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Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Seasoned Rice with Chicken) Recipe

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3.9 from 43 reviews

Takikomi Gohan is a traditional Japanese seasoned rice dish cooked with chicken, shiitake mushrooms, kombu, and a medley of flavorful ingredients like carrot, ginger, and fried tofu pouch. This comforting one-pot rice meal is infused with a delicate dashi broth, soy sauce, mirin, and sake, creating a savory and aromatic experience perfect for home cooking.

  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Rice and Broth

  • 300 g uncooked Japanese short or medium-grain rice
  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 3 g dried kelp (kombu)
  • 300 ml cold water

Protein and Vegetables

  • 150 g boneless chicken thigh, skin on
  • ½ carrot, peeled and julienned
  • ½ thumb ginger root, peeled and julienned
  • 3 small sheets fried tofu pouch (aburaage), approx. 12g each, thinly sliced

Seasonings and Garnish

  • ½ tsp cooking oil
  • 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • ¼ tsp dashi granules
  • finely chopped green onions for garnish

Instructions

  1. Wash and Soak Rice: Pour 300 g uncooked Japanese rice into a bowl, fill with water, swish and drain, repeating 3 times to wash the rice. After the final wash, cover the rice with fresh water and soak for 1 hour to hydrate.
  2. Prepare Dashi: In a separate bowl, soak 2 dried shiitake mushrooms and 3 g dried kombu in 300 ml cold water for 1 hour to create a flavorful shiitake and kombu dashi broth.
  3. Drain Rice and Slice Mushrooms: Drain the soaked rice using a sieve and let it dry over an empty bowl until cooking. Remove the shiitake mushrooms and kombu from the dashi liquid, thinly slice the shiitake mushrooms, and discard the kombu.
  4. Prepare Chicken: Peel the skin off 150 g boneless chicken thigh and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, setting the meat aside.
  5. Cook Chicken Skin: Heat a small frying pan over medium heat, add ½ tsp cooking oil and the chicken skin pieces. Cover with a lid and fry until crispy and golden on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
  6. Sear Chicken Meat: Using the same pan, wipe out excess fat if needed, then add the chicken meat pieces in a single layer and sear until no longer pink.
  7. Add Vegetables and Tofu: To the pan, add sliced shiitake mushrooms, ½ carrot julienned, ½ thumb ginger julienned, and sliced aburaage. Stir fry for about 1 minute to coat the ingredients lightly in chicken fat, without fully cooking them.
  8. Combine and Season Rice: Transfer the drained rice to a pot or rice cooker. Pour in the shiitake and kombu dashi liquid, and add the contents of the frying pan on top of the rice. Add 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sake, and ¼ tsp dashi granules. Do not mix.
  9. Cook Rice: If using a rice cooker, close the lid and set to takikomi or regular rice cooking setting. If on stovetop, place the pot with lid on medium heat until boiling, then set a timer for 2 minutes.
  10. Simmer and Steam: After 2 minutes of boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes, then lower heat to the lowest setting and cook for 5 minutes. Briefly increase to highest heat for 10 seconds, then turn off and let rice steam undisturbed with lid on for 20 minutes.
  11. Mix and Serve: Remove lid carefully, mix rice using a cut-and-fold motion with a rice paddle to avoid crushing grains. Divide rice into bowls and sprinkle with crispy chicken skin and finely chopped green onions. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

  • Use only Japanese short or medium-grain rice; other rice varieties like basmati or jasmine will not yield the traditional texture.
  • Do not remove the lid while rice cooks to avoid disturbing steam and liquid balance, which can affect texture.
  • The dashi broth made with shiitake and kombu adds depth but can be substituted with instant dashi powder if needed.
  • Chicken skin is rendered separately to add crisp texture as a garnish.
  • Aburaage (fried tofu pouch) adds subtle umami and texture; it can be found in Asian markets or substituted with thin fried tofu sheets.
  • This dish is best enjoyed fresh on the day of cooking for optimal texture and flavor.
  • Author: Madelynn
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Japanese

Find it online: https://allyumcooks.com/takikomi-gohan-japanese-seasoned-rice-with-chicken-recipe/