Soboro Don (Ground Chicken Bowl) そぼろ丼

• ½ lb ground chicken (see Notes below for substitutes)
• 1 inch ginger (you'll need 1 tsp grated ginger with juice)
• 1 Tbsp sake (see Notes)
• 1 Tbsp mirin (see Notes)
• 1–1½ Tbsp sugar (use less if you prefer it less sweet)
• 2½ Tbsp soy sauce

For Serving

• 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (3⅓ cups or 500 g)
• 2 Tbsp green peas (cooked)
• pickled red ginger (optional)

To Cook the Soboro Chicken

• Grate 1 inch ginger in a ceramic grater until you have 1 tsp grated ginger with juice.

  

• With the heat still off, combine 1 tsp grated ginger, ½ lb ground chicken, 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1–1½ Tbsp sugar, and 2½ Tbsp soy sauce in a medium saucepan.

  

• Turn the heat to medium-low.

  Using 3 pairs of long cooking chopsticks, stir constantly, breaking the meat into fine crumbles, about 3–4 minutes.

  

• The chicken will release its juices as it cooks. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated and the chicken is glossy and glazed, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

  

To Scramble the Eggs

• With the heat still off, combine 3 large eggs (50 g w/o shell), 1 Tbsp sugar, and ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt in another cold medium saucepan.

  Beat the eggs with long cooking chopsticks until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is uniform.

  Nami's Tip: See Notes at the end for why we use saucepans.

  

• Turn the heat to medium-low. Cook the egg mixture, stirring constantly with 3 long cooking chopsticks, scraping the cooked egg from the bottom and sides of the saucepan.

  

• The eggs can overcook quickly—watch closely. Break up any large curds as you stir, cooking until the eggs are just barely set and look moist, not dry. Remove from the heat immediately.

  

To Assemble

• Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice between two donburi bowls. Spoon the ground chicken over half of the rice and the scrambled eggs on the other half. Arrange 2 Tbsp green peas in a line down the middle. Garnish with pickled red ginger on top, if you'd like.

  To see how to pack this in your lunchbox, see my Soboro Bento recipe.

  

To Store

• Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days or in the freezer for a month.

Ingredients Notes

• Ground chicken: Use any ground meat—beef, pork, or turkey. You can also finely chop chicken thigh (or breast + thigh) or pulse it in a food processor until minced.
• Soy sauce: Swap with tamari or gluten-free soy sauce if needed.
• Mirin: No mirin? For each 1 Tbsp, use 1 Tbsp sake (or water) + 1 tsp sugar. Not identical, but very close.
• Sake: Substitute dry sherry, Chinese rice wine, or water.
• Sugar in the eggs: A touch of sugar balances the savory chicken and gives the classic sweet-savory donburi flavor. Reduce or skip if you prefer.
• Cooked Japanese short-grain rice: One bowl uses about 1⅔ cups (250 g) cooked rice. For two servings, you’ll need 3⅓ cups (500 g). Cooking 2 rice cooker cups (1½ cups / 300 g uncooked) will give you enough.
• Saucepan: A saucepan (traditionally a yukihira pot) makes it easy to stir and scrape into fine crumbles. Some sticking is normal—scraping helps create the light, fluffy soboro texture.

Calories: 575kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 284mg, Sodium: 861mg, Potassium: 731mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 409IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 3mg