RECIPE: Chicken Ochazuke (Tea with Rice)

This incredibly simple and customizable ochazuke recipe will become your favorite Japanese home cooked meal!

Ochazuke is a traditional Japanese home cooked meal literally translating to tea (ocha) and soak or submerge (zuke). The simplest form of the dish is exactly what it sounds like- tea poured over to soak cooked rice. Different types of green tea are typically poured over the rice but many people also prefer the dashi (broth) form of ochazuke.

The reason some Japanese people prefer dashi broth over tea in ochazuke is because of the salty and umami flavors dashi adds. Lucky for you, this recipe will use konbu cha, which is a combination of both tea and kelp broth!

Konbu cha is the perfect balance of both the tea and broth flavors. Its main ingredients are kelp, sugar beet, and matcha powder. The combination of these carefully curated ingredients will create the perfect fragrant broth. The taste of your ochazuke will be melody of savory, umami, and sweet flavors. Add this to your ochazuke so you don’t have to choose between the two types of ochazuke. You will get to experience the best of the tea and broth flavor profiles!

Ochazuke is a favorite homemade Japanese dish because it is incredibly simple and uses as many or few ingredients as you wish! This ochazuke recipe is designed to be a hearty, filling meal and includes a balance of chicken breast, wakame (kelp), and rice.

Feel free to customize this recipes by adding more filling toppings or keeping it simple! The konbu cha provides a burst of flavor that will easily combine well with any toppings you decide to include.

One reason this dish is beloved by Japanese people is because it is often used to nurse people back to health. The health benefits of the broth and easy-to-digest rice is the perfect cure for anyone who is feeling under the weather. It is also the perfect meal to liven up leftovers, making it the go-to meal when you lack energy to cook.

Pour the umami broth over your steaming rice and cozy up with the comforting flavors of  this ochazuke recipe!

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast 
• 1 tsp sake
• Wakame (optional topping)
• 1 tsp konbu chadissolved in 150ml hot water
• 1 cup cooked rice

Instructions

1. Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt and sake. Cook in a pan over medium heat until fully cooked. Cool slightly and shred with a fork.
2. Soak the wakame (if adding) in cold water to reconstitute. Drain and roughly chop.
3. Put the cooked rice in a bowl and top with the cooked chicken and wakame (if using).
4. Gently pour the konbu cha dissolved in hot water over the rice and enjoy immediately.

Introduction courtesy of Kimberlee Laney

As a Japanese-Korean-American, my love for Japanese food first came from my grandmother's kitchen! Japanese food feels like home and I love being able to cook it anywhere in the world to connect with Japan in my own little way. I love diving deep into the layers of Japanese food and always marvel at the food diversity between prefectures. I'm currently eating my way through Tokyo and taking up photography with my Instagram account @capturingkim!