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(This post has been updated from the original August 2011 version to provide a better experience for you)
Love Japanese curry? Want to make it at home? Start with this sensationally satisfying chicken katsu curry recipe! Not only is is easy to make, it tastes just like at the restaurants, and you don’t need to buy expensive curry pastes either! Keep reading to learn how to make katsu curry at home…

What is katsu curry?
It took the Western world by storm a few years ago, and we’ve been loving it ever since! Chicken katsu curry is a simple Japanese curry recipe that is enjoyed in many popular Asian restaurants, such as Wagamamas and Yo! Sushi.
Katsu curry sauce is usually made with onion, curry powder, stock, soy sauce and mirin. Although katsu curry paste is now readily available in supermarkets. So if you’re looking for more of a Wagamamas chicken katsu curry recipe, katsu curry paste and coconut milk is a good match. However, we’re going for the from scratch homemade katsu curry method in this recipe.
Yes, a cheeky slow cooker chicken curry is great for lazy days. And chicken teriyaki is great for when I want to impress my friends and family… But for those between days? This katsu chicken curry is perfect!
Is Japanese curry easy to make from scratch?
Yes! Japanese katsu curry is very easy to make from scratch, so long as you have the right ingredients.(See the Katsu curry ingredients section later on for more help with this.)
In fact, I think it’s fair to say that, once you see how easy it is for yourself, you’ll be adding it into your midweek meal rotation!
How do you make katsu chicken?
All you need to do is coat your chicken in panko breadcrumbs and fry them until crisp. And for the sauce, you simply fry off some onions, add the seasonings and spices, add the liquids, simmer a little, and you’re done! It really is so much more simple than you might think.
Is chicken katsu curry recipe healthy?
As you’re frying the chicken, I wouldn’t say this chicken katsu curry recipe is necessarily healthy. But it’s not hugely unhealthy either. But enjoyed as part of a balanced diet, it should be absolutely fine.
If you did want to make it more healthy, try air frying a selection of vegetables to use instead of the chicken. Then coat them in your homemade katsu sauce for a nutrient packed alternative.

