Oyako Donburi Modified

Oyako Donburi, or "mother and child ricebowl" is a huge favorite at our house. I've found that it's equally delicious, and exceptionally convenient, when I add vegetables to the pan in addition to the traditional onions, eggs and chicken. Everything is savory from the sauce and all we need is a pot of rice for a nutritious dinner.

I find the sauce in most recipes too sweet for our tastes, so this is dialed back a bit. Add 1/2 T more mirin and 1 T more sugar if you like a sweeter flavor. I serve it over short-grain brown rice; the rice takes much longer to cook than the oyako donburi, so if you want to make this after work, consider making the rice the evening before and reheating it for dinner. This recipe serves a family of four, but probably not four adults.

Last night I used diced leftover teriyaki chicken thighs, already cooked so I threw them in the sauce just before adding the egg. It was delicious!

1 T vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4" quarter rounds

1/2 c thinly sliced carrot (on diagonal)

4 scallions, cut on diagonal and white and green parts separated

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1/4" pieces

1.5 cup dashi or low sodium chicken broth

5 T soy sauce

2 T mirin

2 T sugar

1 T salt

4 shiitake dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water to rehydrate and sliced thinly

2 cups fresh spinach, torn or cut into 1-2" pieces

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Heat the vegetable oil in a 10" saute pan, saute the yellow onion, scallion whites and carrot till just softened. Add the chicken, stir, add the next six ingredients through the shiitakes and bring to a simmer. Cook 3 minutes, then add the spinach, stir and cook 2 more minutes until spinach is wilted.

Pour the eggs over the chicken and vegetable mixture in a steady stream. Spread 1/2 the green onions over the eggs, place the lid on the pan and cook approximately four minutes. Check the eggs to see that they're not too runny. When the eggs are done to your liking, place a scoop of hot rice in a bowl, add a wedge of the egg mixture, drizzle with sauce and top with green onions. Enjoy!