Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry

Chicken Katsu Curry is one of our most frequently cooked Japanese dishes! Deliciously sweet sauce coating a crispy breaded chicken served on a bed of rice and a side of cucumber salad is all we need to get out tastebuds dancing! An easy, but equally indulgent meal that can be made vegetarian by substituting chicken with tofu or some breaded vegetables!

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Japanese Food

We have a 25-year plan for travelling, which has now become a 27-year plan with the global pandemic happening. Japan was meant to be a trip of 2022 and one of the aspects I am extremely excited about with regards to travelling in the country of a rising sun is Japanese food. As much as we love sushi, Japanese food is so much more than that! We love yakitori, ramens, gyozas and other Japanese staples, as well as more modern souffle pancakes and souffle cheesecake (that I am yet to master).

What is Katsu Curry?

One of the simpler Japanese inspired dishes to make, requiring no special skill or equipment is Japanese Katsu Curry. It has elements of Southern fried chicken, Indian curry and well… you may be surprised to know that Chicken Katsu curry was actually introduced to the Japanese by the British in the 19th century.

Often known as Katsu karē, this dish is typically made with either pork or chicken, coated in breadcrumbs and fried. Katsu Curry sauce is served alongside the meat and is typically a combination of carrots, curry powder, soy sauce and a sweetener, such as honey or sugar.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Today we are sharing our recipe for a Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry, but you can very easily adjust it to what you have in your kitchen.

Here are all the ingredients we use for the Katsu Curry sauce in this recipe and our recommendations for substitutes:

• brown onion, finely chopped: use white onions or shallots if you have them handy. It will not affect the end result.
• carrot: use butternut squash or an orange-fleshed sweet potato if you like.
• ginger: can be substituted with a shop-bought ginger paste for convenience.
• vegetable oil or any other odourless oil like sunflower or rapeseed oil.
• medium curry powder: you can buy spice blends specifically mixed for use in Katsu curry, like this one here. Or, if you don’t like things hot, use a mild curry powder.
• soy sauce: tamari or coconut aminos are good substitutes.
• mango chutney: is one of the signature flavours in Katsu curry, so I wouldn’t recommend replacing it with anything else.

You will also need a chicken breast, flour, egg and breadcrumbs (ideally, panko breadcrumbs) for the fried chicken.

If you are vegetarian, you can substitute the chicken breast with firm pressed tofu or simply thinly sliced par-boiled vegetables, like sweet potato, aubergine and cauliflower.

We served our Homemade Katsu Curry with cucumber salad and rice, but more about the side dishes later…

Method

Gather all your ingredients together. Top and tail and finely grate the carrot. Finely chop the onion. Grate or finely chop the ginger.

Cook the rice following the instructions on a packet.

Prepare the Chicken

Crack an egg into a shallow bowl and whisk lightly. Add 2 tbsp of flour to a large plate, then add the breadcrumbs to another plate. Season breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.

Cut the chicken breast in half lengthways so you have two thin slices of chicken.

Coat the chicken pieces in flour, then roll them in the egg and finally roll in the breadcrumbs pressing firmly to cover all over.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the chicken breast pieces and cook for 6-7 min on each side. They should brown and crisp up and fully cook through.

Prepare Katsu Curry Sauce

Heat a large non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the finely grated carrot, ginger and onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 min. Then add the curry powder and cook for another minute.

Tip in 1 tbsp of flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Reduce the heat to low and add 300ml of boiling water. Tip in soy sauce and mango chutney. Stir and leave to gently bubble for 5-8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Make the Cucumber Salad

In the meantime, thinly slice your cucumber. Toss the cucumber with rice vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds.

Serving Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry

Slice the chicken into strips. Spoon the katsu sauce into a wide shallow bowl, spoon the rice and cucumber salad on top and place the sliced chicken breast next to them.

Other Chicken Recipes From Around the World

For other ‘chicken dinners’ have a look at our recipes below:

• Senegalese Chicken Yassa
• Indian Spiced Chicken Fajitas with Mint & Coriander Mayo
• Poutine with Chicken and Garlicky Greens

Recipe Card

Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry

Chicken Katsu curry is one of our most frequently cooked Japanese dishes! Deliciously sweet sauce coating a crispy breaded cricken served on a bed of rice and a side of cucumber salad is all we need to get out tastebuds dancing! An easy, but equally indulgent meal that can easily be made vegetarian by substituting chicken with tofu or some vegetables!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 2 portions

Calories 635 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 130 g rice
• 1/2 small brown onion finely chopped
• 1 carrot finely grated
• 15 g ginger finely chopped/ grated
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 40 g breadcrumbs
• 1 large chicken breast
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp curry powder we used medium
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 40 g mango chutney

For Cucumber Salad:

• 1/3 cucumber
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

 

• Cook the rice following instructions on a packet.
• Crack an egg into a shallow bowl and whick lightly. Add 2 tbsp of flour to a large plate, then add the breadcrumbs to another plate. Season breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.
• Cut the chicken in half lengthways so you have two thin slices of chicken.
• Coat the chicken pieces in flour, then roll them in the egg and finaly roll in the breadcrumbs pressing firmly to cover all over.
• Heat a large non-stick frying pan with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the chicken breast pieces and cook for 6-7 min on each side. They should brown and crisp up and fully cook through.
• Heat a large non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the finely grated carrot, ginger and onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 min. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute.
• Add 1 tbsp of flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Reduce the heat to low and add 300ml of boiling water. Tip in soy sayce and mango chutney. Stir and leave to cook for 5-8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
• In the meantime, thinly slice your cucumber into rounds. Toss with rice vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
• Slice the chicken into strips. Spoon the katsu sauce into a wide shallow bowl, spoon the rice and cucumber salad on top and place the sliced chicken breast next to them.

Nutrition

Calories: 635kcalCarbohydrates: 100gProtein: 39gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 1350mgPotassium: 916mgFiber: 5gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 5314IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 131mgIron: 5mg

Keyword Chicken Curry, Chicken Curry Recipes, Chicken Katsu Curry, Chicken Recipes, Japanese Chicken Curry, Japanese Curry, Japanese Katsu Curry, Japanese Recipes, Katsu Curry, Wagamama Chicken Katsu Curry

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