Soboro Don (Ground Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Name: Soboro Don (Ground Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 cups (400 g) Japanese short-grain rice, rinsed in several changes of water until the water runs nearly clear, drained; 2 cups (480 ml) water; 1 lb (450 g) ground chicken, thigh meat preferred, cold; 3 tbsp (45 ml) soy sauce; 3 tbsp (45 ml) mirin; 2 tbsp (30 ml) sake; 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar; 1 tbsp (8 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 4 whole (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature, beaten; 1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar; ¼ tsp (1½ g) kosher salt; 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil; 6 oz (170 g) snow peas, stringed, tips trimmed; 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt, for the blanching water; 2 tsp (6 g) toasted white sesame seeds (optional); 2 tbsp (20 g) beni shoga (red pickled ginger) (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Savory-sweet ground chicken simmered in soy, mirin and ginger, paired with fluffy scrambled egg and crisp-tender snow peas over hot rice. A colorful, weeknight-friendly Japanese bowl that comes together in about 35 minutes.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 50 min
Makes: 4 rice bowls

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the rice
2 cups (400 g) Japanese short-grain rice, rinsed in several changes of water until the water runs nearly clear, drained
2 cups (480 ml) water
For the chicken soboro
1 lb (450 g) ground chicken, thigh meat preferred, cold
3 tbsp (45 ml) soy sauce
3 tbsp (45 ml) mirin
2 tbsp (30 ml) sake
2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (8 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
For the egg
4 whole (200 g) large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar
¼ tsp (1.5 g) kosher salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil
For the snow peas
6 oz (170 g) snow peas, stringed, tips trimmed
1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt, for the blanching water
To finish
2 tsp (6 g) toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
2 tbsp (20 g) beni shoga (red pickled ginger) (optional)

Equipment (7)

Medium saucepan with lid or rice cooker
10–12-inch (25–30 cm) nonstick skillet
Small saucepan or bowl for blanching snow peas
4 chopsticks or a silicone spatula
Instant-read thermometer
Small mixing bowls (2)
Fine-mesh sieve

Steps

Before you start

Start the rice first (or use a rice cooker) so it is hot when the toppings are done.
Mix the chicken seasoning sauce and the egg mixture before you turn on any heat; the cooking moves quickly.
Use a nonstick skillet, 10–12 inches (25–30 cm), for both the chicken and the eggs to prevent sticking.
Ground chicken must reach 165°F (74°C); use an instant-read thermometer.

1
Cook the rice
- Combine the rinsed, drained rice and 2 cups (480 ml) water in a medium saucepan.
- Let soak 10 minutes, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Cover, reduce to low, and cook 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Turn off the heat and steam, covered, for 10 more minutes.
- (Or use a rice cooker on the white rice setting.)
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Ready when: Grains are plump, tender and all water is absorbed
Tip: Do not lift the lid while cooking or the steam escapes and the rice cooks unevenly.
2
Mix the sauces
- In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, 2 tbsp sugar and grated ginger until the sugar mostly dissolves.
- In a second bowl, beat the eggs with 1 tbsp sugar and the ¼ tsp salt until no streaks of white remain.
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Ready when: Sauce looks cloudy with only a few sugar grains; eggs are uniformly yellow
3
Blanch the snow peas
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and add the 1 tsp salt.
- Add the snow peas and cook 60–90 seconds.
- Drain, rinse under cold water for 20 seconds, and pat dry.
- Slice thinly on the diagonal into long strips.
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Ready when: Pods are bright green and crisp-tender
Tip: The cold rinse stops the cooking and keeps the color vivid.
4
Start the chicken
- Put the cold ground chicken and the prepared sauce mixture in the nonstick skillet before turning on the heat.
- Stir with the spatula to break the meat into a loose slurry.
- Set over medium heat.
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Ready when: Meat is separated into small bits with no large clumps
Tip: Starting the meat in cold liquid keeps the crumbles fine and tender instead of clumpy.
5
Simmer into soboroOven 165°F / 75°C
- Keep stirring constantly with chopsticks or a spatula, breaking up the meat as it turns opaque, about 4 minutes.
- Once the liquid bubbles, simmer 6–8 minutes more, stirring often, until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the chicken is glossy and fine-crumbled.
- Check that it reads 165°F (74°C).
- Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.
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Ready when: Chicken is fully white-brown, glossy, with only a thin film of sauce in the pan and 165°F (74°C) internally
Tip: Lower the heat if the sauce reduces before the meat is cooked through, to avoid scorching the sugar.
6
Scramble the egg
- Heat the oil in the clean skillet over medium-low heat for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the egg mixture and stir constantly with chopsticks or a spatula, scraping the bottom, for 2–3 minutes until the egg forms small, soft, moist curds.
- Remove from the heat just before it looks fully dry, since residual heat continues cooking it.
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Ready when: Small, fluffy, set curds that are still slightly glossy; no runny liquid
Tip: Cook low and keep stirring; high heat makes rubbery, browned egg.
7
Assemble the bowls
- Fluff the rice with a rice paddle and divide among 4 deep bowls.
- Arrange the chicken, egg and snow peas in three neat sections on top of the rice.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and add a small pile of beni shoga if using.
- Serve immediately while the rice is hot.
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Ready when: Three distinct colorful sections over steaming rice
Tip: Spoon a little leftover pan sauce over the rice for extra flavor.

Good to know

Tips

Use chicken thigh mince if you can; breast meat turns dry and dull in soboro.
Stir constantly while the chicken cooks for the finest, most tender crumbles.
Slightly sweet egg is traditional; reduce the egg sugar to 2 tsp if you prefer less sweetness.
Cook the egg off the heat for the last 20 seconds to keep it soft and fluffy.

Make ahead

"The chicken soboro and scrambled egg can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated separately in airtight containers. Blanched snow peas keep 1 day. Reheat the toppings and cook the rice fresh for best results."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: store toppings and rice separately in airtight containers up to 3 days. Freezer: the chicken soboro freezes up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet or microwave until steaming hot (165°F/74°C), adding a splash of water if dry; the egg is best reheated briefly in the microwave."

Substitutions

sake → Dry sherry or water plus 1 tsp extra mirin. Keeps the flavor balanced if you have no sake.
mirin → 1 tbsp sugar plus 2 tbsp water per 3 tbsp mirin, with an extra splash of sake. Approximates the sweetness; the flavor will be slightly less complex.
snow peas → Green beans or sugar snap peas. Blanch green beans 3 minutes; sugar snaps 90 seconds.
ground chicken → Ground turkey or ground pork. Cook pork or turkey to 160°F (71°C) for pork, 165°F (74°C) for turkey.