Chicken Soboro Onigiri Recipe
Chicken Soboro Onigiri is a delightful Japanese rice ball recipe featuring seasoned ground chicken cooked with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar, mixed into fluffy short-grain rice and wrapped with savory nori seaweed. Perfect as a snack or lunchbox treat, this dish balances savory flavors with the comforting texture of molded rice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 onigiri 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 600 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 100 g ground chicken (or ground turkey)
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- ½ tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sake
For Assembly
- 6 strips roasted seaweed for sushi (nori)
Instructions
- Heat the pan: Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and allow it to warm up thoroughly.
- Cook the chicken: Add 1 tsp cooking oil to the hot pan, then add 100 g ground chicken. Fry until the chicken is browned and cooked through, stirring to break it apart evenly.
- Add seasonings: Pour in 1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp sake to the pan. Stir well to combine and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed and the chicken is well coated with the sweet-savory sauce. Remove the pan from heat.
- Combine with rice: Transfer the cooked seasoned chicken to a large bowl containing 600 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice. Mix thoroughly to distribute the chicken evenly throughout the rice.
- Portion the rice: Divide the rice mixture into equal portions to ensure all onigiri are of consistent size for easier molding and presentation.
- Shape the onigiri: Use an onigiri mold or your hands to form the rice mixture into desired triangular or oval shapes. If shaping by hand, wet your hands slightly to prevent sticking and gently press to form the shape without compacting too tightly.
- Wrap with nori: Wrap each rice ball with a strip of roasted nori seaweed, adding flavor and ease of handling.
- Serve or store: Enjoy the onigiri immediately or pack them in a lunch box with an ice pack for later consumption.
- Enjoy: Savor this traditional and comforting Japanese snack fresh.
Notes
- Use freshly cooked short-grain rice ideally cooled to warm for best texture in shaping the onigiri.
- You can substitute ground turkey for chicken if preferred for a leaner option.
- Adjust the amount of sugar and soy sauce to taste based on your preferred sweetness and saltiness.
- Wet your hands or mold before shaping to prevent rice from sticking to your hands.
- Wrap the onigiri shortly before eating to maintain the crispness of the nori.
- For storage, keep refrigerated and consume within 24 hours to retain freshness.
Keywords: Chicken Soboro Onigiri, Japanese rice ball, Onigiri recipe, Japanese snack, ground chicken rice ball, nori wrapped rice
Find it online: https://frommamamaya.com/chicken-soboro-onigiri-recipe/
