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Omurice (Japanese Omelet Over Chicken Fried Rice)

By Maggie Zhu

Published on June 20, 2026

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Omurice (Japanese Omelet Over Chicken Fried Rice)

Ingredients

⅓ cup ketchup 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar ¾ teaspoon pepper ¾ teaspoon garlic powder 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided1 tablespoon vegetable oil 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch pieces½ onion, chopped4 cups cooked short-grain white rice or medium-grain white rice4 large eggs, divided2 tablespoons whole milk, divided2 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Before You Begin

Serve with extra ketchup if desired.

Instructions

  1. Whisk ⅓ cup ketchup, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¾ teaspoon pepper, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt together in small bowl.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 12 ounces chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, without stirring, until browned on bottom, about 2 minutes. Add ½ chopped onion and cook until chicken is cooked through and onion is beginning to soften, 2 to 4 minutes.
  3. Stir in 4 cups cooked short-grain rice. Add ketchup mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is fully absorbed and coats rice evenly, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. Scoop one-quarter of rice mixture into small heatproof bowl, packing firmly. Invert 1 serving plate on top of bowl of rice, then flip and remove bowl so rice is mounded on plate. Repeat with remaining rice mixture, dividing among 3 additional plates. 
  4. Make one omelet at a time. Whisk 1 egg with ½ tablespoon milk and ½ tablespoon mayonnaise in small bowl. Heat 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and reduce heat to low. Swirl pan to coat with butter and, before butter fully melts, pour in egg mixture. Cook for 5 seconds without stirring, then use chopsticks to stir from center in swirling motion to scramble. Cook until egg is mostly cooked through but top is slightly runny, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully slide egg over first plate of rice. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs, 1½ tablespoons milk, 1½ tablespoons mayonnaise, and 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle eggs with 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley and serve
Omurice (Japanese Omelet Over Chicken Fried Rice)
Photography by Kritsada. Styling by Christine Tobin.

Omurice (Japanese Omelet Over Chicken Fried Rice)

Headshot of Maggie Zhu
By Maggie Zhu

Published on June 20, 2026

Save

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients

Why This Recipe Works

This Japanese comfort food features a tender omelet draped over savory rice dotted with chicken and seasoned with a ketchup-based sauce. We cut thighs into 1/2-inch pieces and cook them a good 2 minutes without stirring to brown one side. Onion added to the pan increases savory flavor. Next to go in is the rice, along with the savory-sweet ketchup sauce spiked with soy sauce, sugar, and garlic powder. The omelet is the highlight of the dish, cooked with a small amount of milk and mayonnaise that makes it fluffy and extra-tender. 

Before You Begin

Serve with extra ketchup if desired.

Instructions

  1. Whisk ⅓ cup ketchup, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¾ teaspoon pepper, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt together in small bowl.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 12 ounces chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, without stirring, until browned on bottom, about 2 minutes. Add ½ chopped onion and cook until chicken is cooked through and onion is beginning to soften, 2 to 4 minutes.
  3. Stir in 4 cups cooked short-grain rice. Add ketchup mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is fully absorbed and coats rice evenly, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. Scoop one-quarter of rice mixture into small heatproof bowl, packing firmly. Invert 1 serving plate on top of bowl of rice, then flip and remove bowl so rice is mounded on plate. Repeat with remaining rice mixture, dividing among 3 additional plates. 
  4. Make one omelet at a time. Whisk 1 egg with ½ tablespoon milk and ½ tablespoon mayonnaise in small bowl. Heat 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and reduce heat to low. Swirl pan to coat with butter and, before butter fully melts, pour in egg mixture. Cook for 5 seconds without stirring, then use chopsticks to stir from center in swirling motion to scramble. Cook until egg is mostly cooked through but top is slightly runny, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully slide egg over first plate of rice. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs, 1½ tablespoons milk, 1½ tablespoons mayonnaise, and 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle eggs with 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley and serve
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