Soboro Don (そぼろ丼) – A Simple and Comforting Japanese Rice Bowl

If you're craving a quick, satisfying, and kid-approved Japanese dish, look no further than Soboro Don (そぼろ丼)! This is one of those comfort meals that’s so easy to make, you’ll want to keep it in your weekly rotation. With fluffy, fine scrambled eggs and savory-sweet crumbly ground chicken served over warm rice, Soboro Don is a beautiful example of how simple ingredients can come together to create a deeply comforting dish.

What is Soboro?

Soboro (そぼろ) refers to finely crumbled or minced food, often seasoned ground meat or scrambled eggs. In Japanese cooking, "soboro" is often used to describe the texture of the dish rather than a specific ingredient. The most common soboro toppings are ground chicken, soft scrambled eggs, which are cooked separately and then layered side by side over rice, also peas for the color.

RECIPE

Servings: 3-4

Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

For the chicken soboro:

1 lb ground chicken
2 tbsp sake
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar

For the egg soboro:

3 eggs
1/2 tsp sake
1/2 tsp mirin
1/2 tsp sugar
1 pinch of salt

To serve:

Steamed rice
Chopped scallions for garnish (optional)

My Kitchen Tools:

Cooking Pot

Instructions:

Make the egg soboro:
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sake, mirin, sugar, and salt.
Pour the mixture into a small pot or non-stick pan over low heat.
Use chopsticks (preferred) to stir continuously and gently until you get soft, fluffy scrambled eggs.
Remove from heat once fully cooked.
Cook the chicken soboro:
In a separate pot or pan, add the ground chicken along with the sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
Turn the heat to low, and cook while stirring with pairs of chopsticks and breaking up the meat into fine crumbles.
Continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
Assemble the donburi:
Fill your serving bowls with freshly steamed rice.
Top with the chicken soboro on one side and the egg soboro on the other.
Garnish with chopped scallions for color and a little extra flavor.

ingredients shopping

Cooking Tip - Use chopsticks:

Using multiple pairs of chopsticks—yes, more than just two!—is a traditional Japanese technique that’s especially helpful when making soboro, which calls for finely crumbled textures. By holding three to four chopsticks together, you can break up ground meat or scrambled eggs into much smaller, more uniform pieces than you would with a single utensil like a spoon or spatula. The extra chopsticks give you more surface area and control, allowing for quicker, more delicate stirring without mashing the ingredients. This method creates that signature fluffy and crumbly texture that makes soboro don visually appealing and extra satisfying to eat. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference.

Variations

For a pop of green, you can add steamed green peas or edamame. (Typical Sansyoku Soboro Don 三色そぼろ丼 includes peas)
Want to prep ahead? You can store both chicken and egg soboro in the fridge for up to 2–3 days and reheat when needed.
Swap ground chicken for ground turkey or beef if you like!