Nothing beats crispy chicken katsu bowls piled high with an assortment of fresh vegetables and drizzled with a bold, flavour-packed dressing. This Chicken Katsu Poke Bowl makes a great family dinner and a fun way to let everyone choose their best toppings-colourful, crunchy, and seriously satisfying.
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DISCLAIMER: This isn't your classic chicken katsu with traditional tonkatsu sauce - we've swapped it for a punchy katsu salad dressing inspired by Wagamama's version. We use this dressing in our Crispy Chicken Katsu Salad as well.
Hawaiian Poke Bowls Meet Japanese Chicken Katsu
Poke bowls are vibrant Hawaiian dishes traditionally made with raw fish, rice, and a medley of fresh toppings. Japanese chicken katsu curry, on the other hand, features a crispy chicken cutlet served with a rich, spiced sauce.
Combine the two, and you get a katsu chicken poke bowl-a fusion that pairs bold flavours and satisfying textures in one colourful, crowd-pleasing meal.
Ingredient Notes
Yes, the list of ingredients is a long one, but don't be put off. You may have most things in your cupboards already.
- sushi rice: the dish works well with long-grain rice or even short-grain brown rice.
- rice vinegar.
- caster sugar: or white granulated sugar.
- salt.
- garlic clove.
- ginger.
- brown onion: or shallot.
- bird's eye chilli: or some chilli flakes (red pepper flakes).
- curry powder: we used mild.
- mango chutney.
- soy sauce.
- vegetable oil: or avocado or sunflower oil.
- cucumber: Persian cucumbers work best, but English cucumbers are ok.
- sesame seeds: we used black sesame seeds.
- chicken breast.
- all-purpose flour.
- egg.
- panko breadcrumbs.
- veggies: we used radishes (mixed with a little mayonnaise), grated carrot, bell pepper slices and spring onion, but you can use a bunch of different variations.
Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Recipe
Step 1: Prepare The Rice
1. Cook the rice following the instructions on the package, but as a general rule of thumb, place the rice in a colander and rinse, mixing the rice, under cold water until the water runs clear. Leave the rice to soak in water for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
2. Add the drained rice to a pot with 220ml of cold water and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. (lid on).
3. Take the pot of rice off the heat and leave it undisturbed (keeping the lid on) for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Make The Katsu Salad Dressing
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil (taken from the total oil amount for the dressing) in a small frying pan over low heat.
2. Add the chopped garlic, onion, ginger and chilli, and sauté gently for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring often to avoid browning.
3. Stir in the curry powder and cook for another 30-60 seconds until fragrant, then remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
4. Transfer everything to a pestle and mortar (or food processor), add the rice vinegar, and grind into a coarse paste - some texture is good.
5. Scoop the mixture into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add mango chutney, soy sauce and water, and stir to combine.
6. Pour in the remaining oil, screw the lid on, and shake the jar vigorously until the dressing emulsifies.
7. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 3: Pickle The Cucumber
1. In a bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Add the sliced cucumber, toss to combine and cover the bowl with a plate.
2. Let it sit at room temperature whilst you prepare the rest of the poke bowl.
3. When ready to use as a topping, drain any liquid and stir in some sesame seeds (optional).
Step 4: Cook The Chicken
1. Slice the chicken breast in half lengthways to create two thinner pieces.
2. Place the flour, beaten egg, and panko breadcrumbs (mixed with turmeric, if using) into three separate shallow bowls.
3. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, then dip into the egg, and finally coat in the panko breadcrumbs.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
5. Add the chicken and shallow fry for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until golden brown and crispy. The internal temperature should reach 74°C.
6. Transfer the cooked chicken to a chopping board and set aside to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
TIP: This recipe works well with our Baked Coconut Crusted Chicken Breast too! For a fun twist or to cater for pescetarians, try it with Coconut Crusted Fish!
