Chicken Katsu Poke Bowl
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.
Ingredients
Rice Base:
- 170 g 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 vegetable or sunflower oil
Quick Pickled Cucumber:
- 80 g 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 panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric optional
- 2 tablespoon oil for frying
Other Toppings:
- 80 g 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
Calories: 751kcalCarbohydrates: 97gProtein: 38gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 2506mgPotassium: 958mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 6291IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!