Name: Rice Cooker Oyakodon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup short-grain Japanese rice; 1.2 cups water (or as indicated on rice cooker pot); 1 x 250g boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces; 1 tsp garlic paste or 1-2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp ginger paste or grated ginger; 2 tbsps light soy sauce; 2 tsps sugar; 2 tsps apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 tsp dashi/chicken stock powder (optional); 1/4 tsp ground black pepper; 1 onion, sliced; 2 eggs; Spring onions / scallions / green onions, chopped for garnish; Chilli flakes (optional); Nori (optional)

Weeknight dinners made easy with this Rice Cooker Oyakodon recipe. Savory-sweet chicken, eggs, and rice in one pot – easy and satisfying!

This recipe is not only delicious but also incredibly convenient: One-Pot Rice Cooker Oyakodon. If you’re a fan of Japanese cuisine, you’re in for a treat! Oyakodon is already really easy to make, and this recipe takes it a step further by keeping everything in one-pot.

This dish combines the comforting flavors of chicken, eggs, and onions simmered in a savory-sweet sauce, all cooked together in one pot for minimal cleanup. Plus, it’s perfect for busy weeknights when you want a satisfying meal without spending hours in the kitchen.

What is Oyakodon?

Oyakodon is a classic Japanese dish consisting of chicken and eggs simmered in a savory-sweet sauce, served over a bed of fluffy rice. The name “oyakodon” translates to “parent and child bowl,” symbolising the chicken and egg elements of the dish.

Why You’ll Love This Rice Cooker Oyakodon Recipe

Convenient: Cooked entirely in a rice cooker, minimizing cleanup.
Flavorful: Savory chicken, tender eggs, and sweet onions meld together in a delectable sauce.
Time-Saving: Perfect for busy weeknights, with minimal hands-on cooking time.
One-Pot Wonder: A full meal in just one pot – ultimate effortlessness!

Key Ingredients

Japanese rice (short-grain): This is the best type of rice to use, but any rice will work, including long-grains.
Chicken thighs: Boneless chicken thighs will get you juicy chicken in the rice cooker. Breasts will work too, but note that it will tend to dry out in the rice cooker.
Eggs
Onion

Marinade:

The marinade for Oyakodon is incredibly simple: a combination of soy sauce, mirin and sake. Since I don’t cook with alcohol, I made the following substitutions – it turned out great!

Soy sauce
Sugar: This replaces mirin – you can also use non-alcoholic mirin, but the non-alcoholic mirin that I find here is literally just sugar syrup!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Chicken Stock Powder/Dashi Stock Powder (optional): This is optional but it will so much flavour to the dish.
Sesame Oil
Black Pepper

Key Steps to Making Rice Cooker Oyakodon

1. Marinade Chicken

Add chicken to a marinating bowl, and add soy sauce, sugar, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and optional chicken powder and ground black pepper. Top with the sliced onions. Gently mix to combine. Set aside and let marinade for about 20 minutes, overnight is best.

2. Soak Rice in Pot

Rinse the Japanese rice under water until the water runs clear. Add to the rice cooker pot. Top up with water.

For Japanese rice, the rice to water ratio is 1 cup of rice:1.2 cups of liquid.

Option: soak Japanese rice in water for about 20 minutes so that rice can cook thoroughly. This is optional, your rice will end up slightly al dente if you skip this step. Some rice cookers (especially if they are Japanese-made) are able to accomodate for Japanese rice, such as my Zojirushi!

As a bonus, my Zojirushi rice cooker comes with easy indicator lines within the rice pot. I just need to top up with water until the indicator line, without the fuss of measuring with a cup.

Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy Cooker
Zojirushi NS-ZAQ10 Micom Fuzzy Logic (the exact one I purchased – this is the same as the model above; it’s labelled differently in Singapore/Southeast Asia. This is a ‘Made in Japan’ model.)

3. Top with Chicken and Cook

Place the marinated chicken and sliced onions over the rice, spreading in a layer evenly. Pour in any excess marinade.

Cook at regular rice settings, or at ‘sushi rice’ or ‘short-grain rice’, if that option is available on your rice cooker.

4. Prepare Eggs

While the rice is cooking. Prepare the eggs. Crack eggs in a bowl and gently stir. There is no need to whisk the eggs until well-combined like you usually would.

5. Pour in Eggs

Once rice is cooked, immediately open the rice cooker lid, and pour in the eggs. Close the lid and allow the eggs to steam for about 2-5 minutes.

The longer it’s steamed, the more solid your eggs will be. I like mine slightly more cooked than usual, so I left it on for 5 minutes. 2 minutes will get you that signature jiggly egg top.

6. Garnish and Serve Rice Cooker Oyakodon!

Garnish with a sprinkling of green onions.

Before serving, use a rice paddle to gently mix the rice, so that the seasoning can evenly distribute. Enjoy while hot!

OPTIONAL: Make Donburi Sauce

If you want extra sauce to serve with the Oyakodon, then make an easy donburi sauce while the rice is cooking. The ingredients are the same as what you used for the marinade – easy!

1 cup Water
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsps Sugar
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Once the sauce boils, and the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat. Let cool, and sauce is ready!

Feel free to adjust the soy sauce and sugar levels according to your taste preference. The sauce is a balance of sweet and savoury, but I usually add less sugar since I like it more savoury.

How to Level Up Your Rice Cooker Oyakodon

Feel free to customise this recipe by adding vegetables like sliced mushrooms or snow peas for extra flavour and nutrition.
If you prefer a firmer eggs, cook the eggs for an additional minute or two.
Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated for a quick and delicious lunch the next day.

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