Crispy panko breaded chicken that is tender and juicy made with less oil in the air fryer. This quick and easy air fryer chicken katsu is made with minimal ingredients. A great main on a busy weeknight for the family!
Jump to:
What is Chicken Katsu?
Traditionally Chicken Katsu are crispy tender chicken cutlets coated in cornstarch, eggs and in flaky panko bread crumbs and fried in oil. It's a popular dish that originates from Japan. This version is air fried, not deep fried, thus using less oil.
Chicken katsu is traditionally served with white rice, a sweet savory sauce, cabbage slaw and tomatoes. It can also be served in bento boxes, curry sauce, in a sandwich, or over udon noodles at Japanese restaurants.
What sets this chicken katsu apart from chicken schnitzel are the Japanese breadcrumbs. They're lighter and flakier than regular breadcrumbs giving you that crispy perfection!
Panko crumbs are also not as dense as regular bread crumbs. In addition, the katsu sauce is another key difference as regular chicken cutlets are usually served with gravy, lemon wedges or with mayo.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast: Breast is leaner but tends to turn out to be dried naturally. Thigh is more forgiving and comes out juicier even if you overcook it since it's fattier. Whichever cut you choose to use, make sure to adjust the air frying time according to the recipe card below.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cornstarch: or potato starch
- Eggs
- Panko breadcrumbs: these are Japanese breadcrumbs and they are lighter and flakier than the regular breadcrumbs. If you're gluten-free, substitute with gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
- Neutral oil: like vegetable oil, avocado oil or any scentless oil with a high smoke point that can withstand a temperature of 400 F
Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce: If you're gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
- Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free oyster sauce.
- White granulated sugar
Note: Your Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh chicken for best results since this is the main ingredient!
- Tenderize the chicken with the back of your knife or a meat mallet so the meat evenly cooks.
- Evenly coat each piece of chicken in starch, egg, and panko ensuring no bald spots.
- Generously spray or drizzle enough oil over the breaded chicken for crispy chicken.
- Do not overload the air fryer and do not overlap the breaded chicken or this will lower the air fryer temperature leading to soggy chicken.
- Using a digital cooking thermometer is incredibly helpful to know when chicken is cooked. Cooked chicken is safe to consume at 165 F.
Instructions
- On a cutting board, butterfly the chicken breasts or thighs. Using the back of your knife or a meat mallet. 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.
- Prepare 3 shallow bowls. The first to contain cornstarch, the second with beaten egg and the last with panko breadcrumbs. Generously coat each piece in the cornstarch first, then egg and lastly panko. Make sure each piece is coated well.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, place one or both pieces of the chicken in the air fryer so it lays in one single layer. Do not over crowd the basket and ensure there is enough air space surrounding the chicken or it will not be crispy.
- Spray or drizzle enough oil over top of each piece, about 1 tablespoon of oil on the first 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 of oil over top. Air fry at the same temperature for another 7-9 minutes or 5-7 minutes if the pieces are smaller until you reach an internal temperature of 165 F with a meat thermometer. Remove from air fryer and slice into strips.
- In a small bowl, combine katsu sauce ingredients. Serve with chicken.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or air fry at 350 F for 4-6 minutes until hot.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag with parchment paper squares separating each piece of chicken and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Ideas
This Japanese dish serves well with cooked short grain rice with any Japanese style dishes like miso soup, Japanese crab corn salad, salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing, shrimp tempura, or Ebi mayo.
FAQ
In my opinion, yes thigh is much tastier because it has more fat running through it, so it tends to be much juicier. But if you want a leaner chicken katsu, use chicken breast and if you want to go for the good stuff, use thigh meat.
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to enjoy, reheat it in the air fryer at 350 F for 4-6 minutes until hot.
Chicken katsu can be served with store bought tonkatsu sauce. You can easily find tonkatsu sauce at many Asian markets or at select online retailers.
Breading can be used in an airfryer as long as it adheres to the chicken. Using sufficient cornstarch and egg will help the breadcrumbs stick so they don't fly around in the air fryer.
Other recipes you may like
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breast or thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or as needed
- ½ cup cornstarch or as needed
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs Japanese style breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Optional Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 2.5 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 tsp oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 1 ⅛ teaspoon white granulated sugar
Instructions
- On a cutting board, butterfly the chicken breasts or thighs. Using the back of your knife or a meat mallet. 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.
- Prepare 3 shallow bowls. The first to contain cornstarch, the second with beaten egg and the last with panko breadcrumbs. Generously coat each piece in the cornstarch first, then egg and lastly panko. Make sure each piece is coated well.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, place one or both pieces of the chicken in the air fryer so it lays in one single layer. Do not over crowd the basket and ensure there is enough air space surrounding the chicken or it will not be crispy.
- Spray or drizzle enough oil over top of each piece, about 1 tablespoon of oil on the first 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 of oil over top. Air fry at the same temperature for another 7-9 minutes or 5-7 minutes if the pieces are smaller until you reach an internal temperature of 165 F with a meat thermometer. Remove from air fryer and slice into strips.
- In a small bowl, combine katsu sauce ingredients. Serve with chicken.
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 🙂
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.
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 🙂
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!
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!!