Teriyaki Chicken Donburi Recipe

Name: Teriyaki Chicken Donburi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 150g / 2/3 cup sushi rice (see note 1); 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 medium chicken breasts (around 120g/4.5oz each), chopped into small pieces (see note 2); 1/2 medium red onion, sliced; 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water; 80g / 2.8oz broccoli florets, cut into small pieces; 1/2 tsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar; 1/2 carrot, sliced julienne; 1 spring onion/scallion, sliced thinly; 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted; 60ml / 1/4 cup soy sauce; 2 tsp soft brown sugar; 1 tsp ginger paste; 1 clove garlic, crushed or minced; 1.5 tsp honey; 1.5 tbsp mirin (see note 3)

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Did you know that it is considered rude to leave food on your plate in Japan? Well, the good news is that after making this delicious Teriyaki Chicken Donburi you’re sure to have no leftovers in sight. Combining tender chicken with a sweet and sticky sauce and fluffy sushi rice. This is a nutritious and flavoursome rice bowl that is great for a mid-week pick-me-up!

What is it?

Originating from Japan, this popular dish can be made with almost any mixture of ingredients – from fish to beef, and with an array of toppings and sauces.

Donburi literally means ‘bowl’ in Japanese. It is commonly used as the catch-all phrase for a bowl with rice and other ingredients. You might also see this occasionally on some menus as just ‘Don’.

When it comes to the teriyaki part of this recipe, this is a beautifully rich and sticky sauce that is made from cooking food in a combination of soy sauce, mirin (Japanese sweet wine) and sugar. It’s typically then used to glaze or coat meat, fish or veg before and during cooking.

Can I make donburi with normal rice?

Naturally, as this recipe is from Japan, it is traditionally made with sushi rice, which is a staple in most Japanese rice dishes. However, since the rice in this dish simply makes up the base of the dish and isn’t required to add structure (as it would in sushi) then you can swap it for any rice variety of your choosing.

Sushi rice has a short grain and is stickier than most other rice varieties as it contains more starch. The texture will be quite different. Therefore, it’s really up to you if you prefer the stickiness of sushi rice with the rich teriyaki sauce.

If you want to avoid sushi rice because you don’t like the flavour, then likely this is because of the addition to rice vinegar which is typically used to season sushi rice. Therefore, you could skip the vinegar rather than changing the rice. Conversely, if you can only find long grain rice and want to make it taste like sushi rice then you can simply add the vinegar.

Teriyaki Chicken Donburi in a bowl with chopsticks

Can I make it in advance?

This recipe is undoubtedly at its best when eaten freshly made. However, you can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days before reheating. Add a few drops of water to the rice before reheating to stop it from drying out and make sure the rice is steaming hot before serving.

Freezing is not recommended for the rice, although you can technically safely do so if frozen soon after cooking and reheated properly. However, the texture will not be the same and it may lose its stickiness. The teriyaki chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating.

Ingredients & substitutions

The main ingredients for this donburi are below. For a full list with weights and measurements jump to the printable recipe card.

As with most Japanese dishes, make sure to cut everything into bite-sized pieces, ideal for eating with chopsticks.

For the bowl

Sushi rice – while sushi rice is authentic, you can swap this for another type of rice if you prefer (or if you don’t have any sushi rice)
Chicken breast – breast meat is leaner and lighter in calories and fat, however you can also use thigh meat which is more succulent
Red onion, sliced
Cornflour/cornstarch
Broccoli, cut into small bite-sized flourets – you can also swap this for green beans, pak choy or mangetout/snow peas.
Sesame oil – if you don’t have any then walnut oil also adds great flavour, or in a pinch you can add olive oil although it won’t add the same rich taste
Rice vinegar – in a pinch you can substitute this for apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
Carrot, sliced julienne (into very thin strips) – you can achieve this with a peeler with a julienne slicer such as this one, or you can alternatively peel it thinly,.
Spring onion/scallion, sliced thinly
Sesame seeds, toasted

For the teriyaki sauce

Soy sauce – use standard sauce, not dark
Soft brown sugar
Ginger paste
Garlic, minced or crushed
Honey
Mirin – if you can’t find Mirin then you can substitute for saki or dry sherry. If you don’t have these to hand then you can also use white wine vinegar with a little sugar mixed in (Mirin is a sweet wine). You can also buy non-alcoholic mirin from supermarkets if you don’t like to cook with alcohol.

How to make it

For detailed instructions and recipe tips jump to the printable recipe card.

Wash the sushi rice well and then bring to a boil in a pan before reducing the heat and cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add a lid to the pan and leave for a further 10 minutes.
Fry the chicken and onion until the chicken is browned. Add the teriyaki sauce and cornflour mixed with water. Cook for around 10 minutes until thickened and sticky.
Steam the broccoli and then drizzle over the sesame oil.
Stir rice vinegar through the rice and then spoon into a bowl. Top with the teriyaki chicken, carrot and broccoli before scattering over the spring onion and sesame seeds.

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