Japanese Chicken Katsu

Japanese Chicken Katsu. Deep fried crispy, crunchy panko breaded chicken. A popular Japanese main with a crunchy texture and tender inside.  

My tasty chicken katsu wonderfully pairs with homemade or store-bought katsu sauce, which I’ve shared a recipe for below.

It's quite easy to make at home and ready in just 15 minutes! I love having this deep fried chicken katsu with rice and cabbage slaw and tomatoes. It’s my favourite way to eat this popular Japanese dish.

What is Japanese chicken katsu?

It’s a popular Japanese chicken dish. The chicken breast or thigh is tenderized and seasoned with salt and pepper. Then coated in a flour, beaten egg and panko breadcrumbs. Lastly it is deep fried in hot oil until golden and crispy brown.

Many Japanese restaurants serve chicken katsu but is very simple to make at home!

What does chicken katsu taste like?

Chicken Katsu tastes like a crispy piece of deep fried chicken. The inside is tender due to the tenderization process. It pairs deliciously with a sweet tangy sauce called Katsu sauce.

Do you own an air fryer?

If you own an air fryer, I also share a healthier way of making Chicken Katsu if you click here.

Easy Katsu Recipe!

My chicken katsu recipe is quite easy to make at home and most of the ingredients are very accessible, including the panko breadcrumbs that most Western grocers will sell. Frying time only takes 5-6 minutes per breast and that’s it!

What is chicken katsu made of?

These are the follow chicken katsu ingredients you will need to make this dish:

• Chicken breast
• Eggs
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil or any neutral-tasting oil like avocado oil
• All-purpose flour
• Black Pepper
• Salt

What is katsu sauce made of?

Chicken Katsu Sauce consists of the below ingredients. This recipe is from Just One Cookbook:

• Ketchup
• Worcestershire sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Sugar

How to make Chicken Katsu

These the following steps in how to make my katsu chicken recipe:

1. Start by "butterflying" your chicken breasts by vertically slicing one side, only until you can open halfway - spreading the “wings” apart. Do not slice all the way.
2. Lay a piece of plastic wrap to cover the butterflied chicken breast.
3. Using the back and side of your knife, tenderize the chicken breasts until it’s 1-25-1.5 cm thick. This is important.
4. Remove the plastic wrap.
5. Season each breast on both sides with salt and black pepper.
6. Dredge each seasoned breast in all-purpose flour until it is well coated. Then generously dredge in beaten egg and lastly panko breadcrumbs
7. In a pan or wok, heat your oil on medium heat. 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
8. 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.
9. Transfer fried chicken katsu to a cooling rack or paper towel lined plate. Allow this to cool a bit for a few minutes before enjoying with homemade Katsu sauce.

How to make chicken katsu sauce:

Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl using a whisk. It is now ready to serve with chicken katsu.

Tips  

Below are tips on making the best crispy chicken katsu:

• Make sure to butterfly the chicken breast first and spread the “wings” apart
• Apply plastic wrap over the chicken breast and using the side and back of your knife, tenderize it until it’s about 1.25 -1.5 cm thick. This is crucial to a delicious tender chicken katsu as it allows for the chicken breast to fry and cook evenly in the hot oil
• Generously coat the chicken breast in flour, egg and panko prior to frying.
• Make sure your oil is hot enough before frying chicken. To check for this, place a wooden chopstick into the hot oil and look for bubbles.
• When lowering your breaded chicken, lower it away from you so the oil splashes away from you.
• Fry on each side until golden crispy brown on each side or when the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
• Place fried chicken on a cooling rack or plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil. This excess oil causes the breast to become soggy.

FAQ

Below are frequently asked questions about this Japanese chicken katsu recipe:

Is Chicken Katsu Spicy?

No. However if you have Chicken Katsu Curry, then yes it could potentially be spicy due to the curry.

Where can I buy Panko Breadcrumbs?

Most grocers (Western and Asian) will sell panko breadcrumbs.

What to serve with chicken katsu?

In Japan, restaurants will serve chicken katsu with cabbage slaw and steamed rice or with curry sauce.

Chicken Katsu Don is another dish that serves katsu over steamed rice with a dashi-onion egg broth poured over.

However, this dish is very versatile and you can pair it with any foods you enjoy such as:

• Steamed rice
• Cabbage slaw
• Fresh tomatoes
• Leafy greens
• Noodles like ramen
• Between fluffy milk bread in a sandwich – aka Chicken Katsu Sando
• Onigirazu - katsu served in between a sushi sandwich
• On kimchi stew (aka Kimchi Nabe and it’s popular in Korea)

What is the difference between katsu and teriyaki?

Katsu is prepared with panko breadcrumbs and deep fried. However, Teriyaki is not deep fried. It’s seasoned with a teriyaki sauce made of sake, sugar, soy sauce and mirin and then grilled or pan fried.

What is the difference between chicken katsu vs chicken cutlet?

The main difference is the kind of breadcrumbs used. Katsu uses a special breadcrumb called Panko. Panko is usually longer and flakier. Whereas chicken cutlet uses ordinary breadcrumbs that are shorter and rounder. The panko is what makes chicken katsu so crunchy in texture.

Can you freeze chicken katsu?

Yes, you can freeze in an airtight container. Then when you’re ready to have it, thaw and reheat it. I would recommend re-deep frying or reheating in the oven. If you have an air fryer, that would work well too.

Is chicken katsu dairy free?

Yes, chicken katsu is usually dairy-free. There are no dairy products in this recipe usually unless you soak your chicken in milk (to remove any gamey odor from the meat) prior to dredging in flour.  

Other Japanese recipes you may like!

If you enjoyed my chicken katsu sauce recipe, you may enjoy these other Japanese recipes:

AIR FRYER JAPANESE KATSUDON
PORK KATSU ONIGIRAZU
AIR FRYER CHICKEN KATSU
KATSU SANDO
AIR FRYER TONKATSU SAUCE CHICKEN
TOFU KATSU SANDO
CREAMY ROSE BACON UDON
JAPANESE EBI MAYO
SPICY TUNA ONIGIRI
CREAMY BLACK GARLIC MUSHROOM UDON

Try it!

Well, I hope you give my Japanese Chicken Katsu a try! It always excites me when you make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.

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Take care,
Christie

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