Chicken Katsu – Crisp chicken deep-fried and topped with tonkatsu sauce. This classic Japanese dish is easy to make and the whole family will love it!

Chicken Katsu

Chicken katsu is one of my go-to things to order at my local Japanese restaurant.  While it may be just simple deep-fried and breaded chicken, something about it always just tastes so wonderful.  Normally, I order it in a bento box and it comes with a mysterious brown sauce that I could never place that just paired so well with the chicken and it added to the allure of the dish.

Since I started making Japanese recipes, chicken katsu has been on the top of my list of things I had to make since it is so delicious and such a popular dish in both Japan and here in the States.  I was pretty amazed how simple chicken katsu was to make at home, chances are that you already have most (if not all) of the ingredients you need to make it right in your pantry since most of them are kitchen staples like chicken, flour, eggs, etc.

If you don’t regularly deep-fry, don’t be too worried.  All you need to do is get the oil to the correct temperature and just watch the chicken to make sure they get nice and golden brown.

My favorite way to serve chicken katsu is sliced over short-grain white rice with a drizzle of the tonkatsu sauce.  Other popular options include using it in katsu udon (a noodle dish) or in katsu curry with Japanese curry sauce on top of the chicken.  All the options are delicious so chose what sounds best!

One last note on the sauce, it is called tonkatsu sauce which derives from the name for fried pork cutlets (tonkatsu).  This sauce will work for either chicken katsu or tonkatsu!

Common questions about making chicken katsu

How do you make chicken katsu?

To make chicken katsu:

• Divide chicken breasts into 2 thin pieces
• Season with salt and pepper
• Cover with flour, egg, and panko
• Deep-fry until golden-brown
• Serve with tonkatsu sauce

What is tonkatsu?

Tonkatsu is the name for katsu made with pork cutlets.  This is a more popular version than chicken katsu but it is prepared the same.

What is tori katsu?

Tori katsu is the Japanese name for chicken katsu.

What’s in katsu sauce?

Katsu sauce is usually made from combining ketchup, worchestershire sauce, dijon mustard, soy sauce, and mirin.

What is the meaning of katsu?

According to Wikipedia, chicken katsu gets it’s name from katsuretsu which means cutlet in Japanese.

What is katsu style?

Katsu style is considered to be a form of cooking that involves fried cutlets or meat or seafood covered with panko.

Can’t get enough of this chicken katsu recipe? Try these other recipes!

• Udon Soup – Thick udon noodles in a flavorful broth.
• Teriyaki Chicken – Authentically prepared chicken cooked in a delicious teriyaki sauce.
• Miso Soup – Classic Japanese soup made with tofu, dashi broth, wakame (seaweed), and miso paste.
• Hokkaido Milk Bread (Shokupan) – Light and fluffy pull-apart Japanese bread.
• Tempura Chicken – Lightly breaded chicken that is deep fried until crispy.

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