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A bowl of udon noodles topped with minced meat, a soft-boiled egg with a runny yolk, sliced green onions, and a sprinkle of spices, served in a decorative white and blue bowl.

Soboro Udon

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Soboro Udon is a comforting bowl of thick, chewy udon noodles topped with savory ground chicken and a soft-poached egg. This quick, brothless noodle dish combines a sweet-salty meat sauce with a silky egg yolk for a luxurious, umami-rich bite every time.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

For the Seasonings

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients. Start boiling a large pot of water for the udon.
    Top-down view of various ingredients on a wooden surface, including ground meat, frozen udon noodles, eggs, green onion, ginger, and small bowls of sauces, oil, seasonings, and cornstarch.

To Prepare the Ingredients

  • Thinly slice 1 green onion/scallion diagonally. Separate the white and green parts.
    A person’s hands slice green onions on a wooden cutting board; the left image shows straight slices and the right image shows green onions cut on a steep diagonal.
  • Peel and grate 1 inch ginger (I use a ginger grater). Measure 1–1½ tsp grated ginger with juice and set aside.
    Two close-up views of hands grating fresh ginger on a small white ceramic grater, with finely grated ginger accumulating on the surface atop a wooden countertop.
  • Combine 3 Tbsp mirin, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sugar in a bowl.
    Side-by-side images: On the left, hands pour liquids from two containers into a glass bowl. On the right, hands pour granulated sugar into the bowl, which already contains a dark liquid.
  • Add 3 Tbsp water to 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to combine. Then, add it to the soy sauce mixture and stir it all together.
    A sequence of three images showing sauce preparation: mixing cornstarch and water, pouring liquid into a bowl with soy sauce, and stirring a dark sauce with chopsticks.

To Cook the Soboro Chicken

  • Heat a saucepan on medium heat. When it's hot, add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add the white parts of the green onion and grated ginger. Sauté briefly with a wooden spatula until aromatic.
    A three-panel image shows: pouring sauce into a pot, adding sliced green onions and ginger, and stirring the mixture with a wooden spatula as it cooks.
  • Add 8 oz ground chicken and sauté, breaking up the ground meat into smaller bits with the wooden spatula. Cook until no longer pink.
    Three side-by-side images show ground meat being cooked in a metal pan. The first shows raw meat and vegetables, the second shows partially cooked meat being stirred, and the third shows the meat fully browned.
  • Pour in the seasoning mixture. Stir and bring to a simmer to thicken the sauce.
    Two-panel image: On the left, a hand pours a reddish sauce from a glass container onto cooked ground meat in a pan. On the right, the meat simmers in the sauce, creating a rich and flavorful mixture.
  • Reduce the sauce to your liking. I like mine thick—a bit thicker than spaghetti meat sauce. Set aside.
    Side-by-side photos show a pan of browned ground meat in sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon, revealing a thick, rich mixture with visible oil and seasoning.

To Cook the Eggs (Onsen Tamago)

  • Crack one large egg in a small microwave-safe glass bowl (see tip below). Pour 6 Tbsp water around the edges of the egg and a bit on top to cover it. Next, puncture the yolk with a wooden skewer or toothpick so it doesn't explode during cooking.
    Nami's Tip: Use a bowl shaped like a rice bowl or miso soup bowl that‘s rounded and somewhat deep, with sides that go straight up. This way, you only need a little water to submerge and surround the egg. If the opening is wide, you'll need more water.
    Side-by-side images show a raw egg in a glass bowl. In the first image, water is being poured in. In the second, a hand stirs the egg with a chopstick. The bowl is on a wooden surface with water droplets.
  • Place the bowl on the edge of the microwave tray. Microwave at half power (500W) until the egg white solidifies and turns white, about 90 seconds for one egg or 2 minutes 45 seconds for two eggs cooked in separate bowls at the same time. If your egg white is still transparent, microwave for 5 seconds more and check again. Drain and transfer the egg to a small plate or bowl.
    Nami's Tip: Cook the yolk until pinkish and runny. DO NOT OVERCOOK. The cooked eggs should have silky whites and custard-like yolks.
    A two-panel image: on the left, a clear glass bowl with a raw egg inside a microwave; on the right, a spoon lifting a cooked poached egg from a cup of water.

To Build the Soboro Udon

  • When the water is at a full rolling boil, add 2 servings udon noodles and reheat or cook according to the package instructions. The brand of frozen Sanuki udon noodles I use requires reheating for 1 minute. Using chopsticks, stir the noodles to loosen them up. Transfer the udon noodles with tongs into individual donburi bowls.
    Nami's Tip: Do not boil frozen udon. A quick 1-minute reheat keeps the texture bouncy.
    Two images side by side: Left, hands placing raw udon noodles into boiling water in a pot; right, cooked udon noodles being transferred into a decorative bowl with steam rising.
  • Ladle the soboro chicken over the warm udon.
    A pot of savory minced meat sauce being stirred with a ladle on the left, and a person ladling the sauce over a bowl of noodles on the right.
  • Top with an onsen tamago. Sprinkle with green onions and optional shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) and serve.
    Two side-by-side images show a bowl of noodles with minced meat. In the first, a hand adds a poached egg with a spoon. In the second, sliced green onions are added on top of the meat and egg.

To Store

  • Store leftover soboro chicken and egg in separate airtight containers and keep in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. You can also keep soboro chicken in the freezer for up to a month. I recommend cooking the udon just before serving, but you can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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