Go Back

Chicken Katsu Curry

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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

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

Equipment

  • cast iron pan
  • Le Creuset Dutch Oven

Method
 

Fry the chicken katsu
  1. Fill a cast iron with 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat to high.
  2. 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.
  3. Immediately before frying, coat the chicken in flour, then egg, then panko.
  4. Add the breaded chicken to the hot oil. Fry 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
  5. Remove the chicken from heat, then let it cool on a paper towel or a wire rack.
Cook the curry sauce
  1. In a pot or dutch oven, add garlic, ginger and onion. Cook until fragrant.
  2. Add carrots and potato, then fill half with pot with water. Close the pot with a lid and boil for 20 minutes.
  3. 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
  1. Use a bowl or a plate. Ladle some curry sauce then add the chicken katsu.
  2. 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!