Katsu curry ingredients
Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s what you need to know…
For the crispy chicken
- Chicken – My preferred is always chicken thighs. Yes chicken breasts are leaner (which is better if you’re looking for healthier recipes) but thighs are cheaper and much more flavourful, due to the higher fat content.
- Flour – Purely used for coating the chicken, it really doesn’t matter what type you use. I tend to go for plain (all purpose) flour, self raising flour or bread flour. As that’s what I usually have in the cupboard.
- Eggs – Again, these are only used to coat the chicken. So any size or type will do.
- Breadcrumbs – Although this would work fine with homemade breadcrumbs or classic shop bought, Panko breadcrumbs are KING in a chicken katsu curry recipe! Their larger size makes for an unrivalled crispy exterior.
- Oil – I like to use vegetable oil when I’m frying as it has a high smoke point, doesn’t impart any flavour, and is quite cheap to buy. Sunflower oil would also work well.
For the katsu curry sauce
- Butter – Good quality salted butter is a great start for a katsu curry sauce recipe. But don’t buy it especially for this – any butter you have will work just fine.
- Onion – A standard brown/yellow onion works best in katsu curry, I personally wouldn’t substitute for a red onion in this instance.
- Curry Powder – I always use a mild or medium curry powder in katsu curry recipes. I don’t think you need the heat hotter powders bring, but it’s comforting and delicious to have a little kick.
- Stock – Given that it’s a chicken katsu recipe, I use chicken stock in the sauce. But you could use vegetable stock if that’s all you have. And it will still taste delicious!
- Soy Sauce – I usually use light soy sauce as it gives more flavour (it’s more salty than dark soy sauce).
- Mirin – Although this used to be tricky to get hold of, it’s now commonly available at supermarkets in the ‘world food’ sections. Don’t omit this if you can help it, it really adds to the overall katsu flavour.
- Cornflour – Used to thicken up the sauce towards the end of the cooking time, if you Don’t have any? Here are some substitutes for cornflour.
Chicken katsu curry recipe tips
Here are tips you’ll find helpful when using this chicken katsu curry recipe.
- When coating the chicken, use one hand for dipping it into the egg, and the other for dipping it into the breadcrumbs. Keeping them separate will make it a less messy job.
- Make sure you dice the onion very finely (yes, even more finely than in my pictures) for a flawless katsu sauce finish.
- Taste the sauce before you serve it! This way you can be sure it tastes exactly how you want it to. Rather than be disappointed once you’ve already started eating, and can do nothing to change it.
- Serve with freshly cooked rice and stir fried vegetables or salad, for a delicious and satisfying meal.
Time management
Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier.
- Setting up and coating the chicken will take about 10 minutes.
- Preparing the katsu curry sauce ingredients (including dicing the onion) should take less than 5 minutes.
- The sauce will take about 25 minutes to make, from start to finish. (Although you will be cooking the chicken within this time too.)
- The chicken should take between 10 and 15 minutes to fully cook through.
- Assembly will take 1-2 minutes.
If you like this chicken katsu curry recipe…
…you might also like:
- Slow cooker chicken teriyaki recipe
- Crispy baked parmesan chicken
- Juicy breaded air fryer chicken breast recipe
Chicken Katsu Curry – Step by Step Picture Recipe
(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)
Ingredients
Here is what you will need to serve 2.
- 2 Chicken Breasts or Thighs (skinless & boneless)
- Salt
- 25g (2 tbsp) Plain Flour
- 1-2 Eggs
- 50g (1/3 Cup) Panko Breadcrumbs
- 25g (1/8 Cup) Butter
- 1/2 Onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
- 60ml (1/4 Cup) Chicken Stock
- 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- Vegetable Oil, for frying
- 1 tbsp Cornflour/1 tbsp Water
Essential equipment
- Chopping board
- Rolling pin
- 2 bowls or shallow dishes
- Large saucepan
- Frying/Sauté pan
Chicken preparation instructions
If you’re using chicken breasts (x 2), place them on a chopping board and gently flatten them out with a rolling pin. You want everything an even thickness. (You can skip that part if you’re using 2 x chicken thighs.)
Season both sides of each breast/thigh with salt, then coat in the flour (25g / 2 tbsp).

Beat the egg (x 1-2) in a shallow dish/bowl, and tip the breadcrumbs (50g | 1/3 Cup) into another. Dip each piece of the floured chicken into the beaten egg, then coat them in the breadcrumbs.


Leave to one side whilst you make a start on the katsu curry sauce.

Katsu sauce instructions
Melt the butter (25g | 1/8 Cup) in a large saucepan, and sweat the diced onions until they are cooked through. Stir regularly so they don’t catch and burn.

When the onions are done, add in the curry powder (2 tbsp) and chicken stock (60ml | 1/4 Cup), and bring to the boil.
Then stir in the soy sauce (1 tbsp) and mirin (2 tbsp), and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chicken cooking instructions
Meanwhile, heat some vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat (to a height of about 1cm). Be a little patient with this, if you put your chicken in and the oil isn’t hot enough, the panko crumbs will likely go soggy.
Carefully add the prepared chicken into the pan and fry for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy.


While the chicken is cooking, let’s get back to the sauce…
Katsu sauce instructions continued…
Add the cornflour (1 tbsp) to the water (1 tbsp) and mix. Stir this into the sauce, then continue stirring over the heat until it thickens. It should end up a yoghurt like consistency. If it becomes too thick, simply add more chicken stock or a little water until you get the consistency you want.

Serving instructions
Now all your components are ready, it’s time to serve! Plate up some cooked rice and maybe a salad or some vegetables (optional serving suggestion), slice up the crispy chicken and place it on top.
Then pour over as much of the katsu curry sauce as you like! You could even sprinkle over some sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds to finish.

