“Steph ain’t got nothin’ on this chicken katsu curry” – Elijah
Katsu curry (katsu kare) is a hearty Japanese dish made of vegetable curry topped with fried chicken or pork. It is served with a variety of pickled veggies, fresh veggies, and rice.
Chicken katsu curry (katsu kare) has comforting warmth, bold flavor, and a crispy (but juicy) bite is guaranteed to slam dunk you into a food coma. If you’ve ever wanted to make this yourself, now’s the time!
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Table of Contents
The History of Japanese Curry
The spice mix for curry powder were most likely brought over to Japan through the British Empire, who had colonized India from 1858 – 1947. In the early 1900’s, the Russo-Japanese War meant that the Japanese government needed a way to feed their Navy and Army. It also became very popular among civilians, although it is unclear exactly when this happened.
Curry Sauce Ingredients
The popular Japanese curry sauce is made from curry roux (cubes of pre-mixed spices, which come in mild, medium, or spicy), garlic, onion, carrots, and potato. In addition, there are ingredients like grated apple, mirin, and honey, which add a subtle sweetness to the bold curry sauce.
The curry is very versatile for cooking at home, since you can make this with basically any vegetables you currently have. Note: we recommend using “sturdier” vegetables, like potato, radish, or bok choy, that will hold itself well against the heavy sauce.
You can also make this recipe vegetarian, or switch out the meat for pork or beef. Or, simply eat it with rice. It’s delicious either way. Go ahead and make it your own!
How to Cook Chicken Katsu
To fry katsu, you must first tenderize the meat for even frying and better texture. It breaks up the stiff muscle fibers so your chicken will come out soft and succulent.
Next, coat the chicken in flour, then egg wash, then panko. Do this right before frying so that the panko doesn’t become soggy.
Fry with neutral oil (vegetable, canola, peanut, safflower, etc.) for about 5 minutes on each side.
Tips on Cooking Chicken Katsu Curry
Tip #1: Tenderize the meat until the thickness is even, but don’t overtenderize. Overtenderizing will cause the meat to be ripped or smashed, and won’t cook as well in the fryer due to the uneven surface area.
Tip #2: How do you know if the oil is ready if you don’t have a thermometer? You can test the heat of the oil with a wooden spoon or chopstick. If the oil bubbles steadily when you dip the utensil in the oil, it is ready for frying. No bubbles = not hot enough. Violent bubbles = too hot.
Tip #3: For faster (and less messy) cooking, make an “assembly line” of flour, egg, and panko next to your fryer. We like to use our tupperware because they perfectly fit one slice of chicken and have room for us to roll it around for coating. Coat in flour, then egg, then panko, then…fry! In this way, you won’t be moving so much around the kitchen and you can cook much faster!
Final Thoughts
Katsu curry (katsu kare) is a hearty Japanese dish that warms the bellies of everyone who eats it. Savor the simple pleasure of fried chicken combined with the rich flavors of curry sauce.
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Chicken Katsu Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
Katsu Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cup panko
- ½ cup flour
- 3 eggs
- vegetable oil for frying
Curry
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1 potato cubed
- 1 fuji apple grated
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 packet curry sauce
Sides
- pickled vegetables
- microgreens
Instructions
Fry the chicken katsu
- Fill a cast iron with 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat to high.
- Place the chicken breast in a sealable bag or wrap with plastic. Tenderize until the chicken is about ½-1 inch thick throughout. Be careful not to overtenderize, in which the met becomes shredded and limp.
- Immediately before frying, coat the chicken in flour, then egg, then panko.
- Add the breaded chicken to the hot oil. Fry 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Remove the chicken from heat, then let it cool on a paper towel or a wire rack.
Cook the curry sauce
- In a pot or dutch oven, add garlic, ginger and onion. Cook until fragrant.
- Add carrots and potato, then fill half with pot with water. Close the pot with a lid and boil for 20 minutes.
- Add grated apple, honey, mirin, and curry packet. Keep it at a low boil for another 20 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.
How to serve
- Use a bowl or a plate. Ladle some curry sauce then add the chicken katsu.
- Serve with pickled vegetables and microgreens.
Notes
- Don’t have a thermometer? You can test the heat of the oil with a wooden spoon or chopstick. If the oil bubbles steadily when you dip the utensil in the oil, it is ready for frying. No bubbles = not hot enough. Violent bubbles = too hot.
- Be careful not to overtenderize. Stop tenderizing as soon as the thickness is evened to ensure that the meat does not become ripped, broken, or smashed.
- Curry sauce can be made from scratch, but given the amount of ingredients, we decided it would be more efficient (both in terms of time and money) for us to buy almost ready curry packets. If only we had the spice rack of the gods!
- Asian markets often have pickled vegetables ready to eat. We got ours from Mitsuwa, and they conveniently have combo packs specifically for eating with katsu!
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References & Further Reading
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/japanese-curry-history
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=885e797402814f6498e63ce610d8c165
https://taiken.co/single/the-origin-and-history-of-japanese-curry-rice/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/08/26/food/curry-its-more-japanese-than-you-think/
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