Chicken Katsu Bowls (Japanese-Style Fried Chicken)

When you’re trying to straddle the line between comfort food and the lighter side, these Chicken Katsu Bowls will really hit the spot. Perfect for those in-between months like September when you’re not quite ready to fire up the crock pot, these bowls are warm and satisfying without being heavy.

This is one of those meals that’s an easy sell to the whole family. The kids love the chicken finger aspect of the katsu, and the more sophisticated palates appreciate the sweet onion broth and pickled veggies.

What does katsu mean?

The word “katsu” in Japanese actually comes from the English word “cutlet”. And that’s basically what it is. Katsu is Japanese fried chicken, prepared very much like classic chicken cutlets, only with panko breadcrumbs instead of plain breadcrumbs.

Making Perfect Katsu Chicken

Follow these simple tips to ensure that your chicken comes out perfectly crispy and golden on the outside, juicy and fork-tender on the inside:

• Start with a thin breast of boneless, skinless chicken. You can choose to pound them thin with a mallet, or simply slice a chicken breast in half into two thinner pieces. Many supermarkets already sell chicken breast in thinner slices.
• Fry the chicken over a steady, medium-low heat. If the oil is too hot, the coating will brown or probably burn before the inside is fully cooked. Take your time when you’re frying chicken cutlets so that the inside and outside cook at the same pace.

What’s in these Chicken Katsu Bowls?

There are four basic components to these katsu bowls:

• The panko-coated chicken
• The sticky rice (I recommend sushi rice)
• The onion sauce: it’s brothy, salty and full of umami flavor. It will simmer on the stove while you’re frying the chicken
• The pickled veggies (see below)

How to quickly pickle vegetables

Usually, when you’re pickling vegetables, the longer you can let them sit in the brine the better. For instance, when I make pickled radishes for Asian-style bowls or even tacos, they take on a really vibrant pink color and I keep can them in a jar in the fridge for months and they’re still good.

Not the case with the cucumbers and carrots in these Chicken Katsu Bowls. All they need is a quick pickle, so put them into the brine first and then cook the rest of the meal. They’ll be ready in 30 minutes. Using a vegetable peeler to slice them into thin ribbons makes them soft and pliable, a great textural balance to the crispy chicken.

These Chicken Katsu Bowls have quickly become a regular player on our weeknight menus because when you can find something that pleases everyone, you know you’ve got a keeper! Enjoy!

For more Asian-inspired recipes, try these:

• Asian Salmon Noodle Bowls
• Easy Homemade Chicken Ramen
• Citrus Thai Basil Shrimp with Coconut Rice

For more chicken dinners, try these:

• Honey Mustard Chicken w/ Warm Potato Arugula Salad
• Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken
• Champagne Chicken with Garlicky Whipped Potatoes

Chicken Katsu Bowls

Japanese-style fried chicken served with a sweet-and-salty broth over sticky rice with crunchy pickled vegetables

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

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The Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced or pounded thin
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup scallions diced
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 4 cups cooked sushi rice
• vegetable oil for frying

The Onion Sauce

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups yellow onions diced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 2 Tbsp. ginger minced
• 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

The Pickled Vegetables

• 1 cucumber
• 1 carrot
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup rice vinegar

Instructions

 

• Make the pickled vegetables: Using a vegetable peeler, make long ribbons of the cucumber and carrot. Place the cucumber in a colander and toss with salt. Allow to drain for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add the carrots and cucumbers and combine well. Cover and refrigerate.
• Heat the sesame seeds over medium-low heat in a small frying pan. Constantly moving them around, toast the seeds until they start to brown slightly and become fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Make the onion sauce: In a saucepan, combine the chicken broth, onions, 1/2 cup soy sauce, mirin, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, 1 tsp. sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, while you cook the chicken.
• Make the Chicken: Line up 3 shallow bowls. In the first bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt and pepper. Beat the eggs and water in the second bowl. In the third bowl, place the panko bread crumbs. Fill a frying pan with 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and heat to medium. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture, then the egg, then the panko. Fry until chicken is golden brown and easily pierced with a fork, about 7-8 minutes on each side. Remove chicken onto paper towels. Slice into strips.
• Divide the cooked rice among four bowls. Pour onion broth over the rice, then top with chicken strips, pickled vegetables, scallion and toasted sesame seeds.

Keyword chicken

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