Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Japanese Chicken Omurice
日式蛋包飯
Recipe overview
Japanese chicken omurice wraps dry ketchup chicken fried rice in a thin, cooked omelette. Loosen cold rice first; cook chicken to 75°C with no pink centre. Use two eggs per portion and wrap the rice in a complete oval omelette. Adults may prefer a tender egg, but children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone immunocompromised should have the egg fully set and eat it promptly.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 800 g; cool, loosen and divide into 4 portions Cooked white rice
- 400 g; cut into 1.5 cm pieces and keep chilled Boneless chicken thigh
- 180 g; dice to about 5 mm Onion
- 80 g; dice to about 5 mm Carrot
- 80 g; drain and pat dry Thawed green peas
- 2 per portion, check egg allergy; parsley; chop for finishing; A little parsley; chop for finishing eggs;
- a little; parsley
Chicken seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- pinch of black pepper
Ketchup rice seasoning
- 5 tablespoons; cook in the centre of the pan for about 20 seconds first Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon; for savoury balance only Light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
Egg mixture
- 4 tablespoons total; 1 tablespoon in each portion, contains dairy Milk
- pinch of salt per portion
Cooking fat
- 1 1/2 tablespoons; for chicken, vegetables and rice Cooking oil
- 20 g; 5 g for each omurice, contains dairy Butter
Finishing sauce
- 4 tablespoons; at most 1 tablespoon per plate, for finishing Ketchup
02
Tools
- Large nonstick frying pan, small nonstick frying pan
- Spatula, wooden rice paddle, heatproof tongs
- Spatula, wooden rice paddle, heatproof tongs
- Spatula, wooden rice paddle, heatproof tongs
- White oval plate, 4 small bowls, large bowl
- White oval plate, 4 small bowls, large bowl
- White oval plate, 4 small bowls, large bowl
- Knife, wooden chopping board, tablespoon, teaspoon
- Knife, wooden chopping board, tablespoon, teaspoon
- Knife, wooden chopping board, tablespoon, teaspoon
- Knife, wooden chopping board, tablespoon, teaspoon
- Whisk, kitchen paper, plastic wrap, food thermometer
- Whisk, kitchen paper, plastic wrap, food thermometer
- Whisk, kitchen paper, plastic wrap, food thermometer
- Whisk, kitchen paper, plastic wrap, food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Check and loosen the rice
Use cooled cooked rice, loosen every grain with a paddle and divide it into four portions; do not use hot, clumped rice.
Step 2
Prepare the chicken thigh
Trim obvious fat and sinew, cut 1.5 cm pieces and pat dry; toss gently with salt and pepper and keep raw chicken chilled.
Step 3
Prepare the vegetables
Dice onion and carrot to about 5 mm; drain and pat dry the thawed peas, and chop parsley for the finish.
Step 4
Cook the chicken through
Heat oil over medium heat in the large nonstick pan. Leave chicken in one layer for 30 seconds, then stir until fully opaque with no pink and 75°C at the centre; set aside.
Step 5
Sauté the vegetables
In the same pan, cook onion and carrot over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until translucent, then add peas for about 30 seconds.
Step 6
Dry-fry rice and chicken
Add loosened rice and stir-fry over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until separate and dry; return cooked chicken and mix.
Step 7
Season the ketchup rice
Clear the centre, cook ketchup for about 20 seconds, then mix in Worcestershire sauce, light soy sauce and sugar. Fry until evenly orange-red with no pooled sauce; divide into four.
Step 8
Mix eggs separately
Put two eggs into each small bowl with 1 tablespoon milk and a pinch of salt; whisk each bowl separately, never cook all four portions together.
Step 9
Cook a thin omelette
Melt 5 g butter in the small nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add one egg portion and rotate the pan into a thin, even layer.
Step 10
Fill and wrap
When the bottom is set and the top is slightly moist but has no liquid egg pooling, place one oval rice portion to one side and fold the omelette around it.
Step 11
Plate one at a time
Slide it seam-side down onto a white plate and gently shape a plump oval through plastic wrap; repeat steps 9–11 for the other three portions.
Step 12
Safety check and serve
Confirm chicken is fully cooked; fully set egg for higher-risk diners. Add no more than 1 tablespoon ketchup and parsley per plate, then serve immediately.
Common mistakes
- Using hot rice makes clumps; cool and loosen it.
- Oversized chicken cooks unevenly; cut 1.5 cm.
- Wet chicken steams; pat it dry first.
- Chicken below 75°C is unsafe; check the thickest piece.
- Large vegetable dice cooks unevenly; use 5 mm.
- Wet peas make rice soggy; drain and pat dry.
- Raw ketchup tastes sharp; cook it 20 seconds first.
- Too much sauce makes wet rice; fry until no pooling.
- Overcrowding drops heat; use a large pan or batches.
- Cooking all eggs together makes a thick skin; one portion at a time.
- High heat browns and toughens egg; use medium-low.
- Filling too early tears egg; set the base first.
- Over-set egg cracks; wrap while surface is slightly moist.
- Pooling egg is unsafe; do not plate with liquid egg.
- Runny egg is unsuitable for higher-risk diners; fully set it.
- Bare shaping can split it; shape gently through wrap.
- Seam-up omelette opens; plate seam-side down.
- Too much ketchup overwhelms rice; max 1 tablespoon.
- Leaving cooked rice out is unsafe; chill promptly.
- Holding finished omurice dries the egg; serve immediately.
Tips
Day-old rice is easiest to fry dry. Portion rice and egg before cooking. Cook chicken through before adding rice. Thaw and dry frozen peas first. A large pan keeps fried rice drier. Cook ketchup in a clear spot before mixing. Push gently; do not mash the rice. Rice must have no pooled sauce before wrapping. Two eggs per portion give enough coverage. Match the small pan to one rice portion. Medium-low heat keeps egg tender. Add egg as butter just melts. Fill while the surface is just moist. Use wrap to shape lightly, never compress. Plate each portion as soon as it is wrapped. For children, fry rice a little drier. For older adults, use fully set egg and small chicken pieces. Check sauces for wheat, gluten and soy. Choose another dish for egg or dairy allergy. Eat immediately; refrigerate leftovers promptly.
