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Chicken Zosui (Japanese Rice Soup)
5 from 10 votes

Chicken Zosui (Japanese Rice Soup)

Chicken Zosui is a comforting Japanese rice soup featuring tender chicken pieces, short-grain rice, mushrooms, and vegetables simmered in dashi broth with sake and soy sauce. The dish combines the savory umami of dashi and soy with the gently cooked rice and chicken, resulting in a soft, warming soup with varied textures from mushrooms and julienned carrot. Crisp chicken skin is optionally fried separately to add contrast.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 227 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Main Course, Soup, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • 150 g chicken thigh skin-on, boneless
  • 1 tsp neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • 1 pinch black pepper ground
  • 400 ml dashi stock
  • 1 tbsp sake
  • 200 g Japanese short-grain rice see my recipe, how to cook Japanese style rice, cooked
  • 30 g Japanese leek white part diagonally sliced, aka naganegi
  • ½ carrot julienned
  • 2 shiitake mushroom thinly sliced, fresh
  • 100 g enoki mushrooms roots removed
  • 15 g ginger root grated
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce see note for how to use dark soy sauce, light
  • 2 egg
  • green onion optional garnish, finely chopped
  • nori seaweed kizami nori) option garnish, shredded, sushi, kizami nori
  • Japanese chili powder shichimi togarashi) optional garnish, shichimi togarashi
  • sesame oil optional garnish, toasted

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel the skin off of 150 g boneless chicken thigh, cut the meat into small pieces and the skin into bitesize pieces.
  2. Heat up a large pot on medium-low and add 1 tsp cooking oil. Once heated, add the chicken skin with 1 pinch ground black pepper and fry until crispy on both sides.
  3. Once the skin is crispy, remove it and place it on a piece of kitchen paper. Set aside for later.
  4. Add 400 ml dashi stock and 1 tbsp sake to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and add the chicken thigh.
  5. While the chicken cooks, place 200 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice in a bowl and fill it with fresh cold water. Swish it around with your hand to gently remove the excess starch and then pour it through a sieve or colander to drain the water.
  6. When the outside of the chicken is no longer pink, add the rice, ½ carrot, 30 g Japanese leek (naganegi), 2 fresh shiitake mushroom, 100 g enoki mushrooms, 15 g ginger root and 3 tbsp light soy sauce.
  7. Once the carrots are slightly softened, set a timer for 5 minutes. During this time, crack 2 egg into a small bowl and whisk.
  8. After 5 minutes, pour the whisked egg around the pot and set a timer for 30 seconds. When 30 seconds are up, turn off the heat and dish up.
  9. Garnish with the chicken skin from earlier, finely chopped green onions (green part), shredded sushi nori seaweed "kizami nori" and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) (according to your tastes) and a dash of toasted sesame oil.
  10. Enjoy!

Notes

  • When substituting dark soy sauce for light, increase quantity by half a tablespoon per three tablespoons of light soy sauce.
  • Skin-on salmon fillets can be used in place of chicken for variation.
  • Crisping the chicken skin separately adds texture but is optional.

Nutrition Information

Calories 227kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 24.4g (8%) Protein 11.8g (24%) Fat 8.6g (13%) Saturated Fat 2.6g (13%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g (9%) Cholesterol 128mg (43%) Sodium 984.3mg (41%) Fiber 2.7g (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 227

% Daily Value*

Calories 227kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 24.4g 8%
Protein 11.8g 24%
Fat 8.6g 13%
Saturated Fat 2.6g 13%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g 9%
Cholesterol 128mg 43%
Sodium 984.3mg 41%
Fiber 2.7g 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.