this!
    • 1 tablespoon mirin
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • ½ small white onion
    • ½ tablespoon oil
    • ¼ cup water – add this to rice
    • 1 cup short grain rice – soak with 2 cups of water prior to cooking
    • marinated chicken

    garnish

    • 2 eggs with a pinch of salt – eggs beaten to 70-80%
    • 1-2 green onion – sliced
    • seaweed, sliced thinly
    • togarshi (japanese 7 spice) – OPTIONAL – adds a little spiciness and sesame seeds

    HOW TO MAKE OYAKODON:

    Soak the rice.

    soakig rice in water in a pot

    Wash and cut chicken in one inch pieces.

    washing chicken with water in a bowl
    pouring cut chicken in soy marinade bowl

    Slice onions and prepare chicken marinade by mixing ½ tablespoon instant dashi powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce (for color), 1 tablespoon mirin, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ small white onion, and ½ tablespoon oil.

    marinating chicken in soy saiuce, onions and dashi sauce

    Wash rice and strain as much water as you can. Add ½ cup water to the rice and add the chicken and onions (along with the rice) in the rice cooker. Press ‘cook’ and wait for the rice to cook.

    strain water from the rice as much as possible
    add water and chicken marinade onions in the rice

    Beat eggs and add them quickly to the rice when it’s done cooking. This should be quickly done by opening the lid and closing the lid in a very short amount of time (10 seconds max!). The steam will gently cook the eggs.

    beat eggs in a bowl
    pour egg mixture to the rice cooker when the rice has cooked

    Expert Tips

    I taste tested this recipe a few times to ensure we can have the flavor of Oyakodon without having mushy rice. Follow these tips for extra delicious chicken and rice bowl!

    • Soak your rice in water while you prepare your ingredients. This will help ensure that the center of the grains are cooked and give you great tender rice texture.
    • Strain all the water after washing your rice. This helps ensure that your water and sauce measurements are correct to make the best rice!
    • After putting the rice in the rice cooker, start beating your eggs to 70-80% mixed. This ensures that there’s some of the egg white for the visual and softness.
    • Leave your beaten eggs out after mixing so they can get to room temperature. This will help cook the eggs faster when you throw them in the rice cooker.
    • Open the rice cooker quickly to ensure that not too much steam escapes. The steam will cook the egg mixture and result in softer & succulent eggs.
    • Every rice cooker is different so the cooking times may vary. I recommend to use the ‘white rice’ setting or the normal function to make this. In rare cases, if you find that the rice or chicken is not cooked through, press the button again ◡̈

    Substitutions

    Keep in mind substitutions will alter the flavor and texture of this dish. Here are substitutions of ingredients that won’t alter the dish too much.

    • If you can’t have alcohol (in this case it is mirin) – substitute mirin with water to ensure the recipe has correct proportions
    • You can substitute chicken thigh with chicken breast. However, the chicken breast may get overcooked and be on the drier side compared to chicken thighs
    • Dark soy sauce is used for making the sauce darker and helps with the visuals of the dish. It also is less salty than regular soy sauce. If you don’t have dark soy sauce, you can substitute with regular soy sauce.
    scoop of chicken and rice green onion from the rice cooker

    ALTERNATIVE COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

    I understand that not everyone has a rice cooker, so some of us might use pots on the stovetop to cook the oyakodon. If that is you, get your medium sized pot ready. Add the rice, chicken, and onions according to the recipe directions. Once your pot is filled with rice and all the ingredients…follow the instructions below and you can make your one pot beef and rice!

    1. Heat pot to medium high and cook for 5-7 minutes covered with a lid. The water will start boiling. Make sure to watch over the fire because the water might boil over ◡̈
    2. After 5-7 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes covered. Do not open the lid during the entire cooking process.
    3. Then turn off the heat and do not open the covered pot. Leave for 15-20 minutes covered. After the 15-20 minutes is up, open the lid quickly (be careful to not let out too much steam) and add beaten eggs on top. Cover the pot quickly and wait for 2-3 minutes for extra soft egg sauce. If you want the eggs on the well-done side, leave it covered for longer and mix it together with the rice. Garnish with sliced green onions. Hope you enjoy!

    Check Out More One Pot Recipes

    • Easy One Pot Beef and Rice – tender and chewy short grain rice and thinly sliced beef that melts in your mouth.
    • One Pot Mushroom Rice in Rice Cooker – takes 15 minutes to prepare and the recipe requires minimal dishes.
    • Easy One Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice – tender chicken marinated with spicy bake mix is cooked with Chinese sausage for the most delicious flavor!
    • creamy chicken on top of white rice on a grey plate with a spoon
      One Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken
    • Crispy Chinese Chicken garnished with sesame seeds and green onions and served with white rice.
      Crispy Chinese Chicken (20 Minute Meal)
    • Chicken pho served with noodles, cilantro, jalapenos, and sriracha in a bowl.
      Easy Instant Pot Chicken Pho (Vietnamese Pho Ga)
    • chicken and rice with cucumbers, spicy sweet and sour red sauce, green onions ginger
      One Pot Chicken Rice – Hainanese Chicken Rice

    Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!

    chicken and egg rice with seaweed on top in a blue bowl
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    4.77 from 39 votes

    One Pot Oyakodon

    The combination of tender chicken, sweet onions, and the richness of the beaten eggs creates a delicious and satisfying meal all made in one pot!
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time45 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Japanese
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 434kcal
    Author: Dana

    Ingredients

    chicken marinade

    • .6 to .75 pound chicken thigh boneless and skinless
    • ½ tablespoon instant dashi powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce (for color) add regular if you don’t have this!
    • 1 tablespoon mirin add water if you can't have alcohol
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • ½ small white onion sliced thinly
    • ½ tablespoon oil neutral oil like avocado or vegetable

    garnish

    • 2 eggs (with a pinch of salt) beaten to 70-80% mix
    • 1-2 green onion sliced
    • seaweed sliced thinly
    • togarashi optional

    Instructions

    • Soak 1 cup short grain rice with 2 cups water. Soaking the rice in water helps soften the rice as short grain rice can be hard in the center if not soaked.
    • Slice ½ small white onion in thin slices.
    • Prepare the chicken marinade by mixing ½ tablespoon instant dashi powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ small white onion, and ½ tablespoon oil. Mix well and set aside.
    • Wash your chicken thighs in running water until it runs clear. This ensures your chicken does not taste gamey.
    • Cut you chicken thigh in 1 inch pieces. Add the cut chicken in the marinade from Step 3.
    • Wash the soaked rice in a strainer (or in the same bowl you used before) until water runs clear. Make sure your strain all the water to ensure that you add the right amount of water in the next step. The water should barely cover the surface of the rice. We don’t need to add too much water because the chicken and onions will provide some moisture to the rice and we don’t want soggy rice.
    • In the pot with rice, add ½ cup water and marinated chicken and onions from step 5. Place pot in rice cooker and press the cook button. If you don’t have a rice cooker, use the alternative cooking instructions below.
    • Beat eggs to 70-80% mixed with some egg white showing. Leave in room temperature.
    • When the rice is done cooking, open the lid really fast and pour the beaten eggs in. Close the lid and wait for 2-8 minutes (3 minutes for runny eggs, 5 min for over easy and 8 min for well done); depending on your rice cooker, you might need to press the button again!
    • Garnish the rice with some sliced green onions. Oyakodon is served with the chicken and egg sauce on top of the rice, so no need to mix everything together. Hope you enjoy!

    Video

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Csr_KiXJ0tW/

    Notes

    ALTERNATIVE COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

    I understand that not everyone has a rice cooker, so some of us might use pots on the stovetop to cook the oyakodon. If that is you, get your medium sized pot ready. Add the rice, chicken, and onions according to the recipe directions. Once your pot is filled with rice and all the ingredients…follow the instructions below and you can make your one pot beef and rice!
    1. Heat pot to medium high and cook for 5-7 minutes covered with a lid. The water will start boiling. Make sure to watch over the fire because the water might boil over ◡̈
    2. After 5-7 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes covered. Do not open the lid during the entire cooking process.
    3. Then turn off the heat and do not open the covered pot. Leave for 15-20 minutes covered. After the 15-20 minutes is up, open the lid quickly (be careful to not let out too much steam) and add beaten eggs on top. Cover the pot quickly and wait for 2-3 minutes for extra soft egg sauce. If you want the eggs on the well-done side, leave it covered for longer and mix it together with the rice. Garnish with sliced green onions. Hope you enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 297mg | Sodium: 1291mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 404IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Did you make this?Please give it a 5-star rating, or leave a comment to share your experience! Tag @cookwithdanaa on Instagram to show me your beautiful creations! 😊

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.77 from 39 votes (29 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Tracey says

      March 27, 2025 at 11:04 am

      Hi, can I double the recipe? I have a Cuckoo 10 cup pressure rice cooker. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Dana says

        March 27, 2025 at 4:33 pm

        Hi Tracey, I suggest to not double the recipe because I’m worried that the chicken might not cook through. I haven’t used that rice cooker before so I am unsure if the rice will be mushy either. Sorry about that.

        Reply
    2. May says

      August 20, 2024 at 12:51 am

      5 stars
      The oyakodon was so yummy and creamy from the egg!! My first time making it and it was so easy!! I love these one pot recipes.

      Reply
    3. Mike says

      July 28, 2024 at 3:29 am

      5 stars
      I’ve never had this before so didn’t have anything to compare it to but I think It turned out great! My kids really liked it too.

      Reply
    4. Michi says

      March 23, 2024 at 1:37 pm

      I tried this with my Zojirushi 5 cup NS TSC10 on the white rice setting and it finished with the chicken cooked but the rice still hard. I put it in a pan and simmered with another cup of water so everything didn’t go to waste. The taste was delicious but the process was long. Do I have the wrong setting?

      Reply
      • Dana says

        March 25, 2024 at 7:40 pm

        Hi Michi, Sorry to hear that the rice was still hard. I use the white rice setting and it worked for me. Every rice cooker is different and I recommend to try half a portion next time to see if it’s because the portion is too large.

        Reply
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