Crispy Chicken Katsu Curry
Our crispy chicken katsu curry is the ultimate midweek meal! Serve the fried chicken & curry sauce with fried rice & you’re onto a winner.
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I’m a huge fan of both chicken katsu curry & fried rice, so I’ve combined the two of them, to make the ultimate main course!
Here, we’re making it all from scratch. From the katsu curry sauce, to the panko coated, fried chicken fillets. Don’t let this put you off though, this one’s super easy to make & can be prepared in advance. It also goes fantastically well with our fried jasmine rice recipe (as shown in the photo above!).
What Is Katsu Curry?
Chicken katsu curry is a Japanese dish that consists of crispy, panko breaded chicken with a sweet, lightly spiced curry sauce. Traditionally, you’d serve this with rice but noodles or some grilled veg, pickles or cabbage will work as well!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – You’ll need four chicken breasts for this recipe. We’re cutting each breast in half widthways, so that we have two fillets per portion. This means that we’ll get more crispy bits of chicken!
- Breadcrumbs – Panko breadcrumbs are key to making the best katsu chicken! These are available to buy in most supermarkets.
- Curry Powder – A mild curry powder works best for this katsu curry sauce recipe. Alternatively, you could use a Japanese curry block, added to taste (these are available in some supermarkets).
- Fresh Ginger – This is a vital ingredient in katsu curry! Fresh ginger has a deeper, more complex flavour compared to dry. This is ideal for our sauce.
- Coconut Milk – Full fat coconut milk works best! Any leftover can be frozen for next time.
- Sriracha – This is optional but adds a subtle kick to our curry sauce. Feel free to add more sriracha if you like a hotter curry sauce. This isn’t a traditional katsu ingredient but adds another layer of spice to our sauce!
What To Serve With Katsu Curry
Traditionally, you’d serve chicken katsu curry with some steamed rice but what I like to do, is serve mine with a batch of my fried jasmine rice. Feel free to serve yours with whatever you like though!
How To Make Chicken Katsu Curry
The full, printable recipe card for this crispy chicken katsu curry can be found at the bottom of this post!
Katsu Curry Sauce
If you’re not using the katsu sauce straight away, it can be made up to 3 days in advance & stored in the fridge.
- Veg Base – First, we fry chopped onions & carrots over a medium heat until soft then add in grated garlic & ginger & fry for another minute.
- Add Spices – Next, we stir in curry powder & turmeric then fry for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Plain flour is then stirred in & cooked out for another minute.
- Add Stock – Now we gradually add in chicken stock, stirring constantly then add in coconut milk, soy sauce, a small amount of brown sugar & a bay leaf.
- Simmer – Next, bring the sauce to a simmer then cook gently for 15-20 minutes, until the veg is cooked & the sauce is thick.
- Blitz – To finish the katsu sauce, stir in honey & sriracha then remove the bay leaf & blitz the sauce in a jug blender, until smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan then warm through whilst you cook the chicken. Alternatively, store the sauce in the fridge then reheat over a gentle heat when needed.
Crispy Fried Chicken
The bread crumbed chicken fillets can also be made in advance & stored in the fridge. Although they are best if they are cooked no more than a day after being coated in the breadcrumbs.
- Prep Chicken – The first job is to cut each chicken breast in half widthways, to make 2 thin fillets. We then use a meat tenderising hammer (or rolling pin) to flatten each fillet out slightly, to an even thickness (around 1 cm).
- Pané – Now to breadcrumb. To do this, dip each fillet in flour then eggs & milk then panko breadcrumbs. Make sure to season the flour, eggs & panko with salt & pepper!
- Frying – When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°c/356°f. Fry each fillet for 4-5 minutes, until crisp & golden. The internal temperature should be at least 75°c/167°f. Depending on the size of your fryer, you’ll probably need to cook the chicken in batches. You can either serve each batch straight away or keep them warm in an oven. If you haven’t got a deep fat fryer, shallow fry the chicken in a large frying pan/skillet.
- To Serve – Once the chicken is cooked, cut into slices then serve with rice (boiled or fried) & a generous amount of the katsu curry sauce.
Equipment Used
Please note that these are affiliate links & I may make a small commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you. For more information, click here.
More Mains To Try!
- Pan Fried Salmon With Sun Dried Tomato Couscous & Avacado Yoghurt
- Classic Fish Pie
- Slow Cooked Spaghetti Bolognese
- Honey Sesame Fried Chicken Tenders
- Twice Baked Rarebit Potatoes
- Shepherd’s Pie With Cheesy Garlic Mash
- Guinness Braised Short Rib Stew With Dumplings
- Toad In The Hole With Caramelised Onion Gravy
- Roasted Tomato Risotto & Burrata
- Oxtail & Bone Marrow Lasagne
If you have enjoyed this chicken katsu curry recipe, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating!
