Chicken Katsu
Updated
Updated
Chicken Katsu has totally won me over—it’s fried to golden perfection with a light, crispy crust and juicy, tender chicken inside. I first fell in love with it at Japanese restaurants, but now I make it at home whenever I’m craving that crunchy panko coating and the sweet, tangy tonkatsu sauce that I could honestly eat with a spoon. It’s just so irresistible!
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Easy Japanese-Style Panko Chicken
My daughter has a friend whose parents own a Japanese Hawaiian BBQ restaurant. For months she would eat there and come home with leftover chicken katsu and I would devour it.
Chicken katsu—also known as tori katsu or panko chicken—is made with chicken cutlets coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs, then fried until golden and perfectly juicy inside.
In my opinion, the Tonkatsu sauce (aka katsu sauce) is really what makes this dish special. It’s basically Japanese barbecue sauce, with a flavor that’s a bit similar to steak sauce but with more of a soy sauce umami flavor. Made with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mirin, and a few other ingredients it’s sweet, tangy, and savory all in one. While it pairs with this tori katsu recipe, you may find that you want to use it as a dipping sauce for other foods as well.
And, despite it sounding difficult to make, this entire recipe comes together in under 30 minutes.
Chicken Katsu
Ingredients
For the Tonkatsu Sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ tbsp mirin*
- ½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
For the Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 5 oz. each**
- ½ tsp coarse salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups panko Japanese breadcrumbs
- 3 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
For Serving
- katsu sauce
- cooked sticky white sushi rice
- shredded cabbage salad
- macaroni salad
- sliced tomato
Instructions
- Make the katsu sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust the sauce according to your liking. Set aside.
- Trim any excess skin, fat, or gristle off of each chicken thigh, then place between some plastic wrap and tenderize the meat, gently pounding until both sides are flattened and about a ½-inch even thickness.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the surface of each side of the chicken pieces.
- Set up a breading station with 3 shallow bowls: one with the flour, one with the egg, and one with the panko breadcrumbs. (Beat the egg with the ½ tablespoon vegetable oil.)
- Dredge the chicken with a thin coating of flour, making sure not to miss any spots, shaking off any excess. Then coat it in the beaten egg, making sure there is no dry flour left, letting any excess dip off. And finally coat the chicken in the panko fully, gently pressing the panko into the cutlet to adhere.
- Add the oil to a medium-size, heavy-bottomed pot—the oil should be 1½ inches deep. (If you use a larger pot, you will need to add more oil to get it 1½ inches deep.) Start heating the oil to 340°F over medium heat.
- Once oil has reached 340°F, gently lower one piece of chicken at a time into the hot oil and deep-fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until crispy and golden brown and the chicken is cooked through at 165°F. Using tongs, remove the chicken cutlet from the oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the grease.
- Using a handheld skimmer, remove any crumbs in the oil and bring the temperature back up to 340°F (if it dropped) so it's still bubbling, before adding the next piece of chicken.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 2 minutes before slicing. Cut the chicken into 1-inch wide strips.
- Serve with some of the katsu sauce, and a side of shredded cabbage, sticky white rice, macaroni salad, and sliced tomato.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Chicken Katsu Step by Step
Make the sauce: Whisk ¼ cup ketchup, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, ½ tbsp mirin, ½ tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp brown sugar, ¼ tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp ground ginger together. Adjust according to your liking.
Prepare the chicken: Trim any skin or fat off the chicken thigh, then tenderize and flatten as described above. Each piece of chicken should be about ½-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the breading stations: Place ¼ cup all-purpose flour in one bowl, 1 egg, whisked with ½ tbsp vegetable oil in another, and the 1 1/3 cups breadcrumbs in the third.
Coat the chicken: Dredge the chicken first in the flour, then the egg, and then finally the panko. Press gently to get the panko to stick.
Fry the chicken: Fry the chicken one piece at a time, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until crispy and golden brown. Repeat with all of the chicken.
Serve: Slice the chicken into 1-inch wide strips. Serve with katsu sauce, macaroni salad, sticky white rice, shredded cabbage, and sliced tomatoes.
Variations
- To cook in an Air fryer. Place chicken pieces in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Spray the tops with oil. Air fryer at 350°F for 9 minutes, then flip, spray the top side with more oil, and air fry for another 9 minutes. Cook time can vary depending on the size of the chicken. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches.
- To bake place the breaded panko chicken on a baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
How to Store
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to a month.
To reheat, bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for 15-20 minutes for chicken katsu that was thawed in the refrigerator overnight, or for 30 minutes if heating directly from frozen. Check that the inside is warm before serving.
The sauce should be stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
What to Serve with Chicken Katsu
I love serving it the traditional way, topped with sweet and tangy tonkatsu sauce and a few simple sides like white rice, a creamy macaroni salad, or a crunchy cabbage salad. It’s crispy, satisfying, and always hits the spot!