Loved this chicken katsu curry recipe? Pin it!


Chicken Katsu Curry - Printable Recipe
No need for expensive curry pastes - this Chicken Katsu Curry Recipe is REALLY easy to make, and tastes JUST as good as the restaurants!
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts or Thighs (skinless & boneless)
- Salt
- 25g (2 tbsp) Plain Flour
- 1-2 Eggs
- 50g (1/3 Cup) Panko Breadcrumbs
- 25g (1/8 Cup) Butter
- 1/2 Onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
- 60ml (1/4 Cup) Chicken Stock
- 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- Vegetable Oil, for frying
- 1 tbsp Cornflour/1 tbsp Water
Essential equipment
- Chopping board
- Rolling pin
- 2 bowls or shallow dishes
- Large saucepan
- Frying/Sauté pan
Instructions
- Gently flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin on a chopping board (no need if you are using thighs). Season all over with salt, then coat with the flour.
- Beat the egg into a bowl/dish, and add the panko crumbs to the other one. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, then coat in the panko breadcrumbs.
- To start the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over a low/medium heat. Add the onions and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until translucent.
- Then add the curry powder and chicken stock. Bring it to the boil, then stir through the soy sauce and mirin. Stir well, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Back to the chicken - heat the vegetable oil (to about 1cm depth) in a frying pan over a medium heat. When it's hot (a panko crumb dropped in should sizzle immediately) add the chicken. Fry for 5-7 minutes on each side, until crisp, golden, and cooked through.
- Back to the sauce - mix the cornflour into the water, then pour it into the sauce. Stir constantly over the heat, until thickened to your liking.
Notes
Serving suggestion (optional)
Serve with freshly cooked rice, and some cooked vegetables or a side salad.
Notes
See the main post for a more detailed, step by step picture recipe.
Be sure to read the sections Katsu curry ingredients, Chicken katsu curry recipe tips and Time management for lots of helpful information before you begin making this recipe. You can find them in the main body of this post.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 671Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 223mgSodium: 1271mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 48g
Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.
I want to see YOUR cooking!
Have you made this chicken katsu curry recipe? I’d love to know if you have! Tag me in your pics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or email me at emma@kitchenmason.com.
Other tasty chicken recipes
About Emma Mason
Emma is a professional blogger. Utilising over 20 years of cooking experience, she’s passionate about making your life easier, one recipe at a time! Drawing on her 12+ year background in recipe research and development, photography, copy writing and marketing, Emma has turned kitchenmason.com into a successful career. Known as ‘the organisation queen’ among friends, she is passionate about creating easy to follow recipes that anyone can follow and enjoy. She lives in Nottingham (UK) with her husband, daughter and 2 naughty cats. In her spare time she can be found reading a good book, training at the dojo preparing for her black belt grading, or dreaming up the next crazy colour combo for her hair!
John
Thursday 21st of November 2024
Emma, this sounds really yummy. I hope when my health is better I can have a wee try at it. Until then I will keep this in my recipe folder along with most every other recipe I have received from you. Thank you. John (Carlisle)
Emma
Thursday 21st of November 2024
Hi John. Sorry to hear you're not well. I hope you improve soon! Thank you so much for your kind words, as always :) Emma x
Ben
Thursday 15th of May 2014
Agreed about the Chicken Katzu curry. I visited Yo Sushi (Reading, Berkshire, UK) and had the curry. It was blooming delicious. :-)
Miss KitchenMason
Thursday 15th of May 2014
It is gorgeous, my other half LOVES it!
colourpixels
Monday 7th of April 2014
I live in New Zealand, and have always been spoiled in the knowledge that there was sushi with chicken or veges, and not just fish - as I don't eat seafood. But then I went to Japan, and not a piece in sight! I even believe we have more sushi restaurants here than they do in Japan per capita. I didn't eat one piece of sushi in the month I was there, as every piece was raw fish, eel or similar. Oh well, I can always enjoy katsu. :)