Japanese Chicken Katsu. Deep fried crispy panko breaded chicken that is tender on the inside with a crunchy exterior. A classic Japanese dish ready in 20 minutes!
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What is Japanese Chicken Katsu?
Chicken katsu is an iconic crispy chicken dish in Japanese cooking. A popular Japanese dish simply made of tenderized seasoned chicken coated in flour, beaten egg and panko breadcrumbs deep fried until golden brown.
Youβll often find this dish served at many Japanese restaurants with a sweet tangy brown sauce, white rice and cabbage slaw. It can also be served over curry, in a sandwich or over udon noodles.
Homemade chicken katsu is easy to make at home with simple ingredients. Iβve made this chicken dish so many times Iβve lost count so I knew I had to share my version of this dish.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Large Eggs
- Japanese Panko breadcrumbs: or substitute with regular breadcrumbs
- Neutral oil: any flavorless oil like avocado oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil due to its heavier scent.
- All-purpose flour: or replace with cornstarch or potato starch
- Black Pepper
- Salt
Katsu Sauce
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce
- White Granulated Sugar
Note: Most Asian or Western grocers will carry these ingredients.
How to make Chicken Katsu
- On a cutting board, lay your chicken breasts flat and slicing it halfway but not all the way through. You should be able to open the breast into two adjoined "wings".
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap to cover the butterflied chicken breast (optional).
- Using the back and side of your knife or a meat mallet, tenderize the chicken breasts into thin slices, about 1-25-1.5 cm even thickness. This is important.
- Remove the plastic wrap.
- Season each breast on both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Place flour into a large shallow bowl. In the second bowl, beat your eggs. In the last bowl, add and spread-out panko crumbs. Dredge each seasoned breast in all-purpose flour until it is well coated. Then generously dredge in beaten egg and finally in the panko breadcrumbs.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat your oil on medium heat (350 degrees F). Tip: To test if the oil is hot, place the tip end of the chopstick into the oil and if the oil is bubbling around it, your oil is ready
- Fry each breast one at a time. Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Do not move chicken around you to allow for an even fry. Note: cooked chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer or until juices run clear.
- Transfer fried chicken katsu to a wire rack set over a baking sheet or paper towel lined plate for excess oil to drip off. Allow this to cool a bit for a few minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine katsu sauce ingredients as listed above with a whisk. Enjoy with chicken katsu.
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container, however with time, the crunchy exterior will be less crispy. To reheat, pan fry on the stove top over medium heat until warm in some hot oil or air fry at 350 degrees for 4-5 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Evenly butterfly the chicken breast in half and spread the βwingsβ apart.
- Tenderize the breast so itβs evenly thin. This creates for a consistent cooking time.
- Make sure there are no bald spots when coating the chicken.
- Make sure your oil is hot enough before frying chicken.
- Place fried chicken on a wire rack or plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil which creates a soggy crust.
FAQ
Yes, clickΒ hereΒ for that recipe!
Yes, you can freeze in an airtight container or a freezer-friendly ziplock bag. Then when youβre ready to have it, reheat frozen chicken katsu in the oven or air fryer.
Other Japanese recipes you may like!
- Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlets)
- Air Fryer Japanese Katsudon
- Pork Katsu Onigirazu
- Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- Katsu Sando
- Tofu Katsu Sando
π Recipe
Easy 20-min. Chicken Katsu
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast skinless boneless
- β cup all purpose flour or sub with cornstarch
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Β½ -2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- Β½ teaspoon salt or as needed
- Β½ teaspoon black pepper or as needed
Chicken Katsu Sauce:
- 3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 5 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 ΒΌ tsp white granulated sugar
Instructions
- On a cutting board, lay your chicken breasts flat and slicing it halfway but not all the way through. You should be able to open the breast into two adjoined "wings".Β
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap to cover the butterflied chicken breast (optional).Β
- Using the back and side of your knife or a meat mallet, tenderize the chicken breasts into thin slices, about 1-25-1.5 cm even thickness. This is important.Β
- Remove the plastic wrap.
- Season each breast on both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Prepare three shallow bowls. Fill the first with all purpose flour. In the second, beat your eggs. In the third, fill it with panko breadcrumbs. Coat each seasoned breast in all-purpose flour until it is well coated. Then generously dredge in beaten egg and lastly panko breadcrumbs ensuring no bald spots.
- In a pan or wok, heat vegetable oil on medium heat (around 350 degrees F). Tip: To test if the oil is hot, place the tip end of the chopstick into the oil and if the oil is bubbling around it, your oil is ready
- Once oil is hot, carefully lower breaded chicken away from you. Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Do not move chicken around you to allow for an even fry.
- Transfer fried chicken katsu to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate. Allow this to cool a bit for a few minutes before enjoying with homemade Katsu sauce.
Katsu Sauce:
- In a small bowl add your sauce ingredient and whisk together until well combined. It is now ready to serve with your chicken katsu.
Char C
This is a simple yet delicious recipe. I finally had the chance to try it! I will definitely make it again.
christieathome
Happy it worked out for you and thanks for leaving a kind review!
Annie
This katsu sauce is delicious. My kids liked it better than the katsu recipe I made from the NYT. Very simple to make, lots of flavor.
christieathome
I'm so happy to read this Annie! Thanks very much for making my recipe and glad the kids liked it too!
Agnes K
So easy to make and was a big hit with my family! Served this on rice with side of green beans. For the sauce, I only had ketchup, worcestershire, and added a bit of hoisin sauce - so good. Just one question, whatβs the green herb that you sprinkled on the Katsu at the end? (It looks like oregano)
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe Agnes! I'm so glad you and the family enjoyed it with some green beans! I sprinkled some dried parsley at the end but it's more so for aesthetic π
Myra
It came out delicious! Thank you
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe Myra! I'm so glad you enjoyed it π
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
With just 4 ingredients, your homemade katsu sauce really adds so much fun flavor to this dish!
Marius Podaru
Made this for the family, surprised myself how easy it was to follow the recipe and surprised my family with how good it turned out. Now they ask for it as part of dad's rotation.
christieathome
Thank you so much Marius! So glad you and the family enjoyed the recipe. Even happier that it's become a part of dad's meal rotation!
Devyn Derksen
So delicious! Easy to make, not a lot to prep and both the chicken and the sauce turned out perfectly π
christieathome
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and I'm so happy to hear it turned out well!!
Alexandra
SO delicious - what a lovely recipe. Simple, but so tasty.