Crispy Chicken Katsu Curry
Our crispy chicken katsu curry is the ultimate midweek meal! Serve the fried chicken & curry sauce with fried rice & you're onto a winner.
Servings: 4 Portions
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Jug Blender
- Deep Fat Fryer
- Microplane
- Digital Food Probe
- Meat Tenderising Hammer
Ingredients
Katsu Curry Sauce
- 2 Large White Onions
- 3 Large Carrots
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1" Piece Of Fresh Ginger
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 3 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tbsp Plain Flour
- 850 ml Chicken Stock See Notes
- 250 g Coconut Milk
- 2½ tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1½ tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 tsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Sriracha Optional
Fried Chicken
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- 120 g Panko Breadcrumbs
- 70 g Plain Flour
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 tbsp Milk
To Serve
- 1 Batch Fried Jasmine Rice See Notes
Instructions
Katsu Curry Sauce
- Peel the onions, carrots, garlic & ginger. Finely chop the onions & carrots and grate the garlic & ginger.
- Place a large saucepan over a medium heat then pour in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Let it heat up for a minute or so then add in the onions & carrots, plus a pinch of salt.
- Fry the veg for 4-5 minutes, until soft then add in the garlic & ginger & cook for another minute. Make sure to stir the veg regularly to prevent it from catching on the pan.
- Stir in the curry powder & turmeric, cook out for 2 minutes (stirring constantly) then stir in the flour & cook out for another minute.
- Next, gradually pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly to prevent any lumps.
- Once all the stock has been incorporated, add in the coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar & the bay leaf. Let the sauce come to a simmer then cook for 15-20 minutes, until the veg is fully cooked & the sauce has thickened.If the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat slightly to bring it back down to a simmer.
- Next, stir in the honey & sriracha then take the sauce off the heat. Leave to cool slightly, remove the bay leaf then blitz in a jug blender until smooth. Taste the sauce, to check the seasoning then add more salt if necessary.
- Pour the sauce back into a saucepan then set aside. This will need to be reheated on the stove whilst we fry the chicken.The katsu curry sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance & stored in the fridge. To reheat, cook over a medium-low heat in a saucepan.
Fried Chicken
- Cut each chicken breast in half widthways then working with one piece of chicken at a time, pound with a meat tenderiser (or rolling pin), between 2 pieces of baking parchment to a thickness of around 1 cm.
- Next, prepare the pané station. To do this, take 3 bowls, fill one with the breadcrumbs, one with the flour & the other with the eggs & milk. Beat the eggs with a fork then season each bowl with salt & pepper.
- Toss a chicken fillet in the flour then dunk in the egg then the breadcrumbs. Place the chicken on a tray then repeat with the remaining fillets.After bread crumbing, the chicken can be cooked straight away or stored in the fridge for up to one day.
- Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°c/356°f.
- Fry the breaded chicken fillets for 4-5 minutes, until golden & crispy. The internal temperature should be at least 75°c/167°f (a digital food probe comes in handy here!). Depending on the size of your fryer, you'll probably need to cook the chicken in batches. After the first batch of chicken is cooked, it can be served straight away or kept warm in a 180°c/356°f oven whilst the remaining chicken is fried.
To Serve
- If you're serving the chicken katsu with fried rice, cook it straight after frying the chicken (it only takes a few minutes!). If serving the curry with boiled rice, cook it at the same time as the fried chicken.
- To serve, take four plates & divide the rice between them. Next, slice the chicken fillets up (allowing two per portion) & lay over the rice. Spoon over a generous amount of warm katsu sauce & serve immediately.
Notes
1. Cooking On An Aga – Cook the veg & spices using the boiling plate then once the stock has been added & the sauce is simmering, move over to the simmering plate.
2. Deep Frying – I like to deep fry the chicken so that it’s super crispy! If you haven’t got a deep fat fryer, you can shallow fry them in a frying pan set over a medium heat.
3. Making In Advance – The katsu curry sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance & stored in the fridge. The chicken can be breadcrumbed & stored in the fridge for up to a day before being cooked.
4. Chicken Stock – If you’re using chicken stock cubes, use two of them dissolved in 850ml of boiling water.
5. Sriracha – Sriracha hot sauce is used to add a subtle kick to our curry sauce. Feel free to leave this out if you’d prefer.
6. Fried Rice – I’d recommend serving the chicken katsu with a batch of my fried jasmine rice. You could also serve the curry with some boiled/steamed rice.
