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.

Yield: 4 servings

Chicken Katsu

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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!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Katsu

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• Neutral oil, such as vegetable

Tonkatsu Sauce

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon mirin
• 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Take one of the chicken breasts and cut it parallel to the cutting board right down the middle so that there is two thin pieces of chicken on top of each other. Cut each of those pieces in half so that you end up with four small cuts of chicken. Repeat with each of the chicken breasts. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer each piece of chicken into the flour, egg, and then the panko bread crumbs. Make sure the chicken is fully coated at each step, especially when you cover it with panko.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce and stir until well combined. Set aside.
4. Fill a frying pan up with 1/2 inch of the neutral oil of choice and bring it to 350 degrees. To make sure it is staying a consistent temperature, I suggest using a food thermometer.
5. Once the oil is hot enough, place 2-3 pieces of chicken into it at a time and cook until one side is golden-brown before flipping it. Once the other side is also golden-brown, remove it and either place on a plate lined with paper towel or a cooling rack. Repeat until all of the pieces of chicken are cooked.
6. Serve chicken over rice with a drizzle of sauce on top.

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