Step 5: Assemble Chicken Katsu Poke Bowls
1. Mix the grated carrots with mayonnaise.
2. Divide the seasoned rice between bowls. Top it with drained pickled cucumber, creamy carrots, grated radish and bell pepper slices.
3. Place a sliced chicken breast on top.
4. Drizzle everything with katsu dressing and scatter spring onions on top!
Variations
There are endless ways to customise your Chicken Katsu Poke Bowl!
Alternative Dressing: Try our creamy spicy mayo dressing from the Prawn Poke Bowl recipe, or the zingy Lime Sesame Oil Dressing from our Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl.
Extra Veggies: Fresh avocado (or even a spoonful of guacamole), edamame soybeans, or crunchy mange tout.
Add Fruit: Juicy mango cubes or sweet pineapple chunks work beautifully. Or try our Cucumber and Pineapple Salad as a topping.
Storage and Making Ahead
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days-just keep the chicken separate to maintain its crispiness. To make this chicken katsu poke bowl even easier, prep the rice, dressing, and pickled cucumber ahead of time, and cook the chicken fresh when you're ready to eat.
With a few smart steps in advance, it's a breeze to throw together on any busy night of the week!
Chicken Katsu Poke Bowl
Ingredients
Rice Base:
- 170 g (1 cup) sushi rice + 220 ml water
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
For The Katsu Dressing:
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon brown onion ( about ¼ onion) finely chopped
- ½ bird's eye chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon curry powder we used mild
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mango chutney
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 50 ml (¼ cups) vegetable or sunflower oil
Quick Pickled Cucumber:
- 80 g (3 oz) cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds optional
For Panko Chicken:
- 1 chicken breast large, approx. 250g
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 egg
- 30 g (½ cups) panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric optional
- 2 tablespoon oil for frying
Other Toppings:
- 80 g (3 oz) radishes coarsely grated
- 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
- 1 small carrot coarsely grated
- ½ bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 spring onion thinly sliced
Instructions
Prepare The Rice:
- Cook the rice following the instructions on the package, but as a general rule of thumb, place the rice in a colander and rinse, mixing the rice, under cold water until the water runs clear. Leave the rice to soak in water for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
- Add the drained rice to a pot with 220ml of cold water and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. (lid on).
- Take the pot of rice off the heat and leave it undisturbed (keeping the lid on) for 10 minutes.
Make The Dressing:
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil (taken from the total oil amount for the dressing) in a small frying pan over low heat.
- Add the chopped garlic, onion, ginger and chilli, and sauté gently for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring often to avoid browning.
- Stir in the curry powder and cook for another 30-60 seconds until fragrant, then remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Transfer everything to a pestle and mortar (or food processor), add the rice vinegar, and grind into a coarse paste - some texture is good.
- Scoop the mixture into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add mango chutney, soy sauce and water, and stir to combine.
- Pour in the remaining oil, screw the lid on, and shake the jar vigorously until the dressing emulsifies.
- Set aside until ready to use.
Pickle The Cucumber:
- In a bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Add the sliced cucumber, toss to combine and cover the bowl with a plate. Let it sit at room temperature whilst you prepare the rest of the poke bowl. When ready to use as a topping, drain any liquid and stir in some sesame seeds (optional).
Cook The Chicken:
- Slice the chicken breast in half lengthways to create two thinner pieces.
- Place the flour, beaten egg, and panko breadcrumbs (mixed with turmeric, if using) into three separate shallow bowls.
- Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, then dip into the egg, and finally coat in the panko breadcrumbs.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until golden and crispy. The internal temperature should reach 74°C.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a chopping board and set aside to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Assemble:
- Mix the grated carrot with mayonnaise.
- Divide the seasoned rice between bowls. Top it with drained pickled cucumber, creamy carrots, grated radishes and bell pepper. Place a sliced chicken breast on top. Drizzle everything with katsu dressing and scatter spring onions on top!
Nutrition
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