Soboro Donburi (Japanese Ground Chicken Bowl) Recipe

By
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka is a freelance food writer and Japanese cookbook author.
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Updated on 01/13/23
Soboro Donburi (Chicken and Egg Bowl)
MIXA/Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 portions

Soboro donburi, also known as soboro don, is a classic Japanese dish of seasoned ground chicken served over a bed of rice. This style of dish where various combinations of food are served over rice, typically in a deep bowl, is known as donburi cuisine. Often, the term donburi is shortened to don and used interchangeably.

In Japanese, the term soboro, not only refers to cooked ground chicken, but also any type of protein (meat, beef, fish, or egg) that is cooked into fine or crumbled pieces. Soboro is typically served over steamed rice, and almost acts as a type of rice seasoning or garnish, similarly to how furikake (Japanese dried rice seasoning) is sprinkled over rice as a seasoning.

Ground chicken soboro donburi is often served with both ground chicken and finely scrambled egg. It is not uncommon to serve soboro donburi with strictly seasoned ground chicken, omitting the scrambled egg. Another variation of soboro donburi is the addition of cooked green vegetables such as green beans or sweet peas.

Soboro don may be served as a meal, but also works beautifully as a bento lunch.

Ingredients

For the Ground Chicken:

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 3 tablespoons mirin

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

  • 1/2 pound ground chicken

For the Cooked Egg:

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1/2 tablespoon mirin

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil (omit if using a nonstick pan)

For Assembling the Donburi:

  • 4 cups cooked short-grain rice

  • Sliced cooked green beans, optional

  • Pickled red ginger, or another Japanese pickle, for optional garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the Soboro (Ground Chicken)

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a medium pan, combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and ginger over medium-low heat.

  3. Add the ground chicken to the pan with the sauce and mix well. Simmer the chicken, and while it cooks, constantly stir and scramble the ground chicken until its cooked through. If the chicken is constantly stirred while cooking, it will help to create fine pieces of ground chicken, rather than large chunks. Set aside.

Make the Eggs

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a small bowl, beat the eggs well.

  3. Add sugar, mirin, and salt to the beaten egg and mix well.

  4. Heat a medium pan on medium-low heat. If you are not using a non-stick pan, be sure to coat the pan with canola oil to prevent the egg from sticking. Add the egg mixture to the pan and scramble eggs, constantly stirring with chopsticks. Constantly stirring the eggs will help to create fine pieces of scrambled egg.

Assembly

  1. Serve steamed rice into four deep donburi (bowls).

  2. Place chicken soboro on one side of the bowl, and the scrambled egg along side the chicken soboro, creating two different sections for the chicken and egg.

  3. Optionally, create a third section with cooked green beans sliced on the diagonal.

  4. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
490 Calories
15g Fat
61g Carbs
25g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 490
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 247mg 82%
Sodium 1037mg 45%
Total Carbohydrate 61g 22%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 53mg 4%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 565mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)