Chicken Katsu

Chicken Katsu is a Japanese-style chicken cutlet breaded and fried until golden brown and crispy. It’s typically served with a Tonkatsu sauce over white rice and garnished with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Skip the takeout and make this homemade chicken Katsu instead!

If you love Asian-inspired recipes, then you’ve got to try my Thai grilled chicken and my beef teriyaki noodles!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Homemade chicken Katsu is the perfect weeknight dinner. (No takeout required!) It’s super simple to make and tastes amazing. Chicken Katsu is a Japanese-style chicken cutlet that is breaded and then fried. It comes out super crispy on the outside and perfectly juicy and tender on the inside.

The chicken typically gets served with Tonkatsu Sauce. It’s a Japanese sauce that’s tangy, rich, and slightly sweet. I also love serving this homemade chicken Katsu with some sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Just like when making my chicken parmesan. I pound out the chicken so it is super thin. This helps the chicken cook evenly and not get dried out. Once the chicken is pounded to 1/2 inch thickness I season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Next, I dredge each cutlet in flour, then egg then panko breadcrumbs.

I fry the chicken one at a time until golden brown. It takes about 3-4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is cooked I let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing into the meat. This helps the juices redistribute and keeps the chicken juicy. I serve the chicken immediately over white rice with Tonkatsu Sauce on top! I also sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions for garnish!

Key Ingredients

• Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this homemade chicken Katsu recipe, but you could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you prefer white meat. Either way, pound the chicken with a meat tenderizer to get them to an even thickness.
• Flour: I use all-purpose flour to coat the chicken before adding the egg and then the breadcrumbs. This helps the breading stick well to the chicken.
• Egg: The egg binds the breadcrumbs to the chicken.
• Panko Breadcrumbs: This is what gives the chicken cutlets their crispy breaded exterior. It’s lighter than traditional flour breading, which works well with the Asian flavors.
• Tonkatsu Sauce: You can get Tonkastu Sauce at an Asian grocery store or make your own version at home.
• Oil: You’ll need oil to deep fry the chicken. Peanut oil is great for deep frying, but you can also use vegetable oil or a healthier oil like olive oil.
• Garnish: I added toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish. These additions are optional but taste delicious!

How To Make Chicken Katsu

• Prepare the chicken: Start by pounding each chicken thigh to 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle each chicken thigh with salt and pepper.

• Prepare the breading: Add flour to a small shallow bowl. Whisk egg and add to a small shallow bowl. Add panko breadcrumb to a small shallow bowl.
• Bread the chicken: Starting with the flour dredge chicken one at a time then into the egg then into the panko breadcrumbs until fully coated.

• Heat a large pot with oil (at least 2 inches deep) to 350 degrees. When the oil is hot add in chicken one or two at a time and cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fully cooked.

• Place chicken on a plate lined with paper towels and allow the chicken to rest for 2 minutes before slicing.

• Drizzle with tonkatsu sauce!

• Serve immediately with sesame seeds and green onions and enjoy!

Tips for Success

• Make sure to pound out each chicken breast to ensure that it cooks evenly and stays moist.
• Try not to overcrowd the pan when frying the chicken. I try to fry one or two cutlets at a time to ensure that it gets crispy and golden brown, and they don’t stick together.
• Pork cutlets can be substituted for the chicken if you have them on hand.
• This chicken goes great with curry sauce!

Serving Suggestions

• Sticky Rice, white rice, or brown rice
• Cauliflower Rice for a low-carb version
• Vegetable Fried Rice
• Garlic Fried Rice
• Japanese Cabbage Salad
• Vegetable Noodle Stir-Fry
• Japanese Cucumber Salad
• Spicy Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts
• Lo Mein
• Freshly sliced or pickled veggies like purple cabbage and carrot sticks

Storage Instructions

This homemade chicken Katsu is best enjoyed fresh while it’s hot and crispy, but you can store any cooled leftover chicken and rice in separate containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. (Rice will last longer if stored separately.)

What is chicken katsu made of?

Katsu, a common breaded cutlet dish in Japan, is frequently made with either chicken or pork. To make the chicken version, boneless chicken breasts are thinly pounded, dipped in flour, egg, and panko, and then deep-fried till golden brown. This creates an enticing crunchy shell that surrounds the deliciously tender meat inside.

Why is it called chicken katsu?

Katsu is the shortened version of the Japanese word “katsuretsu” which means “cutlet”

What is the difference between chicken katsu and chicken cutlet?

The main differences between chicken katsu and Western-style chicken cutlet (also known as chicken schnitzel) are that chicken katsu does not tenderize the chicken meat by pounding it, it uses panko breadcrumbs, and it is deep-fried rather than shallow-fried.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

• Easy Chicken Marsala
• The BEST Chicken Parmesan
• Easy Chicken Shawarma
• Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
• Easy One Pan Bourbon Chicken
• Easy Thai Chicken Satay

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