Air Fryer Chicken Katsu. Crispy panko breaded chicken that is delicious and tender made healthier in the air fryer. A great meat entrée for dinner or lunch with katsu sauce, rice and your favourite veggies. Ready in just 35 minutes if you own a large air fryer. It only requires 7 ingredients, most of which you may already have.
If I had to only choose one meat dish in Japanese cuisine to eat, it would be chicken katsu. I love that crispy coating on that tender juicy chicken. The only issue I have with it is I can eat so much of that deep fried goodness in one sitting and I am trying to get healthier these days. Enter: my new air fryer. I love this kitchen appliance so much and I knew air fried chicken katsu was on my recipe to do list when I finally got my hands on this little convection oven!
The result: amazing! The coating on the outside is soooo crispy that when you slice that chicken, you will hear a big CRUNCHHH!!! I am going to show you how to make chicken katsu in the air fryer and you can even watch my video tutorial on how to do it.
The best part, I do not feel bad about eating it because I did not have to waste 2 cups of oil deep frying it. I never feel bad about eating indulgently but I do feel bad about wasting food and it would always drive me crazy. Not to mention the oil splatter mess that I would have to cleanup afterwards. Now I do share a normal recipe for Chicken Katsu so check it out here!
Easy to make!
This air fryer Japanese Chicken Katsu is easy to make and only requires 7 ingredients. All you need to do is butterfly your chicken. Tenderize it with the back of your knife until it is flattened. Then coat it in some cornstarch, dredge it in whisked egg and generously coat it in panko breadcrumbs.
Transfer it to your air fryer, spray or brush some oil over your chicken and air fry it for 9 minutes on each side at 350 degrees F! That is it! If you have a larger air fryer, this will work to your advantage because you can probably slot two pieces in your air fryer. But if you have a smaller one, I suggest only air frying one piece at a time for ultra crispiness!
Tips for making Katsu Chicken
Below are tips on making this katsu chicken air fryer recipe:
- For healthier chicken katsu, use quality fresh chicken breast. For tastier juicy air fried chicken katsu, use large chicken thighs as this meat tends to be very forgiving thanks to the fat, even if you overcook it.
- Tenderize this meat with the back of your knife or a meat tenderizer is especially important. This is how they traditionally make it in Japanese cuisine as the meat is hammered out to a thin layer out prior to coating and cooking.
- Generously coat your chicken in starch, egg, and panko. The more generous, the crispier your chicken will be.
- Generously spray or brush enough oil over the chicken. Spraying is much easier and will ensure that the panko does not fall off. If you do not have a spray bottle be gentle when brushing the oil over your chicken or the panko will scatter.
- Air fry for 9 minutes on both sides and make sure to spray more oil when you flip it over.
- If you have smaller pieces of chicken about 6 inches by 3 inches in dimension, only air fry for 7 minutes on each side or you will over cook it.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about my air fry katsu chicken:
What kind of chicken can I use?
Skinless boneless breast or thigh works well. Breast is healthier but tends to be “drier” depending on air frying time. Thigh is more forgiving and comes out juicier even if you overcook it but it is fattier. So, the choice is up to you! Just be sure to adjust the air frying time according to the recipe card below.
What kind of breadcrumbs should I use?
Japanese style panko breadcrumbs.
Where can I buy panko breadcrumbs?
Any Asian grocer will carry this. You may get lucky and find it at your Western grocer in the international aisle.
What kind of oil should I use to air fry with?
Any oil with a high smoking oil of 400 degrees F and above. I used avocado oil or vegetable oil works too.
Which air fryer do you own?
The Philips Twin TurboStar.
Do you have a recipe for the katsu sauce?
Yes please see the recipe card below.
Are air fryer chicken katsu thighs more delicious than air fryer chicken breast?
In my opinion, yes thigh is much tastier because it has more fat running through it, so it tends to be much juicier. But you do you! If you want a healthier chicken katsu, use chicken breast and if you want to go for the good stuff, use thigh meat.
Can you air fry chicken katsu?
Yes, of course you can! The air fryer really does an incredible job at crisping up the panko breading around the chicken that you almost would not know that it is not deep fried!
