Chicken Katsu Curry (Japanese Chicken Cutlet Curry)

Chicken Katsu Curry is a hearty curry dish featuring crispy, tender chicken katsu, Japanese curry, and steamed sticky rice. The savory chicken katsu balances the sweet curry and creates a mouthwatering combination of flavors. Japanese Katsu Curry is a cozy dish that is great for a weeknight!

Japanese curry is a staple of Japanese cooking and is often enjoyed over steamed rice. The curry sauce is a perfect blend of umami flavor. This curry recipe includes vegetables to make it heartier and to add more flavor.

Chicken katsu is a delicious Japanese chicken cutlet served in many Japanese restaurants. Chicken katsu adds a crunch and elevates the Japanese curry. The katsu is crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It holds up well when dipped in the curry and creates a perfect bite.

To learn more about katsu, check out our recipe for Chicken Katsu (Japanese Chicken Cutlet). You can also serve it with a side vegetable, like Furikake and Lemon Shishito Peppers and Roasted Asparagus with Lemon.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Chicken Katsu Curry (Japanese Chicken Cutlet Curry)
• Food safety

Ingredients

• Golden Curry - Golden Curry makes premade curry blocks that are mild, medium, or spicy. This Japanese curry roux perfectly balances spice and sweetness. It only takes a few minutes to prep and tastes homemade.
• Onion - Onion is an aromatic that enhances the flavors in the curry.
• Carrots - Carrots add a hint of sweetness.
• Bell pepper - Bell pepper makes the flavors in the curry more dynamic.
• Olive oil or vegetable oil - Olive oil is used to cook the vegetables for the curry.
• Potatoes - Potatoes add a starch and heartiness to the curry mixture.
• Japanese rice - Japanese rice is stickier than other types of rice. The sticky consistency makes it easy to be picked up with chopsticks and eaten with the curry. It is a staple Japanese food and is common in many Japanese recipes.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This katsu curry recipe is broken up into three major steps.

First, make the rice so it cooks while you cook the curry and chicken katsu.

Rinse and prepare rice - Place the uncooked rice in the rice cooker cooking bowl and rinse with water until the water is clear, then drain the washing water. Add fresh water and place the cooking bowl inside the rice cooker.

Cook the rice - Follow the rice cooker instructions and allow the rice to cook. Leave on the "warm" setting until ready to serve. You can also make the rice on a stove top.

Next, while the rice cooks, make the curry.

Stir-fry the vegetables - Add the oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil heats, add the onions, carrots, bell peppers, and potatoes. Fry in the oil for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions soften.

Cook in water - Add water to the to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pot with the lid. Allow vegetables to simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15-18 minutes.

Add the curry - Turn off the medium heat and add the Golden Curry blocks to the pot. Stir the mixture until the blocks are melted and completely incorporated. Turn the heat back on low heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes to incorporate all of the flavors.

While the vegetables cook in the water, make the chicken katsu, or Japanese chicken cutlet, recipe.

Tenderize and season the meat - Arrange a couple of chicken thighs in a flat layer inside of a zip-top bag and remove as much air as possible. You can also substitute with chicken breast. Use a meat tenderizer to gently pound until it is an even half-inch thickness. Repeat to tenderize all of the chicken thighs. Place the chicken in a large bowl and season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Make the flour mixture - Place panko and flour individual shallow dishes. In flour dish, gently whisk in kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and togarashi.

Make the egg mixture - In a mixing bowl, add eggs and milk. Beat until homogeneous.

Dredge the meat - Coat each piece of chicken with flour and brush off excess flour. Then dip each piece in the egg mixture. Finally, coat chicken in panko.

Fry in oil - Heat 1 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place 2 or 3 pieces of chicken in the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is golden brown.

Assemble - The last step of the recipe is to assemble the katsu curry. Once you have made curry, chicken cutlet, and rice, assemble the ingredients. Place the rice in bowls, then top with authentic Japanese curry, and add the fried chicken last.

Hint: place the finished chicken cutlet on a paper towel to blot the excess oil. You can also place the finished chicken cutlet on a cooling rack and baking sheet (as seen above) to catch any excess oil for easy cleanup and to save time.

Substitutions

• Curry mix - Use different curry powders instead. Use Java curry mix if you want your curry extra spicy. Use Vermont curry mix if you want your curry sweet and thick.
• Brown rice - Use brown rice to make the bowl healthier or if you just prefer the taste and texture to Japanese white rice. We recommend Koda Farm's Whole Grain Brown Kokuho Rose, which is a Japanese brown rice with a nutty flavor.
• Beef - Instead of making chicken katsu, you can eat the curry with beef. To make beef curry, cut chuck roast or stew meat into 1-2" cubes and cook with the vegetables before adding the Golden Curry blocks.
• Tofu - Instead of chicken katsu, use tofu for added protein. Slice the tofu into 1-2" cubes and add in the last 5 minutes of cooking the curry.

Variations

• Spicy - Add chili pepper flakes or togarashi while cooking the vegetables to add heat to the curry.
• Deluxe - Add mushrooms for flavor or beef stew meat for extra protein.
• Fukujinzuke - Add Fukujinzuke for a sweet and tangy flavor. Fukujinzuke is a pickled condiment that consists of pickled daikon and other vegetables soaked in soy sauce.

Equipment

Chicken Katsu Curry requires a few kitchen essentials, all of which can be used for many other common recipes.

To make the chicken katsu, you will need a knife, cutting board, meat tenderizer, large zip-top bag, mixing bowls, like this glass mixing bowl set, shallow dishes, fry pan or dutch oven, and cooling rack.

To make the Japanese curry, you will also need a measuring cup and spoon; a dutch oven or pot with a thick bottom, a wooden spoon, and a ladle.

For the rice, you will need a rice cooker or a pot with a thick bottom to prevent burning.

To explore more kitchen items to make your kitchen complete, head to our Kitchen Essentials Shop.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover chicken katsu and curry in separate containers, otherwise the katsu will absorb the curry and get soggy. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat katsu in the oven and curry over the stovetop.

Top tip

Serve curry and chicken katsu separately so the katsu doesn't soak up the curry and get soggy. Right before you are ready to eat each piece of katsu, dip the katsu in the curry so the chicken katsu is still crunchy.

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.