Other recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this air fryer chicken katsu recipe, you may enjoy these other recipes:
AIR FRYER TONKATSU SAUCE CHICKEN
TOFU KATSU SANDO
KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN
FISH KATSU BITES
TONKATSU
TOFU KATSU
PORK KATSU ONIGIRAZU
KATSU SANDO
For this recipe
You will need the following ingredients for my airfryer chicken katsu:
- 2 large chicken breasts or thighs, skinless boneless
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 ¼ cup panko, Japanese style breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoon avocado oil, to brush or spray over chicken
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- Butterfly your chicken breasts or thighs. Using the back of your knife, tenderize the meat until both pieces are flattened, about ½ of an inch thick. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper.
- Then generously coat each piece in cornstarch, whisked egg and panko. Make sure each piece is coated well.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, place one or both pieces of the chicken in the air fryer so it lays in one single layer. Do not over crowd the air fryer and ensure there is enough air space surrounding the chicken or it will not be crispy.
- Spray or brush enough oil over top of each piece, about 1 tablespoon of oil per side.
- Air fry at 350 degrees F for 9 minutes on one side. Important: If the chicken is smaller in size (about 6 x 3 inches in dimension) only air fry for 6-7 minutes on each side.
- Remove basket from air fryer. Flip the chicken over and spray another tablespoon over top per piece. Air fry at same temperature degrees for another 9 minutes or 6-7 minutes if the pieces are smaller. Enjoy!
Homemade Katsu Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp ketchup
- 2½ tsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tsp oyster sauce
- 1⅛ tsp sugar
Instructions
Whisk in a small bowl and serve!
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my Air Fryer Chicken Katsu a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed my chicken breast katsu air fryer recipe please share it with your family and friends or on social media!
Take a picture if you have made my chicken katsu air fryer and tag me on Instagram @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!
Made this recipe and loved it?
If you could leave a star rating for my chicken katsu air fryer recipe, I would greatly appreciate it 🙂 Thanks so much!
Take care,
Christie
*This post for my Japanese Chicken Katsu Air Fryer recipe contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from qualifying purchases through additional affiliate programs
Easy Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breast or thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1 ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs Japanese style breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoon avocado oil to brush or spray over chicken
Instructions
- Butterfly your chicken breasts or thighs. Using the back of your knife, tenderize the meat until both pieces are flattened, about ½ of an inch thick. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper.
- Then generously coat each piece in cornstarch, whisked egg and panko. Make sure each piece is coated well.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, place one or both pieces of the chicken in the air fryer so it lays in one single layer. Do not over crowd the air fryer and ensure there is enough air space surrounding the chicken or it will not be crispy.
- Spray or brush enough oil over top of each piece, about 1 tablespoon of oil per side.
- Air fry at 350 degrees F for 9 minutes on one side. Important: If the chicken is smaller in size (about 6 x 3 inches in dimension) only air fry for 6-7 minutes on each side.
- Remove basket from air fryer. Flip the chicken over and spray another tablespoon over top per piece. Air fry at same temperature degrees for another 9 minutes or 6-7 minutes if the pieces are smaller. Enjoy! To learn how to make homemade katsu sauce, see notes below.
Notes
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2½ teaspoon Vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1⅛ teaspoon sugar Instructions
Whisk in a small bowl and serve!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I really like how you've made this healthier by using the air fryer and also with items I usually always have on hand! Perfect!!
Rosemary
I am OBSESSED with air fryer chicken!! I love how crispy your breaded chicken came out-- and it cooks so fast in the air fryer!
Jennifer
Hi Christie! I tried this air fryer chicken katsu recipe and it turned out great! I ended up making two batches - the second batch I forgot to flip and it still turned out crispy and delicious! Thanks for sharing this gem!
christieathome
Hey Jennifer!!! Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving this kind comment. So glad you enjoyed it and happy it worked out without having to flip it too. Hope you're keeping well 🙂
ken
So simple to make and so tasty. Never made it before but this will become part of the regular rotation for us. My only issue is the plain cabbage as a side. Pretty tasteless for an American palate. We put some salad dressing on it (Trader Joe's Toasted Sesame) and that complemented the katsu sauce really well. I think a sweeter dressing, like French or Thousand Island would work well, too.
christieathome
Thanks for making my Chicken Katsu, Ken! Glad you enjoyed it.
In reference to the cabbage, I don't have a recipe for this within my blog post - did you spot this somewhere hence the complaint? I understand there's cabbage slaw in the pictures but the recipe is only for the chicken katsu, not the cabbage.
Linda Cole
Absolutely brilliant recipe, and cooking in the air fryer made it so much easier.
Thankyou
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Linda! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